Verdict with Ted Cruz - Deportations Cure Rent Inflation, When We Have No Evidence meets Do It Anyway plus the Final 3 Historic Victories of 2025 Week In Review

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.540 Guaranteed human.

00:00:04.300 Welcome, it is Verdict with Ted Cruz.

00:00:06.520 The Week in Review, Ben Ferguson with you.

00:00:08.860 And these are the stories that you may have missed

00:00:10.680 that we talked about this week.

00:00:12.340 First up, deportations.

00:00:14.860 They're happening at record pace.

00:00:16.840 More than 2 million illegal immigrants

00:00:18.700 have been deported from this country this year.

00:00:21.840 And it's having a major effect now

00:00:23.800 on rental prices of homes and housing prices.

00:00:27.480 So what could happen going into 2026?

00:00:30.580 It could be very big news for you

00:00:33.000 if you're looking to rent or buy a new home.

00:00:36.020 We'll have that for you in a moment.

00:00:37.780 Also, we found out in writing

00:00:39.880 that there was no cause to raid Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago.

00:00:45.040 So how did the FBI get away with doing it?

00:00:47.980 And who actually ordered it,

00:00:49.580 knowing that those in the field were saying

00:00:52.400 there is no probable cause?

00:00:54.860 And finally, three big wins in the last year

00:00:58.380 that affect all Americans.

00:01:00.380 We go through those wins and what it means for you.

00:01:03.320 It's The Week in Review, and it starts right now.

00:01:06.760 Finally, I want to move to another shocking, breaking news story.

00:01:10.600 And that is, if you get rid of people in this country

00:01:13.540 that are here illegally,

00:01:15.040 then you don't have to compete for them, Senator, for housing.

00:01:18.100 We have seen the medium age of first-time homebuyers,

00:01:21.900 the numbers skyrocket to 40-plus years old,

00:01:25.460 depending on where you live.

00:01:27.100 It's the highest we've seen, and certainly in my lifetime,

00:01:29.400 and the highest we've seen since World War I, I think,

00:01:31.800 if I looked at the data correctly.

00:01:33.660 That was something that should be very eye-opening.

00:01:37.240 Rental prices have also skyrocketed

00:01:39.580 because, well, you're competing when it comes to renting a home,

00:01:43.300 especially those entry-level homes

00:01:45.080 with tens of millions of illegal immigrants.

00:01:48.060 We are now finally seeing Donald Trump's deportations

00:01:52.000 and the shutting down of the southern border completely

00:01:54.160 turning into, guess what,

00:01:56.200 lower rent and lower home prices for Americans.

00:01:59.860 Yeah, and look, this is, at the end of the day,

00:02:02.960 very simple economics.

00:02:04.420 And in Economics 101, you learn that prices,

00:02:08.480 prices are determined by two factors,

00:02:11.220 supply and demand.

00:02:12.680 And their graft and where they intersect

00:02:16.040 is where the price is.

00:02:17.400 So supply, it's pretty simple to understand.

00:02:20.040 The more of something there is,

00:02:22.420 the lower the price is.

00:02:24.180 If there are a whole bunch of houses,

00:02:27.520 the price of housing goes down.

00:02:28.960 If there are a whole bunch of bananas,

00:02:31.140 the price of bananas go down.

00:02:33.020 But the other thing that determines price is demand.

00:02:36.260 If there are a ton of people that want to buy houses

00:02:39.460 or bananas, the price goes up.

00:02:41.900 And so those two counterbalance each other.

00:02:44.000 And actually, rising prices typically are a market signal

00:02:47.880 that we need more supply.

00:02:49.580 And so if banana prices skyrocket

00:02:52.500 because suddenly people decide

00:02:53.800 they really, really like bananas,

00:02:55.680 you know what's going to happen?

00:02:56.720 People are going to plant more bananas

00:02:58.120 and grow more bananas to meet the demand

00:03:00.700 and the price will fall.

00:03:01.740 Well, what did Joe Biden do?

00:03:03.040 Joe Biden imported, allowed more than 12 million

00:03:08.220 illegal aliens to come into this country.

00:03:09.940 Now, when they came into this country, 1.00

00:03:11.400 most of those illegal aliens didn't live in a tent.

00:03:14.180 They didn't sleep on a park bench.

00:03:16.400 They went and rented an apartment

00:03:17.620 or they rented a house or they bought a house.

00:03:19.380 And you bring in 12 million people.

00:03:21.980 That's 12 million people that are trying to rent.

00:03:24.340 And when demand goes up a lot,

00:03:27.000 you end up having prices go up.

00:03:29.500 Now, here's what Scott Besson reported.

00:03:31.720 Scott Besson said that last month,

00:03:36.060 apartment rents fell 1.1% compared to the same time last year.

00:03:42.180 And they dropped 5.2% compared to the same time period in 2022

00:03:47.060 when rents had peaked under Joe Biden.

00:03:51.120 And Besson did an interview on Fox Business Channel

00:03:54.180 where he said rents are down

00:03:56.620 and the story of the Biden administration

00:03:58.660 doesn't want to talk about the mass unfettered immigration

00:04:01.580 that pushed up rents,

00:04:03.140 especially for working Americans.

00:04:06.040 And he continued to say,

00:04:07.900 there's a recent study out from the Wharton School

00:04:10.660 that shows every 1% increase in population,

00:04:15.600 rents went up 1%.

00:04:17.060 So President Trump, by enforcing the border

00:04:20.100 and sending home more than 2 million illegals,

00:04:24.020 we're now seeing rents coming down substantially.

00:04:27.180 I think that will continue for the rest of the year.

00:04:29.820 We brought down interest rates.

00:04:31.700 And so we brought mortgage rates down.

00:04:33.720 And I think everything else will follow that.

00:04:35.980 That is a major victory.

00:04:37.320 And by the way, it's exactly what President Trump said

00:04:40.520 on the campaign trail,

00:04:41.840 which is that if we deport the illegal aliens 0.92

00:04:44.260 that Joe Biden's open borders brought into this country,

00:04:46.780 the result is going to be rents are going to come down

00:04:49.740 and housing is going to be more affordable.

00:04:51.580 We now have the data backing that up.

00:04:53.520 You know, messaging, I think, Senator,

00:04:54.940 is going to be so important going into the midterms.

00:04:57.700 And one of the things I do think

00:04:59.220 we have not messaged well enough on our side

00:05:02.540 is what is about to happen in 2026.

00:05:05.480 And there are laws that were passed in 2025

00:05:07.760 that are enacted in 2026.

00:05:10.840 You combine what you just said about home prices

00:05:14.340 and what the Treasury Secretary was talking about there

00:05:16.760 with something that's going to have a huge impact

00:05:19.720 on our economy.

00:05:20.600 No tax on tips is coming in this new year.

00:05:23.840 No tax on overtime is coming this year.

00:05:26.840 And no tax on Social Security for seniors is coming.

00:05:30.520 Those are three massive victories

00:05:32.960 that I think many Americans have actually

00:05:34.980 kind of forgotten about

00:05:36.080 that are going to be implemented this year.

00:05:37.960 That's going to have a very big impact on our economy,

00:05:41.220 but also affordability and living.

00:05:43.320 No, that's exactly right.

00:05:45.580 And I got to say, by the way,

00:05:47.240 for people that make substantial tipped wages

00:05:50.280 or overtime,

00:05:52.440 millions of Americans are going to be entitled

00:05:55.700 to a refund from the IRS starting in January.

00:05:58.540 Starting in just a couple of weeks,

00:05:59.780 they'll be entitled to a refund

00:06:01.280 because of those tax cuts,

00:06:03.560 because of the working family tax cut.

00:06:06.100 And look,

00:06:07.860 the latest mantra

00:06:09.680 of both Democrats and the media,

00:06:13.000 because in many instances,

00:06:14.300 they're one in the same,

00:06:15.780 is affordability.

00:06:17.180 Now, affordability,

00:06:18.280 I am certain that that came from a focus group

00:06:20.680 the Democrats put on,

00:06:22.160 that that was a word they could blame

00:06:23.640 and blame on Trump.

00:06:26.140 Affordability,

00:06:26.760 about 12 minutes ago,

00:06:27.800 used to be called two things,

00:06:29.080 jobs and inflation.

00:06:30.320 That's how we used to talk about it.

00:06:32.520 Jobs,

00:06:33.120 we're seeing economic growth,

00:06:34.740 and that is coming from

00:06:36.180 the historic tax cut we passed,

00:06:39.380 and it's coming from President Trump's

00:06:40.840 incredible leadership,

00:06:41.960 cutting job-killing regulation.

00:06:44.280 And then inflation,

00:06:45.760 we are seeing inflation coming down.

00:06:48.360 And this is interesting.

00:06:50.160 The HUD Department,

00:06:51.360 the Housing and Urban Development Department,

00:06:53.900 published this month a report,

00:06:56.820 an investigation that concluded

00:06:59.200 Biden's importing of millions of migrants 1.00

00:07:01.740 drove up prices for Americans

00:07:04.320 who are low-income,

00:07:05.960 but who do not receive public assistance.

00:07:08.520 And here's what the report concluded.

00:07:10.040 Quote,

00:07:10.920 One key cause of elevated worst-case needs

00:07:13.800 is immigration.

00:07:15.580 Between 2021 and 2024,

00:07:17.660 the foreign-born population

00:07:19.060 of the United States

00:07:19.940 increased more than 6 million,

00:07:21.960 the largest such increase

00:07:23.840 over such a short period

00:07:25.200 in American history.

00:07:27.340 This immigration-driven increase 0.98

00:07:29.460 in households

00:07:30.100 has contributed to a significant increase

00:07:32.720 in housing demand,

00:07:35.160 thus driving up housing prices.

00:07:36.520 In fact,

00:07:38.280 in some markets,

00:07:39.900 immigration has accounted

00:07:41.120 for nearly all

00:07:42.520 of the increase

00:07:43.720 in housing demand

00:07:44.600 in recent years.

00:07:45.880 That is hurting affordability.

00:07:48.500 Accounting for nearly all.

00:07:49.080 Nearly all.

00:07:50.500 What else do you need to know?

00:07:52.400 Yeah,

00:07:52.720 that's Democrat policies

00:07:54.580 killed jobs

00:07:55.800 and drove up inflation.

00:07:57.480 And right now,

00:07:58.220 under common-sense

00:07:59.340 conservative policies,

00:08:00.960 we're seeing jobs come back

00:08:02.480 and we're making progress

00:08:03.880 turning around

00:08:05.000 and driving down

00:08:06.220 the Biden inflation

00:08:08.420 that hurt so many Americans.

00:08:09.880 Now,

00:08:10.340 if you want to hear

00:08:10.960 the rest of this conversation,

00:08:12.480 you can go back

00:08:13.480 and listen to the full podcast

00:08:14.880 from earlier this week.

00:08:17.060 Canadian women

00:08:17.860 are looking for more.

00:08:19.200 More out of themselves,

00:08:20.260 their businesses,

00:08:21.200 their elected leaders,

00:08:22.160 and the world around them.

00:08:23.360 And that's why

00:08:23.840 we're thrilled to introduce

00:08:25.000 the Honest Talk podcast.

00:08:27.080 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

00:08:28.240 And I'm Catherine Clark.

00:08:29.260 And in this podcast,

00:08:30.680 we interview Canada's

00:08:31.640 most inspiring women.

00:08:33.280 Entrepreneurs,

00:08:33.960 artists,

00:08:34.640 athletes,

00:08:35.240 politicians,

00:08:35.960 and newsmakers,

00:08:36.840 all at different stages

00:08:37.880 of their journey.

00:08:39.020 So,

00:08:39.380 if you're looking to connect,

00:08:40.820 then we hope you'll join us.

00:08:42.240 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast

00:08:43.600 on iHeartRadio

00:08:44.640 or wherever you listen

00:08:45.600 to your podcasts.

00:08:48.000 Now,

00:08:48.660 on to story number two.

00:08:50.160 New files are revealing

00:08:51.500 that the Department of Justice

00:08:52.700 and the FBI,

00:08:53.980 quote,

00:08:54.300 did not have cause

00:08:55.440 to raid Mar-a-Lago.

00:08:57.360 Hold on a second.

00:08:58.280 You're telling me

00:08:59.080 the people in charge

00:08:59.880 of the government,

00:09:00.520 Senator,

00:09:01.380 under the Biden regime

00:09:02.480 knew that they were

00:09:03.380 going after Donald Trump

00:09:04.500 for political reasons

00:09:05.640 and not because

00:09:06.280 they thought he broke a law?

00:09:07.260 Can't,

00:09:07.640 I could not imagine this.

00:09:09.180 You know,

00:09:09.820 it really is astonishing.

00:09:11.100 So,

00:09:11.240 the Department of Justice

00:09:12.040 and FBI

00:09:12.580 handed documents over

00:09:13.780 to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

00:09:15.780 And here's what Fox News

00:09:17.020 has reported

00:09:17.540 about those documents.

00:09:19.000 FBI doubted probable cause

00:09:20.700 for Mar-a-Lago raid

00:09:21.740 but pushed forward

00:09:22.600 amid pressure

00:09:23.280 from Biden DOJ.

00:09:25.200 Emails reveal,

00:09:26.900 quote,

00:09:27.140 very little has been developed

00:09:28.460 related to who might be culpable

00:09:29.920 for mishandling the documents,

00:09:31.420 an FBI official wrote.

00:09:33.820 The FBI did not believe

00:09:35.320 it had probable cause

00:09:36.400 to raid President Donald Trump's

00:09:38.460 Mar-a-Lago home in 2022

00:09:39.940 but moved forward

00:09:41.060 amid pressure

00:09:41.740 from the Biden Justice Department

00:09:43.160 with an official saying

00:09:44.920 he didn't,

00:09:46.440 quote,

00:09:46.520 give a damn

00:09:47.260 about the optics of the search,

00:09:49.360 newly declassified documents

00:09:51.020 reveal.

00:09:52.160 and you have emails

00:09:54.920 between the FBI

00:09:56.060 and the Justice Department

00:09:57.100 in the months leading up

00:09:58.100 to the August 2022

00:09:59.280 raid of Mar-a-Lago

00:10:00.240 and FBI officials

00:10:02.220 explicitly express concern

00:10:04.120 about a lack

00:10:05.000 of probable cause

00:10:05.940 to execute the search warrant

00:10:07.500 on the president's residence.

00:10:10.680 Quote,

00:10:11.480 very little has been developed

00:10:13.580 related to who might be culpable

00:10:15.040 for mishandling the documents.

00:10:16.300 This is written by an FBI agent

00:10:17.800 serving as the assistant

00:10:18.800 special agent in charge

00:10:20.280 to another FBI official.

00:10:22.260 Quote,

00:10:23.140 from the interviews

00:10:24.120 the Washington field office

00:10:25.320 has gathered information

00:10:26.380 suggesting that there may be

00:10:27.580 additional boxes

00:10:29.040 presumably of the same type

00:10:30.400 as were sent back to NARA

00:10:31.520 in January at Mar-a-Lago.

00:10:33.480 The Washington field office

00:10:34.640 has been drafting

00:10:35.340 a search warrant affidavit

00:10:36.560 related to those potential boxes

00:10:38.000 but has some concerns

00:10:39.640 that the information

00:10:40.440 is single source,

00:10:41.640 has not been corroborated

00:10:42.920 and may be dated.

00:10:45.560 DOJ CES opines, however,

00:10:48.260 that the search warrant

00:10:49.600 meets the probable cause standard.

00:10:51.740 Quote,

00:10:52.500 even as we continue

00:10:53.640 down a path

00:10:54.320 towards a search warrant,

00:10:55.360 the Washington field office

00:10:56.420 believes that a reasonable

00:10:57.520 conversation

00:10:58.180 with the former

00:10:59.240 president's attorney

00:11:00.120 stating that the FBI

00:11:01.760 and DOJ are readying

00:11:02.820 a search warrant

00:11:03.400 and developed information

00:11:04.400 there may be more documents

00:11:05.560 at Mar-a-Lago

00:11:06.700 ought not to be discounted.

00:11:08.940 At a minimum,

00:11:09.840 even if the former

00:11:10.500 president's attorney

00:11:11.240 is correct

00:11:11.860 and the documents

00:11:12.560 were all declassified

00:11:14.220 or believed to be

00:11:15.000 declassified,

00:11:16.900 it can be reasonably argued

00:11:18.380 that the documents

00:11:19.120 remain sensitive

00:11:19.980 and should be properly secured

00:11:21.300 until the matter

00:11:21.960 of classification

00:11:22.560 is sorted out.

00:11:24.000 This conversation

00:11:25.060 could easily be accomplished

00:11:26.120 at the same time

00:11:27.200 that the Washington field office

00:11:28.760 presses forward

00:11:29.460 with the investigation

00:11:30.220 and continues building out

00:11:31.560 the search warrant.

00:11:33.200 Weeks later,

00:11:34.440 an FBI agent

00:11:35.500 writes in a new email,

00:11:36.780 quote,

00:11:37.040 this is stunning,

00:11:38.320 we haven't generated

00:11:39.660 any new facts

00:11:40.780 but keep being given

00:11:42.520 draft after draft

00:11:43.640 after draft.

00:11:44.400 Absent a witness

00:11:46.420 coming forward

00:11:47.260 with recent information

00:11:48.440 about classified on site,

00:11:50.680 at what point

00:11:51.620 is it fair

00:11:52.520 to table this,

00:11:54.560 the agent writes.

00:11:55.780 It is time consuming

00:11:57.240 for the team

00:11:58.040 and not productive

00:11:59.660 if there are no

00:12:01.080 new facts

00:12:02.140 supporting probable cause.

00:12:04.540 Another email revealed

00:12:06.300 that the Washington,

00:12:07.000 the FBI's

00:12:08.280 Washington field office,

00:12:09.460 quote,

00:12:09.960 did not believe

00:12:11.240 and has articulated

00:12:12.320 to DOJ CES

00:12:13.560 that we have established

00:12:14.620 probable cause

00:12:15.600 for the search warrant

00:12:16.960 for classified records

00:12:18.260 at Mar-a-Lago.

00:12:19.240 Let me read that again.

00:12:20.720 The FBI Washington field office,

00:12:22.600 this is in writing,

00:12:24.180 quote,

00:12:24.560 did not believe

00:12:25.740 and has articulated

00:12:27.600 to the DOJ CES

00:12:29.180 that we have established

00:12:30.440 probable cause

00:12:31.460 for the search warrant

00:12:32.840 for classified weapons,

00:12:34.640 of classified records

00:12:36.320 at Mar-a-Lago.

00:12:38.380 And the response,

00:12:40.220 quote,

00:12:40.600 DOJ has opined

00:12:41.620 that they do have

00:12:42.180 probable cause,

00:12:43.480 requesting a wide scope

00:12:44.940 including residence,

00:12:46.020 office,

00:12:46.480 storage space

00:12:47.260 and the FBI

00:12:49.480 also said

00:12:50.320 a raid

00:12:51.000 would be,

00:12:51.700 quote,

00:12:51.820 counterproductive

00:12:52.720 and suggested,

00:12:54.540 quote,

00:12:54.860 alternative,

00:12:56.080 less intrusive

00:12:56.940 and likely quicker options

00:12:58.640 for resolution

00:12:59.660 to reclaim

00:13:00.980 any potential

00:13:01.720 classified records.

00:13:02.800 This is stunning

00:13:04.040 because it...

00:13:05.580 I can't,

00:13:06.000 I don't think

00:13:06.520 you can overstate

00:13:07.860 how stunning this is.

00:13:10.100 The field office,

00:13:11.200 they're saying 1.00

00:13:11.880 this is stupid, 1.00

00:13:13.140 this is abuse of power 1.00

00:13:14.560 in essence,

00:13:15.200 and they're to the point

00:13:15.980 where they're putting it

00:13:16.800 in writing.

00:13:18.180 And by the way,

00:13:19.280 what it means

00:13:20.440 if you don't have

00:13:21.600 probable cause

00:13:22.500 for a search warrant

00:13:23.440 but you nonetheless

00:13:24.840 engage in the search,

00:13:27.540 the search is illegal.

00:13:29.240 Without probable cause,

00:13:30.340 you don't have a basis

00:13:31.320 for the search

00:13:32.460 that is justified.

00:13:34.640 And if the FBI

00:13:35.280 is saying

00:13:35.860 it would be illegal

00:13:36.940 to search

00:13:37.940 President Trump's home,

00:13:39.760 apparently the Biden

00:13:40.740 Department of Justice,

00:13:41.720 they were so partisan,

00:13:42.940 their objective

00:13:43.800 was not to actually

00:13:45.800 prosecute a crime.

00:13:47.380 Their objective

00:13:48.100 was to stop

00:13:48.860 the American people

00:13:49.780 from voting

00:13:50.380 for Donald Trump.

00:13:51.260 They were acting

00:13:51.760 as political operatives.

00:13:53.600 And so their view,

00:13:54.600 as one of the officials said,

00:13:56.380 they don't give a damn

00:13:57.140 about the optics.

00:13:58.260 The optics they wanted

00:13:59.720 was President Trump

00:14:00.700 in a mugshot.

00:14:01.560 They got that optic,

00:14:02.440 but it backfired

00:14:03.420 on them,

00:14:04.040 backfired bigly

00:14:05.660 as President Trump

00:14:06.780 might have said

00:14:07.660 in the first term.

00:14:09.180 But this was

00:14:10.580 a political persecution

00:14:11.900 and what's stunning

00:14:13.020 is they knew it

00:14:14.540 at the time.

00:14:15.520 Well, let's go

00:14:16.400 to accountability

00:14:16.980 and this is where

00:14:18.340 some of you

00:14:18.980 listening and watching

00:14:20.020 this on Facebook

00:14:22.520 or on YouTube

00:14:23.740 are going to want

00:14:25.520 to ask the question

00:14:26.580 that I'm going

00:14:27.080 to ask you now.

00:14:29.020 It's clear abuse

00:14:30.080 of power.

00:14:31.100 Where's the accountability

00:14:32.140 because at this point

00:14:34.480 it's like we know

00:14:35.660 they did it.

00:14:36.640 We've got the information.

00:14:38.440 We know that they were

00:14:39.300 breaking the law

00:14:40.440 or the rules

00:14:41.440 and no one seems

00:14:43.800 to be held accountable

00:14:44.580 for this.

00:14:45.200 So in the rest

00:14:46.220 of my lifetime

00:14:46.840 I have a feeling

00:14:47.540 there's going to be

00:14:48.120 a Democrat

00:14:48.620 that's going to get

00:14:49.160 back in the White House.

00:14:50.700 Then why would there

00:14:51.720 be an incentive

00:14:52.500 for them not to abuse

00:14:53.660 their power

00:14:54.240 and go after

00:14:54.820 any other conservatives

00:14:55.820 in the same way?

00:14:56.940 So there wouldn't

00:14:57.520 be an incentive

00:14:58.200 and look,

00:14:58.880 who knows,

00:14:59.260 it may not be

00:14:59.740 a Democrat

00:15:00.160 in the White House.

00:15:01.080 The Democrat Party

00:15:02.460 may have radicalized

00:15:03.320 so much

00:15:03.760 that maybe

00:15:04.120 the next nominee

00:15:04.880 will be a member

00:15:06.100 of the Turtle Island

00:15:07.380 Liberation Front.

00:15:08.400 I mean,

00:15:08.640 that's how extreme

00:15:10.020 these guys are getting.

00:15:11.500 Look,

00:15:11.800 there has to be

00:15:12.280 accountability.

00:15:12.940 There has to be

00:15:13.500 people who engage

00:15:14.400 in the abuse of power

00:15:15.300 need to be fired.

00:15:16.300 Now,

00:15:16.900 the Trump Department

00:15:18.020 of Justice and FBI

00:15:19.000 have fired a number

00:15:19.860 of people.

00:15:20.420 That's moving

00:15:21.040 in the right direction.

00:15:22.060 But anyone

00:15:22.460 who knew

00:15:22.980 they were participating

00:15:23.840 in an abuse of justice,

00:15:26.180 an abuse of power,

00:15:27.360 and anyone

00:15:28.160 who knew

00:15:29.440 that it was illegal.

00:15:30.440 Let me ask,

00:15:31.140 why was there not

00:15:32.420 anyone who stood up

00:15:34.560 and said,

00:15:35.460 this is not right

00:15:37.600 at the Department

00:15:38.280 of Justice

00:15:38.800 to abuse our power?

00:15:39.940 Why were there

00:15:40.340 no whistleblowers?

00:15:41.280 Why was there

00:15:42.400 no pushback

00:15:45.120 from within DOJ?

00:15:48.620 Let me ask you

00:15:49.540 that question.

00:15:50.120 There's a lot

00:15:50.700 of appointees,

00:15:51.580 and I want to get

00:15:52.380 in the weeds here

00:15:52.880 on this because

00:15:53.180 I do think

00:15:53.460 it's important

00:15:53.940 to paint the picture.

00:15:54.860 When I was

00:15:55.940 in the Bush administration,

00:15:57.460 there are political appointees

00:15:59.100 and there's non-political.

00:16:00.600 There's lifers.

00:16:01.520 There's people

00:16:01.900 that stay

00:16:02.340 in certain positions

00:16:03.300 at the DOJ,

00:16:04.240 for example,

00:16:04.800 at the FBI.

00:16:05.800 They don't change

00:16:07.040 based on the election

00:16:08.340 or who is

00:16:09.420 in the White House

00:16:10.300 or who's in charge

00:16:11.740 of the House

00:16:12.600 or the Senator

00:16:13.080 of Congress

00:16:13.540 in general.

00:16:14.940 Those individuals

00:16:16.480 are the ones

00:16:17.380 that you would hope

00:16:17.920 would stand up here.

00:16:18.660 The problem

00:16:19.380 seems to be

00:16:20.380 that there's

00:16:21.300 either massive fear

00:16:22.560 when the Democrats

00:16:24.000 were in charge

00:16:24.760 that their careers

00:16:25.380 would be over,

00:16:26.520 A,

00:16:27.220 or B,

00:16:28.100 that they just put in

00:16:29.200 so many of their

00:16:30.160 liberal friends

00:16:31.020 that the entire

00:16:32.380 DOJ leadership

00:16:33.540 and those below them

00:16:34.620 that were supposed

00:16:35.280 to be the non-political

00:16:36.320 appointees

00:16:36.920 were actually

00:16:37.800 incredibly partisan.

00:16:39.740 I go back to

00:16:40.560 Peter Strzok

00:16:41.580 and Lisa Page

00:16:42.560 or whatever the hell

00:16:43.120 their names were.

00:16:43.840 I mean,

00:16:44.700 there's two examples

00:16:45.780 of, quote,

00:16:46.560 non-political people

00:16:47.540 that were absolutely

00:16:48.740 political.

00:16:50.340 There are far

00:16:51.400 too many

00:16:52.060 extreme partisans

00:16:53.260 who burrowed

00:16:54.000 in to both agencies,

00:16:55.460 the FBI

00:16:55.920 and the Department

00:16:56.600 of Justice.

00:16:57.720 As you know,

00:16:58.940 a book I wrote

00:17:00.100 a few years ago

00:17:00.940 was called

00:17:01.500 Justice Corrupted,

00:17:02.540 How the Left

00:17:03.060 Has Weaponized

00:17:04.020 Our Legal System.

00:17:05.640 And I detailed,

00:17:07.480 this was written

00:17:07.880 at the beginning

00:17:08.380 of the Biden administration,

00:17:09.280 so I did not cover

00:17:10.560 the prosecutions

00:17:12.060 of Trump

00:17:12.560 or the Mar-a-Lago raid

00:17:14.100 because it hadn't

00:17:14.520 happened yet.

00:17:14.940 By the way,

00:17:15.480 how right were you

00:17:16.280 on writing that book?

00:17:17.340 I mean,

00:17:17.580 knowing what happened

00:17:18.480 afterwards.

00:17:19.060 Good grief.

00:17:20.020 And the book starts,

00:17:21.480 chapter one

00:17:22.100 is actually about Watergate.

00:17:23.440 It's about Nixon.

00:17:24.220 And I am not

00:17:24.920 a Richard Nixon fan. 0.69

00:17:26.060 I think he was corrupt 0.99

00:17:27.280 and dishonest 0.99

00:17:29.020 and he abused power.

00:17:30.640 But if you look at

00:17:32.440 one of the things

00:17:33.160 Nixon tried to do

00:17:34.360 is get the Department

00:17:35.120 of Justice

00:17:35.580 and the FBI

00:17:36.260 to go after

00:17:37.040 his political enemies.

00:17:38.560 But at the time,

00:17:40.500 DOJ and the FBI

00:17:42.140 and the IRS,

00:17:43.340 they all resisted.

00:17:44.220 They pushed back

00:17:45.240 and said,

00:17:45.740 no,

00:17:46.120 that's an abuse

00:17:46.940 of our power.

00:17:47.720 We're not going

00:17:48.460 to do that.

00:17:50.060 And what Richard Nixon

00:17:51.880 tried to do,

00:17:54.100 Joe Biden succeeded

00:17:55.420 in doing.

00:17:56.160 Why?

00:17:56.520 Because nobody,

00:17:57.840 not a political,

00:17:58.860 not careers,

00:18:00.120 nobody pushed back

00:18:01.240 effectively

00:18:01.780 and stopped it.

00:18:03.380 And we saw

00:18:05.780 that started

00:18:06.500 with Barack Obama.

00:18:08.260 Barack Obama

00:18:09.220 weaponized

00:18:10.160 the Department of Justice,

00:18:11.260 the FBI,

00:18:11.920 the IRS.

00:18:13.400 And then when Trump

00:18:14.180 became president,

00:18:15.380 those partisans...

00:18:15.460 And by the way,

00:18:15.680 he was just slicker about it.

00:18:17.200 I do want people

00:18:17.780 to understand that.

00:18:18.520 He was very smart

00:18:20.260 about it compared

00:18:20.940 to the blaze

00:18:22.220 and abuse of power

00:18:23.140 by the Biden administration.

00:18:24.780 But there were...

00:18:25.380 And I want to remind

00:18:26.180 just a couple examples

00:18:27.840 of the abuse of power

00:18:29.740 under Barack Obama.

00:18:31.500 Give us a couple

00:18:32.140 of those highlights

00:18:32.740 so people remember

00:18:33.380 what they did do

00:18:34.580 and how this started

00:18:35.440 a long time ago.

00:18:36.120 And the reason why

00:18:37.060 is, Senator,

00:18:38.360 there were a lot of people

00:18:39.240 that got into the DOJ

00:18:40.800 and the FBI then

00:18:42.420 that were lower in rank

00:18:44.340 who are now running 0.99

00:18:45.240 the damn place 0.99

00:18:46.000 if you fast forward 1.00

00:18:47.180 to the Biden years.

00:18:48.300 Yeah, you look at,

00:18:49.200 I mean,

00:18:49.420 one of the classic examples

00:18:51.120 is Lois Lerner

00:18:51.840 at the IRS.

00:18:53.120 And the IRS

00:18:54.280 deliberately targeted

00:18:55.960 conservative groups.

00:18:57.060 It targeted Tea Party groups.

00:18:58.660 It went after them.

00:18:59.740 It persecuted them.

00:19:01.460 And the search words,

00:19:02.740 among things

00:19:03.840 they were looking for

00:19:04.680 is any group

00:19:05.260 dedicated to the Constitution

00:19:06.500 or the Bill of Rights.

00:19:07.860 Yeah.

00:19:08.100 And mind you,

00:19:08.980 they didn't mean

00:19:09.600 the ACLU.

00:19:10.500 They didn't mean

00:19:11.060 leftist groups.

00:19:12.120 They meant

00:19:12.920 anyone that was conservative,

00:19:15.000 any pro-Israel groups

00:19:16.260 they targeted.

00:19:17.060 I mean,

00:19:17.240 it was an ideological purge

00:19:20.040 and it was an ideological purge

00:19:22.580 that the political officials

00:19:23.700 did everything they could

00:19:24.780 to cover up.

00:19:25.980 And ultimately,

00:19:27.560 you know,

00:19:28.240 you look at Eric Holder,

00:19:30.460 who was Attorney General,

00:19:31.480 described himself

00:19:32.440 as Barack Obama's wingman.

00:19:34.880 Yeah.

00:19:35.320 And he ended up being held

00:19:36.340 in contempt of Congress,

00:19:37.960 which was stunning.

00:19:39.260 But it began

00:19:42.860 during the Obama administration

00:19:44.160 when Trump became president.

00:19:46.140 Many of those partisans,

00:19:48.000 they burrowed into

00:19:48.940 senior career positions

00:19:50.460 at the agency.

00:19:51.720 And for four years

00:19:52.460 of the first Trump term,

00:19:53.820 they waged war

00:19:55.240 on Donald Trump

00:19:56.100 from within the agency,

00:19:57.960 trying to overturn

00:19:59.020 the duly elected president,

00:20:01.000 trying to overturn

00:20:01.540 an election.

00:20:02.580 And then when Biden

00:20:04.300 got into power,

00:20:05.760 they came out in the open

00:20:06.920 and they were brazen.

00:20:07.900 And part of the reason

00:20:08.800 Biden was so much worse

00:20:10.140 than Obama

00:20:10.680 is they saw

00:20:11.720 there were no consequences

00:20:12.960 when it happened

00:20:13.800 under Obama,

00:20:14.440 that it worked,

00:20:15.080 that they were able

00:20:15.740 to weaponize the system.

00:20:17.420 And I suspect

00:20:18.080 many good people

00:20:19.780 just left the agencies

00:20:22.520 and those,

00:20:23.280 many of those who remained

00:20:24.540 were either they were afraid

00:20:27.400 or they were willing

00:20:28.060 to go along with it.

00:20:29.100 But it's why

00:20:30.040 one of the most important

00:20:32.660 obligations,

00:20:33.700 responsibilities

00:20:34.280 that the Trump DOJ

00:20:36.000 and the Trump FBI have

00:20:37.220 is to restore integrity

00:20:38.980 to those agencies,

00:20:40.360 to go after criminals

00:20:41.520 and bad guys

00:20:42.400 like terrorists

00:20:43.380 planning to set off bombs

00:20:45.200 in Los Angeles

00:20:45.980 rather than using it

00:20:48.060 to target political opponents.

00:20:49.880 What will accountability

00:20:51.020 look like specifically

00:20:52.100 on these emails

00:20:53.440 and the people there?

00:20:54.660 And will Congress

00:20:55.440 get involved in this?

00:20:56.800 Now seeing this letter,

00:20:58.500 Grassley, etc.

00:21:00.280 Yeah, look,

00:21:01.080 I would certainly expect

00:21:02.540 we'll see hearings

00:21:03.240 in Congress.

00:21:03.880 I'd like to see

00:21:04.400 the Senate Judiciary Committee

00:21:05.620 hold hearings on this

00:21:07.740 and engage in oversight.

00:21:09.120 This was released

00:21:10.080 by Chuck Grassley,

00:21:11.100 the chairman

00:21:11.620 of the Judiciary Committee.

00:21:12.580 So that's beneficial.

00:21:14.760 And, you know,

00:21:15.620 look, I want to commend

00:21:16.680 the Trump Justice Department

00:21:17.980 for handing these emails over.

00:21:19.620 Part of the reason

00:21:20.600 that the Biden DOJ

00:21:22.520 wrote these

00:21:23.080 is because they thought

00:21:23.980 no one would ever know

00:21:25.000 that they thought

00:21:26.460 Biden was going to be reelected

00:21:28.040 or Kamala Harris

00:21:28.680 was going to be elected.

00:21:30.120 And so this would remain

00:21:31.580 hidden forever.

00:21:33.200 What changed the rules

00:21:34.520 is you have a new

00:21:35.380 attorney general

00:21:36.020 and a new FBI director

00:21:37.220 who decided

00:21:37.920 we're going to give this

00:21:38.880 to we're going to show

00:21:39.620 the American people

00:21:40.440 exactly what was going on.

00:21:42.360 That was the right thing to do.

00:21:43.820 As before,

00:21:44.300 if you want to hear

00:21:45.120 the rest of this conversation

00:21:46.360 on this topic,

00:21:47.500 you can go back

00:21:48.360 and download the podcast

00:21:49.660 from earlier this week

00:21:50.520 to hear the entire thing.

00:21:52.800 Canadian women

00:21:53.500 are looking for more,

00:21:54.800 more of themselves,

00:21:55.880 their businesses,

00:21:56.820 their elected leaders,

00:21:57.620 and the world are open.

00:21:59.020 And that's why

00:21:59.460 we're thrilled to introduce

00:22:00.620 the Honest Talk podcast.

00:22:02.520 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

00:22:03.920 And I'm Catherine Clark.

00:22:05.140 And in this podcast,

00:22:06.220 we interview Canada's

00:22:07.260 most inspiring women,

00:22:08.760 entrepreneurs,

00:22:09.600 artists,

00:22:10.260 athletes,

00:22:10.860 politicians,

00:22:11.520 and newsmakers,

00:22:12.440 all at different stages

00:22:13.500 of their journey.

00:22:14.660 So if you're looking to connect,

00:22:16.460 then we hope you'll join us.

00:22:17.880 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast

00:22:19.260 on iHeartRadio

00:22:20.240 or wherever you listen

00:22:21.220 to your podcasts.

00:22:23.600 I want to get back

00:22:24.700 to the big story

00:22:25.900 number three of the week

00:22:26.840 you may have missed.

00:22:28.080 Senator,

00:22:28.580 as we're doing

00:22:29.200 our year in review,

00:22:30.240 I love getting to say this one.

00:22:32.440 We had a big win

00:22:33.260 on the issue of space.

00:22:34.680 We're not talking about

00:22:35.160 you finding aliens or anything,

00:22:36.640 but we do have

00:22:37.560 an update on space.

00:22:39.200 That's near and dear

00:22:39.860 to your heart

00:22:40.280 with NASA and Houston,

00:22:41.400 of course.

00:22:42.200 Talk about the big victory there.

00:22:44.200 Well,

00:22:44.720 in the working families

00:22:45.740 tax cut,

00:22:47.540 we invested $10 billion

00:22:49.100 in NASA

00:22:50.400 and commercial space,

00:22:52.140 and in particular

00:22:52.840 in going back to the moon.

00:22:54.720 And again,

00:22:55.380 because that falls

00:22:57.080 within the jurisdiction

00:22:57.940 of the Commerce Committee,

00:22:58.720 I wrote this provision,

00:22:59.980 and we are in a race

00:23:01.520 to go back to the moon.

00:23:02.540 We're in a race with China. 0.99

00:23:04.000 China has said publicly

00:23:05.280 they are going to go

00:23:06.060 to the moon by 2030,

00:23:07.240 and they're trying

00:23:08.000 to get back there.

00:23:09.160 And it's also a race

00:23:10.300 not just to get there,

00:23:11.840 but to also to build

00:23:13.840 sustained human habitation

00:23:15.760 on the surface of the moon,

00:23:17.060 to begin mining

00:23:18.100 on the surface of the moon.

00:23:19.260 That's the next challenge

00:23:20.620 that we're moving towards.

00:23:21.960 China is moving full speed ahead, 0.98

00:23:23.580 and we did major investments

00:23:26.020 to say America

00:23:27.700 is going to beat China

00:23:28.960 back to the moon.

00:23:30.280 We are going to have

00:23:31.280 sustained human habitation

00:23:32.800 on the lunar surface

00:23:33.900 or in cislunar orbit.

00:23:36.180 And that investment,

00:23:37.440 it is in the bill.

00:23:38.840 It is critically important.

00:23:40.040 And the objective is

00:23:41.000 for us to land on the moon

00:23:42.240 by 2028,

00:23:43.900 two years before China,

00:23:45.460 with President Trump

00:23:46.600 still in the Oval Office.

00:23:48.600 And that investment

00:23:49.900 will make it,

00:23:50.620 and I'll tell you,

00:23:51.440 this is a point I made.

00:23:52.540 If we lose,

00:23:54.380 if we were to lose

00:23:55.340 the race to the moon,

00:23:57.140 I think the impact

00:23:58.460 of seeing the Chinese 0.93

00:23:59.620 on the moon

00:24:00.260 before we could get there,

00:24:01.400 I think it would be

00:24:02.300 a bigger blow

00:24:03.320 to the country

00:24:04.080 than Sputnik was.

00:24:05.500 Sputnik,

00:24:05.980 when the Russians launched

00:24:07.080 the first satellite Sputnik

00:24:08.700 around the Earth,

00:24:10.460 it was a massive blow.

00:24:12.020 It started the space race.

00:24:14.120 And I think losing the moon

00:24:16.160 to China would be

00:24:17.080 orders of magnitude worse.

00:24:18.820 That investment is in there.

00:24:20.260 It matters.

00:24:20.680 And it matters also enormously

00:24:22.140 there are over 50,000

00:24:24.000 high-paying jobs

00:24:25.200 in Texas

00:24:26.200 that are directly

00:24:27.060 connected to space.

00:24:27.880 So it's big for jobs,

00:24:30.100 jobs in the economy as well.

00:24:32.920 Selfishly,

00:24:33.480 I just think

00:24:34.200 it would be so cool

00:24:35.180 for kids' minds

00:24:36.380 to be blown,

00:24:38.420 to see in HD,

00:24:40.360 people walking on the moon,

00:24:42.080 just the wonder

00:24:43.260 and the inspiration

00:24:44.660 that would come from that

00:24:45.780 for an entire generation.

00:24:47.100 You know,

00:24:47.240 with everything that's AI

00:24:48.260 and technology-driven,

00:24:50.200 like,

00:24:50.400 just to have a moment

00:24:51.460 of pause

00:24:51.980 where we're like,

00:24:52.700 we went to the moon

00:24:53.620 and you can see it HD.

00:24:55.100 I can't imagine

00:24:56.080 what that does

00:24:56.540 for kids that are dreamers

00:24:57.640 for their futures

00:24:58.660 and their education as well.

00:25:00.360 Look,

00:25:00.660 I spend a lot of time

00:25:01.900 at Johnson Space Center.

00:25:04.600 I spend a lot of time

00:25:05.420 with NASA

00:25:05.860 and, like,

00:25:06.560 the inspiration

00:25:07.700 that astronauts provide.

00:25:09.840 Now,

00:25:10.080 do you know

00:25:10.620 the connection

00:25:11.200 that Rice University

00:25:12.300 has to us

00:25:13.200 going to the moon

00:25:13.760 the first time?

00:25:14.660 No,

00:25:14.860 I do not.

00:25:16.060 So it was

00:25:16.720 at Rice University,

00:25:18.140 at the Rice Stadium,

00:25:19.440 you've been to that

00:25:20.040 football stadium,

00:25:21.520 that JFK

00:25:23.160 gave the speech

00:25:24.680 where he committed

00:25:26.320 we will go to the moon

00:25:28.000 within a decade

00:25:28.760 and, in fact,

00:25:29.880 what he said,

00:25:31.320 he said,

00:25:32.920 why does Rice

00:25:35.540 play the University

00:25:36.660 of Texas?

00:25:38.220 They do so

00:25:39.220 not because it is easy

00:25:40.660 but because it is hard.

00:25:42.940 There you go.

00:25:43.260 And that was

00:25:44.260 his explanation

00:25:45.080 for why are we

00:25:45.960 going to the moon?

00:25:46.760 We're going to the moon

00:25:47.520 for the same reason

00:25:48.360 Rice plays UT.

00:25:50.360 Not because it is hard

00:25:52.940 and it inspired

00:25:53.780 millions of kids.

00:25:55.900 We're going to do that again

00:25:56.980 but it's also critical.

00:25:58.620 Listen,

00:25:59.220 there are major

00:26:00.660 economic benefits.

00:26:02.000 I predicted

00:26:02.520 for a long time

00:26:03.360 the first trillionaire

00:26:04.680 is going to be

00:26:05.560 made in space.

00:26:06.380 That may well be

00:26:07.080 Elon Musk.

00:26:07.760 He's already

00:26:08.340 halfway there.

00:26:10.480 I think the mining

00:26:11.640 that we're going to see

00:26:12.380 on the moon

00:26:12.900 and ultimately on Mars

00:26:14.040 is going to generate

00:26:14.860 enormous economic activity

00:26:16.600 and it also matters

00:26:17.900 from national security

00:26:19.040 and from a military

00:26:20.720 perspective

00:26:21.400 controlling what is

00:26:23.080 quite literally

00:26:23.960 the high ground

00:26:24.880 is really important

00:26:26.080 for keeping America safe.

00:26:28.040 CAFE standards.

00:26:28.760 I want to make sure

00:26:29.280 we get this in there

00:26:30.000 before the end of the show.

00:26:30.760 Let's talk about

00:26:31.360 that victory as well.

00:26:33.620 Another provision

00:26:34.560 I wrote in the bill

00:26:35.440 we zeroed out

00:26:36.560 CAFE standards.

00:26:37.600 Now what are

00:26:37.960 CAFE standards?

00:26:38.960 The rules

00:26:40.720 the Biden administration

00:26:41.780 put in place

00:26:43.140 to drive up

00:26:43.920 the cost of your car

00:26:45.040 and drive up

00:26:45.580 the cost of your truck

00:26:46.580 and what they did

00:26:47.560 is they jacked up

00:26:48.580 the mileage

00:26:49.180 it had to get

00:26:50.020 to what were

00:26:51.100 unsustainable levels

00:26:52.280 and they were doing that

00:26:53.160 because they wanted

00:26:53.780 to ban the internal

00:26:54.720 combustion engine.

00:26:55.520 They wanted to

00:26:55.980 make it impossible

00:26:57.000 for you to buy

00:26:58.320 a gasoline car.

00:26:59.440 They wanted to force you

00:27:00.520 to buy an electric vehicle.

00:27:02.280 And by the way

00:27:02.700 let's be clear

00:27:03.260 it also put you

00:27:04.400 and your family

00:27:05.560 at risk

00:27:06.620 because of having

00:27:08.440 to be forced

00:27:09.360 to make the cars lighter.

00:27:11.120 They had to get rid

00:27:11.800 of the steel

00:27:12.460 in cars that made

00:27:13.320 them so safe

00:27:14.080 like tanks

00:27:14.720 and that's the reason

00:27:15.720 why everything's now

00:27:16.380 in plastic

00:27:17.240 and the bumpers

00:27:18.020 and if you've had

00:27:18.920 a small wreck

00:27:19.960 you see how things

00:27:20.980 just shatter.

00:27:21.740 It's because they're

00:27:22.340 trying to meet

00:27:22.980 those standards.

00:27:24.380 Yeah look

00:27:24.640 my first car

00:27:25.840 was a 1978

00:27:26.860 Ford Fairmont.

00:27:28.040 It was my grandfather's

00:27:29.000 car that he gave it to me.

00:27:30.460 It was

00:27:30.820 we called it

00:27:31.480 the green bomb.

00:27:32.160 I knew you weren't cool

00:27:32.420 when you were younger.

00:27:33.240 I knew it.

00:27:33.700 That was confirmation

00:27:34.440 right there.

00:27:34.860 Are you kidding?

00:27:35.760 That was the coolest car.

00:27:37.000 We called it

00:27:37.420 the green bomb

00:27:38.140 and it was a tank

00:27:39.200 and if you got

00:27:39.900 a 16 year old boy

00:27:41.360 all 16 year old boys 1.00

00:27:43.360 are idiots 1.00

00:27:43.860 and for the teenagers 1.00

00:27:45.080 listening I apologize

00:27:46.100 but I was there 0.99

00:27:46.960 I was an idiot 1.00

00:27:47.940 and I promise you 1.00

00:27:49.020 when you get older

00:27:49.580 you'll understand

00:27:50.180 it's just part of life

00:27:51.340 growing up

00:27:52.220 and like putting

00:27:53.480 your kids in a car

00:27:54.640 that is big enough

00:27:55.580 that if they hit 1.00

00:27:56.360 something like an idiot 1.00

00:27:57.380 that they're not going 1.00

00:27:58.780 to be badly hurt

00:27:59.800 or killed

00:28:00.320 that matters. 0.95

00:28:01.640 We zeroed it out.

00:28:02.620 The effect of that

00:28:04.140 is going to be

00:28:04.820 to lower the cost

00:28:05.920 of you getting

00:28:07.140 a car or a truck

00:28:08.260 lower it by thousands

00:28:09.380 of dollars.

00:28:10.460 That's another victory

00:28:11.340 that is in the bill

00:28:12.200 and it also is going

00:28:12.940 to save lives

00:28:13.500 just as you said

00:28:14.280 because you'll be able

00:28:16.140 to make cars

00:28:16.760 that are safer

00:28:17.320 with more steel

00:28:18.080 and less plastic.

00:28:19.600 Yeah it really is

00:28:20.320 incredible.

00:28:20.920 Finally one last thing

00:28:21.980 I do want to hit

00:28:22.660 and it's important one

00:28:23.660 to end the show.

00:28:24.820 Take it down act

00:28:25.600 something that you

00:28:26.380 worked so hard on

00:28:27.200 became a reality

00:28:28.000 as well this year

00:28:28.740 and it keeps kids safe.

00:28:29.920 Yeah it's a great victory.

00:28:31.620 Look there is a growing

00:28:32.960 problem with what's

00:28:34.100 called non-consensual

00:28:35.320 intimate imagery

00:28:36.400 and we're talking

00:28:37.640 both real world

00:28:39.100 so called revenge porn

00:28:40.440 where you have 0.89

00:28:41.160 boyfriend or girlfriend

00:28:42.400 they have an intimate

00:28:43.160 relationship

00:28:43.780 they take explicit

00:28:45.000 pictures or videos

00:28:45.960 of each other

00:28:46.600 and then they have

00:28:47.460 a breakup

00:28:47.840 and one of them

00:28:49.000 is ticked off

00:28:49.700 and decides

00:28:50.220 alright I'm going

00:28:50.740 to stick it to you

00:28:51.420 and I'm going to

00:28:52.040 release this to the world

00:28:53.300 and it is a grotesque

00:28:55.920 violation of privacy

00:28:57.680 nobody has a right

00:28:58.640 to do that

00:28:59.200 to somebody else

00:29:00.080 there is secondly

00:29:02.300 a more recent

00:29:03.460 aspect of that

00:29:07.180 which is

00:29:07.760 deep fakes

00:29:09.000 and people are

00:29:09.960 using AI

00:29:11.040 to create deep fakes

00:29:12.400 where they take

00:29:12.980 pictures of real people

00:29:14.680 and they use AI

00:29:15.640 to make it appear

00:29:16.780 that they're naked

00:29:17.500 or in explicit

00:29:18.840 and sexual situations

00:29:20.060 more than 95%

00:29:22.260 of the victims

00:29:22.860 of this

00:29:23.420 are women 0.97

00:29:24.040 or teenage girls

00:29:25.380 and so I drafted

00:29:27.740 a bill that's called

00:29:28.480 the Take It Down Act

00:29:29.460 that number one

00:29:30.300 makes it a crime

00:29:31.860 makes it a felony

00:29:32.680 to post non-consensual

00:29:34.380 intimate imagery

00:29:35.040 either real pictures

00:29:36.720 or fake pictures

00:29:38.240 and secondly

00:29:39.680 it gives you the right

00:29:41.320 if God forbid

00:29:42.060 you're the victim of this

00:29:43.260 any tech platform

00:29:45.300 that is displaying

00:29:46.180 that content

00:29:46.920 you have a federal

00:29:47.900 statutory right

00:29:48.840 to demand

00:29:49.480 they take it down

00:29:50.760 and they have to

00:29:51.680 take it down

00:29:52.220 immediately

00:29:52.680 and we pass that

00:29:54.280 through the Senate

00:29:54.860 we pass that

00:29:55.600 through the House

00:29:56.380 the First Lady

00:29:57.820 Melania Trump

00:29:58.580 was a big champion

00:29:59.480 she joined with me

00:30:00.880 and I was in the Rose Garden

00:30:03.040 right next to the President

00:30:04.160 and right next to the First Lady 0.58

00:30:05.680 when he signed

00:30:06.480 that legislation

00:30:07.280 protecting kids

00:30:08.400 protecting teenage girls

00:30:09.980 teenage boys

00:30:10.800 women 1.00

00:30:11.320 protecting everyone

00:30:12.280 and also standing up

00:30:14.700 to the abuse of AI

00:30:16.640 creating deep fakes

00:30:17.940 and victimizing people

00:30:19.600 as always

00:30:20.760 thank you for listening

00:30:22.240 to Verdict

00:30:23.060 with Senator Ted Cruz

00:30:24.120 Ben Ferguson

00:30:24.840 with you

00:30:25.140 don't forget

00:30:25.620 to download my podcast

00:30:26.880 and you can listen

00:30:27.620 to my podcast

00:30:28.260 every other day

00:30:28.800 you're not listening

00:30:29.380 to Verdict

00:30:29.740 or each day

00:30:30.560 when you listen

00:30:30.960 to Verdict

00:30:31.260 afterwards

00:30:31.820 I'd love to have you

00:30:33.180 as a listener

00:30:33.660 to again

00:30:34.540 the Ben Ferguson podcast

00:30:35.740 and we will see you

00:30:36.660 back here

00:30:37.280 on Monday morning

00:30:38.420 this is an iHeart Podcast

00:30:41.040 Guaranteed Human 0.83

00:30:43.040 I'll see you next time

00:30:44.040 and I'll see you next time

00:30:44.760 and I'll see you next time

Verdict with Ted Cruz - December 20, 2025

Deportations Cure Rent Inflation, When We Have No Evidence meets Do It Anyway plus the Final 3 Historic Victories of 2025 Week In Review

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript