Verdict with Ted Cruz - Inside the Room with the Heroic Soldiers Wounded in the Maduro Raid & with Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.660 Guaranteed human.

00:00:05.640 Welcome, it is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz,

00:00:07.960 Ben Ferguson with you.

00:00:09.320 It's nice to have you with us,

00:00:10.420 especially if you're listening on the radio

00:00:11.700 around the country.

00:00:12.960 And a reminder, this show we also do as a podcast

00:00:15.480 three days a week, so make sure for free

00:00:17.540 you download Verdict with Ted Cruz

00:00:20.000 wherever you get your podcast.

00:00:22.280 Senator, we've got a big show for people today,

00:00:24.780 including a really special day for you.

00:00:27.180 You got to spend with some amazing heroes

00:00:29.420 who are recovering in the hospital

00:00:31.440 after they went in in an incredible raid in Venezuela.

00:00:35.560 Well, Ben, we're living in incredibly consequential times.

00:00:38.820 The entire world is changing before our eyes.

00:00:41.500 I started this week by having the chance

00:00:43.620 to visit the three soldiers who were wounded

00:00:46.820 arresting Maduro, and I got a chance to visit

00:00:49.800 with each of them.

00:00:50.440 I'm going to share to you exactly what they had to say.

00:00:53.440 From there, I also this week sat down

00:00:56.260 with Maria Carina Machado,

00:00:57.740 the opposition leader in Venezuela.

00:01:00.860 She came to Washington.

00:01:02.420 She met with President Trump at the White House.

00:01:04.540 She met with me and several other senators.

00:01:06.660 I'm going to bring you inside that meeting,

00:01:08.260 tell you what she had to say.

00:01:09.960 Beyond that, I joined Secretary Pete Hegseth

00:01:12.620 going to the F-35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas,

00:01:15.680 an incredible support of our military strength.

00:01:23.180 And then from there, we both went down

00:01:25.520 to Brownsville, Texas, to SpaceX,

00:01:28.280 to Starbase with Elon Musk,

00:01:30.820 and toured the facilities there.

00:01:32.980 We're going to bring you inside all of that

00:01:34.740 on today's verdict.

00:01:36.080 Yeah, it really is cool.

00:01:37.120 I also want to talk to you about an amazing organization

00:01:39.440 that I want you to know about

00:01:41.520 called Compassion International.

00:01:43.560 Right now, somewhere in the world,

00:01:45.740 a kid you've never met is writing you a letter.

00:01:48.300 They're telling you about their day,

00:01:50.720 their dreams, the goal they scored,

00:01:53.920 the test they passed,

00:01:55.440 the new friend they made at school.

00:01:57.380 Maybe they're drawing you even a picture.

00:01:59.480 Maybe they've asked you about your family,

00:02:01.940 your favorite color, what makes you laugh.

00:02:04.520 They're wondering who you are,

00:02:06.140 this person who cares enough to be part of their story.

00:02:09.960 And you, you're not just sending money,

00:02:12.380 you're writing back.

00:02:13.700 You're showing up month after month,

00:02:16.180 letter after letter.

00:02:17.120 You're celebrating their victories,

00:02:19.560 encouraging them through challenges,

00:02:22.000 and reminding them that they truly matter.

00:02:24.780 Now, this isn't a transaction.

00:02:26.980 It's an incredible relationship that spans continents

00:02:29.780 and changes everything for both of you.

00:02:32.960 That is where Compassion International

00:02:34.940 connects you directly with one child.

00:02:37.940 Real letters, real relationships, and real change.

00:02:41.620 Because poverty isn't solved with donations alone.

00:02:44.880 It's solved by showing up,

00:02:47.240 impact the world one child at a time,

00:02:50.080 and learn how at Compassion.com.

00:02:53.860 That's Compassion.com.

00:02:56.600 All right, Senator, so let's get back to this

00:02:59.540 just incredible meeting.

00:03:01.400 The heroes and the bravery,

00:03:03.460 especially the stories that we've been told,

00:03:05.780 going in after Maduro.

00:03:07.560 And look, the guy lived on a military base.

00:03:09.760 He had these fighters that were supposed to be

00:03:12.080 protecting him from Cuba. 0.55

00:03:14.500 Seeing that what we had compared to what they had

00:03:16.980 on the ground and the way that we came out

00:03:18.720 without losing a single American life

00:03:20.860 is just unbelievable.

00:03:21.760 There were those soldiers, however,

00:03:24.640 that were injured and shot.

00:03:26.820 And you got to meet them

00:03:28.260 as they're recovering in the hospital in San Antonio.

00:03:30.960 Talk about this, their story.

00:03:33.160 What did they have to say?

00:03:34.420 What was their perspective?

00:03:36.240 So we had three of our soldiers

00:03:38.260 who were wounded during the raid.

00:03:41.300 And they're all at the hospital in San Antonio.

00:03:44.440 They're being treated.

00:03:45.200 The good news is that they're all in good condition.

00:03:48.360 None are in life-threatening condition now.

00:03:50.220 They were in good spirits.

00:03:51.900 We had the opportunity to visit

00:03:53.180 with each of the three of them,

00:03:54.620 with each of their wives as well.

00:03:56.100 They were there with their wives.

00:03:57.840 And I will tell you that the first one we met with

00:04:01.120 was a soldier who was in charge

00:04:03.200 of helping plan the entire raid.

00:04:05.560 He was leading one of the helicopters

00:04:07.480 and he had been shot in the leg.

00:04:10.260 And he continued,

00:04:11.620 even in the midst of being shot in the leg,

00:04:13.960 continued.

00:04:15.600 He did not step back from the fight

00:04:18.280 and he was critical in terms of his location,

00:04:20.720 making sure,

00:04:22.080 protecting his fellow soldiers.

00:04:25.080 You know, I got to tell you,

00:04:26.200 he was in great spirit.

00:04:29.940 His wife was incredibly proud of him.

00:04:32.900 And with all three of the soldiers,

00:04:35.920 I took an opportunity to tell them,

00:04:37.960 I said,

00:04:38.520 look, you were part of history.

00:04:41.360 You were part of history in a way,

00:04:44.440 without exaggeration,

00:04:45.880 that changed the entire Western Hemisphere.

00:04:49.460 What you did was profoundly important.

00:04:52.460 And I also told them,

00:04:53.260 I took the chance on behalf of Texans and Americans

00:04:56.520 just to say thank you.

00:04:57.600 Thank you for your bravery.

00:04:59.160 Thank you for your heroism.

00:05:01.660 They went into a situation

00:05:03.540 where they were vastly outnumbered.

00:05:05.360 And the Cuban military

00:05:08.720 that were guarding Maduro opened fire.

00:05:11.920 And it is amazing.

00:05:13.820 It is an incredible testament

00:05:15.060 to the precision and effectiveness

00:05:16.760 of our military

00:05:18.400 that not a single soldier

00:05:19.800 on the American side was killed.

00:05:22.700 There was a very large number

00:05:24.380 of Cuban forces defending Maduro

00:05:26.060 who were killed in that firefight.

00:05:28.900 And just taking the chance

00:05:30.520 to thank them,

00:05:31.820 and then the first soldier

00:05:33.620 who had been shot in the leg,

00:05:35.360 I was there with Pete Hegseth,

00:05:37.140 the Secretary of Defense,

00:05:39.480 and Pete said,

00:05:41.840 you know,

00:05:42.500 if there's anything you need,

00:05:44.440 let me know.

00:05:45.160 And he said,

00:05:45.860 well, actually,

00:05:46.280 there is something you could do.

00:05:48.160 And Pete said, what?

00:05:49.240 And he said,

00:05:50.220 I'd really like the bullet,

00:05:52.500 the bullet that went into his leg.

00:05:54.360 And the hospital had it.

00:05:55.840 And the medical director

00:05:57.440 at the hospital,

00:05:58.080 he said, well, we have the bullet,

00:05:59.240 but we're not allowed to give it over

00:06:01.680 unless we give a waiver.

00:06:03.760 And Pete, to his credit,

00:06:05.360 said, the waiver is granted.

00:06:06.580 You can have the bullet.

00:06:07.600 And that soldier was beaming.

00:06:10.960 He was thrilled to have the bullet.

00:06:12.820 And actually,

00:06:13.160 the second soldier we met,

00:06:14.920 he had been shot,

00:06:16.300 but he'd also been cut

00:06:17.320 by a piece of shrapnel.

00:06:18.340 He had a cut that ran

00:06:19.240 the whole length of his arm.

00:06:20.820 Oh, wow.

00:06:21.200 And he had the exact same request.

00:06:25.020 He said, I'd really like the shrapnel.

00:06:26.580 So they had the piece of metal

00:06:27.800 that had cut his arm open.

00:06:29.160 And again, the hospital said,

00:06:30.680 we have it,

00:06:31.800 but we're not allowed

00:06:32.820 to give it to him

00:06:33.860 without the waiver.

00:06:34.880 And again, Pete said,

00:06:35.980 we're granting the waiver.

00:06:37.160 You can have it.

00:06:37.880 So both of those,

00:06:38.860 I assume that they're going to frame it

00:06:40.760 or otherwise keep it

00:06:41.820 as just a memento

00:06:43.080 to the injury,

00:06:45.320 the Purple Heart

00:06:45.940 that they earned,

00:06:46.860 fighting for their country,

00:06:48.780 but also being a part

00:06:51.240 of profoundly impacting history.

00:06:55.520 You mentioned their wives were there.

00:06:57.180 And I don't know if you can tell us,

00:06:58.740 but age range,

00:06:59.940 20s, 30s, 40s,

00:07:01.120 like how old are these guys?

00:07:04.160 One of the soldiers,

00:07:05.320 the first soldier

00:07:06.020 who helped plan the raid

00:07:07.640 was a little bit older.

00:07:09.000 The other two were young guys.

00:07:10.940 And they were,

00:07:12.020 you know,

00:07:13.180 they were young guys

00:07:14.480 and they were not someone

00:07:16.660 like if you saw them

00:07:17.700 walking down the street,

00:07:18.620 you wouldn't do a double take.

00:07:19.840 The first guy kind of looked

00:07:20.820 a little like Captain America.

00:07:22.020 He was a little,

00:07:22.740 but the other two,

00:07:25.580 look, they were fit,

00:07:26.480 they were in good shape,

00:07:27.760 but the skill

00:07:30.620 that you know they have,

00:07:31.980 the heroism you know they have,

00:07:33.940 if you just saw them

00:07:35.280 on the street,

00:07:36.200 you wouldn't immediately know that.

00:07:38.520 And their wives were young 0.59

00:07:41.580 and it was interesting.

00:07:44.500 Their wives were, 0.98

00:07:45.460 you know,

00:07:46.600 they said they were

00:07:47.280 women of faith,

00:07:48.060 they were praying

00:07:48.680 for their husbands,

00:07:50.140 they were really proud

00:07:51.040 of their husbands,

00:07:51.900 proud of everything

00:07:52.860 that they had been through.

00:07:54.300 And I'll tell you,

00:07:55.560 the first soldier,

00:07:59.720 he said,

00:08:01.100 you know,

00:08:01.300 he asked,

00:08:01.900 he,

00:08:01.940 he,

00:08:02.580 Hegseth asked him,

00:08:03.580 how are you feeling?

00:08:04.680 And he said,

00:08:05.380 I'm ready to go again.

00:08:06.820 That's amazing.

00:08:07.980 And I said,

00:08:08.880 great,

00:08:09.120 can you do Saturday?

00:08:11.380 And he said,

00:08:12.200 well,

00:08:12.400 can we hold off till Monday?

00:08:14.000 So that kind of gives you

00:08:15.900 a sense of the spirit.

00:08:18.100 They were,

00:08:18.880 they were really in good spirits.

00:08:20.600 And actually,

00:08:22.120 with,

00:08:24.340 with two of the soldiers,

00:08:25.840 there was a,

00:08:26.400 an additional soldier there

00:08:27.940 that was there

00:08:28.560 in the,

00:08:28.880 in the hospital room

00:08:29.880 who said he used to be

00:08:31.300 their commanding officer

00:08:32.400 and he had rotated off

00:08:34.140 the unit about six months

00:08:35.480 before the raid.

00:08:36.280 And he said,

00:08:36.840 look,

00:08:37.000 I'm really disappointed.

00:08:38.280 I mean,

00:08:38.480 it,

00:08:38.740 it broke his heart

00:08:40.060 that he just missed

00:08:41.540 going on the raid.

00:08:42.180 So he was there

00:08:42.840 to be with his guys,

00:08:43.840 but he did not go on the raid

00:08:45.460 and he was just cheering them on.

00:08:47.240 Senator,

00:08:47.660 you talk about an incredible week.

00:08:49.360 You meet with three heroes

00:08:50.720 that,

00:08:51.200 that risked their lives

00:08:52.280 to,

00:08:52.620 to go capture Maduro.

00:08:53.880 That's unbelievable.

00:08:54.980 But you also got to meet with

00:08:56.660 who I would describe

00:08:57.740 as another hero

00:08:58.600 for Venezuela.

00:08:59.660 And that is the opposition leader.

00:09:01.900 You got to meet with her.

00:09:03.020 She met with the president

00:09:03.900 of the United States of America

00:09:04.800 as well.

00:09:05.820 That is a,

00:09:06.680 a really,

00:09:07.500 I think a,

00:09:08.000 a very important moment,

00:09:09.520 a signal that the,

00:09:11.640 that the president met with her

00:09:12.760 as well to give hope

00:09:14.280 to the people in Venezuela.

00:09:16.380 Well,

00:09:16.940 Maria Carino Machado,

00:09:18.300 who is the opposition leader

00:09:19.700 in Venezuela,

00:09:20.320 you're right.

00:09:20.840 She's shown incredible heroism,

00:09:22.980 incredible bravery,

00:09:24.480 standing up to Maduro,

00:09:25.540 standing up to the communist regime.

00:09:27.100 And by the way,

00:09:28.020 other opposition leaders

00:09:29.340 like Leopoldo Lopez,

00:09:30.720 like Juan Guaido,

00:09:32.220 likewise have shown

00:09:33.240 incredible courage,

00:09:34.740 have faced.

00:09:35.400 Lopez spent years in prison.

00:09:37.800 I mean,

00:09:38.200 I mean you,

00:09:39.080 to stand up

00:09:39.920 and be an opposition leader

00:09:41.380 to,

00:09:42.600 to a communist regime

00:09:44.700 like Hugo Chavez

00:09:45.720 or Nicolas Maduro,

00:09:46.660 you're quite literally

00:09:47.760 taking your life

00:09:48.680 in your own hands.

00:09:49.480 And a great many

00:09:50.260 of the opposition leaders

00:09:52.180 face arrest,

00:09:53.420 face torture,

00:09:54.300 face,

00:09:54.960 you know,

00:09:55.300 if you're in the opposition,

00:09:56.640 you,

00:09:56.800 you can face murder.

00:09:58.100 And,

00:09:58.180 and so Machado

00:10:00.400 last year

00:10:01.820 was awarded

00:10:02.480 the Nobel Peace Prize

00:10:03.760 for her heroism

00:10:05.660 in,

00:10:06.020 in,

00:10:06.300 in standing up

00:10:07.260 to Maduro

00:10:07.860 and,

00:10:08.180 and she came,

00:10:09.420 she came to Washington

00:10:10.400 this week

00:10:10.980 and she went,

00:10:11.720 went,

00:10:12.060 went to the White House

00:10:12.920 and she met with

00:10:13.560 President Trump

00:10:14.220 and she did something

00:10:15.780 that I think

00:10:16.280 was very,

00:10:16.940 very savvy

00:10:17.540 and,

00:10:17.980 and showed a lot

00:10:18.940 of wisdom

00:10:19.600 and showed a lot

00:10:20.300 of humility,

00:10:20.800 which is she presented

00:10:22.860 the Nobel Peace Prize

00:10:24.320 to President Trump.

00:10:25.260 She had it framed for him.

00:10:26.780 It's beautifully framed

00:10:28.220 and,

00:10:28.480 and,

00:10:28.700 and she had presented

00:10:30.440 to the president

00:10:31.160 and,

00:10:31.560 and with,

00:10:32.000 with the thanks

00:10:32.780 of the people

00:10:33.560 of Venezuela.

00:10:34.140 Venezuela.

00:10:34.880 And,

00:10:35.120 and,

00:10:35.200 and I think

00:10:35.600 President Trump

00:10:36.320 appreciated that

00:10:37.760 a great deal.

00:10:38.680 Look,

00:10:38.840 a lot of us,

00:10:39.500 you and me included,

00:10:40.720 believe President Trump

00:10:41.880 should have been awarded

00:10:42.600 the Nobel Peace Prize,

00:10:43.800 but there's no way,

00:10:45.060 there's no way

00:10:46.160 the,

00:10:46.460 the lefty Europeans,

00:10:48.400 it doesn't matter

00:10:49.860 if,

00:10:50.200 if like,

00:10:50.920 he cured cancer

00:10:52.220 and,

00:10:53.140 and like,

00:10:54.280 ended every war

00:10:55.420 that has ever happened

00:10:56.240 in the history

00:10:56.820 of humanity,

00:10:58.100 they will not give him

00:10:59.160 the Peace Prize

00:10:59.800 because they hated him.

00:11:00.620 They said to me

00:11:00.960 the other day

00:11:01.380 and it made me laugh,

00:11:02.180 they said the chances

00:11:03.000 of Donald Trump

00:11:03.800 getting the Nobel Peace Prize

00:11:05.020 from these,

00:11:05.640 like you said,

00:11:06.260 European,

00:11:06.740 you know,

00:11:07.260 lefties,

00:11:08.680 they said the,

00:11:09.540 I would put more money

00:11:10.440 on Vladimir Putin

00:11:11.500 getting it before

00:11:12.360 Donald Trump does.

00:11:13.400 Not,

00:11:13.820 not crazy by the way,

00:11:14.940 that's the sad part.

00:11:15.700 That's not hyperbole.

00:11:16.920 That,

00:11:17.020 that's actually not hyperbole.

00:11:18.840 Remember,

00:11:19.600 these are the same idiots

00:11:21.000 who awarded Barack Obama

00:11:24.220 the Nobel Peace Prize

00:11:25.380 when he'd been in office

00:11:26.320 a couple of months

00:11:27.400 and he was literally

00:11:28.640 awarded it

00:11:29.400 for simply not being

00:11:30.860 George W. Bush.

00:11:32.120 That,

00:11:32.240 that was the entire basis.

00:11:33.840 You're not Bush,

00:11:34.800 okay,

00:11:35.120 you get the Nobel Peace Prize.

00:11:36.460 He,

00:11:36.580 he hadn't been there

00:11:38.280 even long enough

00:11:38.940 to screw everything up,

00:11:39.860 which he spent

00:11:40.460 the next eight years doing.

00:11:41.620 He just,

00:11:42.240 he had just moved in

00:11:43.340 and was awarded

00:11:43.900 the Nobel Peace Prize.

00:11:44.780 These are also the same people,

00:11:46.600 if you go back

00:11:47.640 several decades,

00:11:48.520 you look at Ronald Reagan.

00:11:50.160 Ronald Reagan

00:11:50.720 was never awarded

00:11:51.500 the Nobel Peace Prize,

00:11:53.000 despite the fact

00:11:54.200 that he ended the Cold War

00:11:55.460 without firing a shot.

00:11:56.680 And so this is

00:11:57.560 a very ideological prize.

00:11:59.400 And,

00:12:00.140 and,

00:12:00.460 and I think

00:12:02.640 in this past year

00:12:03.660 it is unquestionable

00:12:04.960 that Donald Trump

00:12:06.300 deserved it,

00:12:07.180 but they weren't

00:12:08.580 going to give it.

00:12:09.240 And she showed,

00:12:10.680 when she was awarded it,

00:12:12.520 she showed real,

00:12:13.560 like,

00:12:13.680 like I said,

00:12:14.660 wisdom and humility

00:12:16.400 that it's a beautiful

00:12:17.360 presentation.

00:12:17.940 Yeah.

00:12:18.380 And she just said,

00:12:19.560 look,

00:12:19.920 the difference

00:12:21.180 you have made

00:12:22.500 for the people

00:12:23.880 of Venezuela

00:12:24.480 is,

00:12:24.940 is,

00:12:25.320 is transformative.

00:12:27.460 I,

00:12:27.940 I think that was

00:12:28.680 a,

00:12:28.920 a wise decision

00:12:30.040 on her part.

00:12:30.900 So let's talk

00:12:31.960 just a little bit

00:12:32.580 about,

00:12:33.080 about her

00:12:33.660 and,

00:12:34.060 and what was

00:12:34.760 her message

00:12:35.420 to you,

00:12:36.180 Senator,

00:12:36.860 for Venezuela,

00:12:38.420 its future.

00:12:39.380 obviously there's

00:12:40.580 a lot of people

00:12:41.180 in Venezuela

00:12:41.580 that,

00:12:41.840 that hoped

00:12:42.280 that she would

00:12:42.800 be the leader

00:12:43.380 of that country,

00:12:44.400 but she is 1.00

00:12:45.600 clearly spending

00:12:46.940 time in D.C.

00:12:47.840 as an advocate.

00:12:48.980 I also think

00:12:49.480 the president

00:12:50.100 meeting with her,

00:12:51.940 make no mistake,

00:12:53.000 that is to send

00:12:53.900 a message

00:12:54.400 to those in Venezuela

00:12:55.500 that,

00:12:56.480 that if you don't

00:12:57.280 play by the rules

00:12:58.140 that we've talked

00:12:58.940 about,

00:12:59.780 we are talking

00:13:00.660 to others

00:13:01.160 that will play

00:13:01.860 by those rules.

00:13:02.860 I think that's

00:13:03.600 a really important

00:13:04.500 political point

00:13:05.320 as well.

00:13:06.360 Well,

00:13:06.560 and Machado

00:13:07.060 right now

00:13:07.580 is in exile.

00:13:08.340 She's in the United States.

00:13:09.900 She fled for her life

00:13:11.300 because Maduro

00:13:11.940 was going to kill her

00:13:13.400 and she wants 0.90

00:13:15.140 to go back

00:13:15.820 and so when she,

00:13:17.560 when she left

00:13:18.840 the White House,

00:13:19.660 left meeting

00:13:20.100 with President Trump,

00:13:21.060 she came to Capitol Hill

00:13:22.140 and she met

00:13:22.660 with about a dozen senators

00:13:23.840 and we sat down

00:13:24.840 and spent,

00:13:25.920 oh,

00:13:26.080 probably 45 minutes

00:13:27.180 talking with her

00:13:28.000 and,

00:13:28.840 and I gotta say,

00:13:30.080 I've visited

00:13:30.780 with her before.

00:13:31.800 She has,

00:13:32.860 I think,

00:13:33.600 an enormous amount

00:13:34.340 of courage,

00:13:34.940 an enormous amount

00:13:35.680 of grace.

00:13:36.840 I asked her,

00:13:37.600 I said,

00:13:39.080 tell me the reaction

00:13:40.380 on the street.

00:13:41.080 Tell me,

00:13:41.360 tell me how people

00:13:41.920 are reacting

00:13:42.400 just in Venezuela

00:13:43.540 and she said

00:13:44.320 they're just,

00:13:45.340 they are overjoyed

00:13:46.440 that there's a level

00:13:48.160 of relief,

00:13:48.860 there's a level

00:13:49.380 of just,

00:13:49.840 they can't,

00:13:50.580 cannot believe

00:13:51.840 Maduro is finally gone.

00:13:54.580 They've also,

00:13:55.860 because the Trump

00:13:56.820 administration

00:13:57.280 has been pressing

00:13:58.280 the Maduro regime,

00:14:00.020 been pressing

00:14:00.720 Delcy Rodriguez

00:14:01.580 who's the acting president,

00:14:03.060 they've released

00:14:04.140 a significant number

00:14:05.420 of political prisoners.

00:14:06.320 So the political prisoners,

00:14:07.580 many of them

00:14:08.000 have been released

00:14:08.680 and she said

00:14:09.160 there's a lot

00:14:09.540 of celebration

00:14:10.160 on the ground

00:14:10.720 for that.

00:14:11.520 But she said,

00:14:12.180 look,

00:14:12.360 the political prisoners

00:14:13.240 are still being monitored,

00:14:14.640 they're still being watched,

00:14:15.780 they still have to check in.

00:14:17.520 And she emphasized

00:14:18.840 the regime

00:14:19.520 is still

00:14:20.440 the communist regime.

00:14:21.740 Delcy Rodriguez

00:14:22.420 is a communist.

00:14:24.900 She,

00:14:25.600 she was,

00:14:26.460 was Maduro's right hand.

00:14:28.260 Yeah.

00:14:28.460 And so she says

00:14:30.300 there's enormous celebration.

00:14:32.440 But the second question

00:14:33.640 I asked her

00:14:34.680 is I said,

00:14:36.300 listen,

00:14:36.680 what steps

00:14:37.540 do we need to take

00:14:38.900 to move towards

00:14:40.600 free and fair elections?

00:14:42.040 And that was one

00:14:42.760 of the things

00:14:43.300 she really wanted

00:14:44.780 to emphasize.

00:14:45.540 She said,

00:14:45.940 look,

00:14:46.120 the people of Venezuela,

00:14:47.100 they want

00:14:47.840 to have a chance

00:14:49.300 to vote,

00:14:49.920 to elect their leader.

00:14:51.480 And she said,

00:14:52.680 right now,

00:14:53.160 the Rodriguez administration

00:14:54.680 is the Maduro administration.

00:14:56.300 It is illegitimate.

00:14:57.720 They were beaten

00:14:58.600 in the last election.

00:15:00.200 They were roundly defeated.

00:15:02.360 And,

00:15:02.420 and Maduro held on to power

00:15:04.300 just through brute force

00:15:05.420 because he controlled the army.

00:15:06.780 And so the fact

00:15:07.940 that the voters

00:15:08.580 voted him out of office

00:15:09.600 didn't matter to him.

00:15:11.300 Rodriguez is in office

00:15:12.300 for the same reason.

00:15:13.220 And so my view

00:15:14.140 is we need to move swiftly

00:15:16.740 towards free and fair election.

00:15:18.780 There was some conversation.

00:15:20.840 One Democrat senator

00:15:21.900 asked her

00:15:22.600 what time frame

00:15:23.640 for election.

00:15:24.460 She was,

00:15:24.840 she was wisely

00:15:26.660 noncommittal on that.

00:15:28.080 And she said,

00:15:28.680 look,

00:15:29.040 I just hope it moves swiftly.

00:15:30.980 And the Democrat senator says,

00:15:32.340 well,

00:15:32.420 if it goes a year,

00:15:33.300 will that be too long?

00:15:34.620 I'll tell you what I chimed in.

00:15:36.180 I said,

00:15:36.520 I think it should happen

00:15:37.340 within six months.

00:15:38.120 I think that is the right timing.

00:15:39.840 I think you need

00:15:40.540 a little bit of transition,

00:15:41.660 but,

00:15:42.400 but I think the,

00:15:43.220 the faster we move

00:15:44.580 to elections

00:15:45.280 and someone with legitimacy

00:15:46.760 who,

00:15:47.600 who will be elected

00:15:48.820 and it will be a friend

00:15:49.760 of America,

00:15:50.320 the faster,

00:15:51.300 the better.

00:15:52.760 Canadian women

00:15:53.500 are looking for more.

00:15:54.840 More out of themselves,

00:15:55.880 their businesses,

00:15:56.820 their elected leaders

00:15:57.620 and the world around them.

00:15:59.020 And that's why we're thrilled

00:15:59.980 to introduce

00:16:00.620 the Honest Talk podcast.

00:16:02.740 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

00:16:03.920 And I'm Catherine Clark.

00:16:05.160 And in this podcast,

00:16:06.220 we interview Canada's

00:16:07.260 most inspiring women,

00:16:08.760 entrepreneurs,

00:16:09.600 artists,

00:16:10.280 athletes,

00:16:10.880 politicians,

00:16:11.520 and newsmakers,

00:16:12.460 all at different stages

00:16:13.500 of their journey.

00:16:14.640 So if you're looking

00:16:15.660 to connect,

00:16:16.460 then we hope you'll join us.

00:16:17.880 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast

00:16:19.260 on iHeartRadio

00:16:20.260 or wherever you listen

00:16:21.240 to your podcasts.

00:16:21.940 Senator,

00:16:24.920 if people are just

00:16:25.740 joining us right now,

00:16:26.520 we're talking about

00:16:26.980 an incredible week

00:16:27.800 and you got to meet

00:16:28.540 with the opposition leader

00:16:29.920 of Venezuela

00:16:31.780 in Washington, D.C.

00:16:33.040 You mentioned,

00:16:33.860 by the way,

00:16:34.200 that the meeting

00:16:34.780 you had with her

00:16:35.400 after she met

00:16:36.000 with the president

00:16:36.580 of the United States

00:16:37.120 of America,

00:16:37.600 Donald Trump,

00:16:38.620 was with 12 different senators.

00:16:40.240 So how does that room

00:16:41.300 get made?

00:16:41.960 And it sounds like

00:16:42.960 it was bipartisan.

00:16:43.760 You mentioned a Democrat

00:16:44.560 that was in that room.

00:16:45.800 Does everybody get an invite

00:16:47.060 or only certain people?

00:16:48.180 How does that work?

00:16:49.920 So, no,

00:16:50.600 it was a smaller subset

00:16:51.840 and typically what happens

00:16:53.640 when you have heads of state

00:16:54.800 come to Washington,

00:16:56.060 they will often reach out

00:16:57.700 to the Senate

00:16:58.120 Foreign Relations Committee

00:16:59.160 and I sit on the Senate

00:17:00.340 Foreign Relations Committee

00:17:01.340 and so often we will have,

00:17:03.480 regularly we'll have

00:17:05.360 like afternoon coffees

00:17:06.900 or lunches

00:17:08.000 with heads of state

00:17:08.740 when they come to town

00:17:09.980 and in the Capitol

00:17:11.880 there's an office

00:17:12.680 where the Senate

00:17:13.280 Foreign Relations Committee

00:17:14.240 meets.

00:17:15.180 There's a hearing room

00:17:17.140 with this big ornate table

00:17:18.420 that they'll set up

00:17:19.280 and they usually put,

00:17:20.620 you have some coffee

00:17:21.760 and some pieces of cheese

00:17:24.780 and crackers

00:17:25.380 and like a little bit of fruit.

00:17:27.520 The good stuff.

00:17:28.300 Yeah, you know,

00:17:28.920 it's,

00:17:29.760 but it,

00:17:30.840 look,

00:17:31.240 it is,

00:17:32.180 it's an opportunity

00:17:33.180 to visit with world leaders.

00:17:35.260 In this instance

00:17:36.120 it wasn't the Senate

00:17:37.060 Foreign Relations Committee.

00:17:38.800 It ended up being,

00:17:40.120 we met in the office

00:17:41.480 of Dick Durbin

00:17:42.260 who was the number two Democrat.

00:17:43.780 He was the one hosting it

00:17:45.080 and initially

00:17:46.760 I think Durbin

00:17:48.540 was making the invites

00:17:49.760 and then this is actually

00:17:50.820 something Marina Carina Machado

00:17:52.500 did that I think

00:17:53.200 was very wise also.

00:17:54.720 She invited a number of people.

00:17:56.380 So,

00:17:56.480 so the reason I was there

00:17:57.580 is because she invited me.

00:17:59.180 Very cool.

00:18:00.140 Look,

00:18:00.520 I suspect.

00:18:00.960 Wait, you're saying Durbin,

00:18:01.740 you didn't make the cut

00:18:02.540 on Durbin's,

00:18:03.320 on his group chat?

00:18:05.080 You're not in that group chat

00:18:06.040 with him?

00:18:06.960 So,

00:18:07.460 look,

00:18:07.720 I suspect

00:18:08.620 that there were some Democrats

00:18:10.500 that wanted to have

00:18:12.200 a meeting of just Democrats

00:18:13.660 and her

00:18:14.080 and I think

00:18:15.720 that would have been

00:18:16.520 really unfortunate

00:18:17.720 if that had happened

00:18:18.600 because I think

00:18:19.060 the Democrats

00:18:19.640 would have wanted

00:18:20.180 to use it

00:18:20.760 to attack Trump

00:18:21.540 and I think

00:18:22.760 she realized

00:18:23.840 that that would be,

00:18:25.340 that would not

00:18:26.260 further the people

00:18:27.780 of Venezuela,

00:18:28.280 that would not be good

00:18:29.200 for anyone

00:18:29.700 and so she reached out

00:18:31.480 and we had four Republicans

00:18:33.340 who were there

00:18:34.380 so I was there,

00:18:35.460 Rick Scott from Florida

00:18:36.500 was there,

00:18:37.720 Bernie Moreno

00:18:38.780 from Ohio

00:18:39.860 was there

00:18:40.580 and then John Curtis

00:18:41.940 from Utah

00:18:42.420 was there

00:18:42.880 so that was the four Republicans

00:18:44.120 who were in the room

00:18:44.840 and then there were about

00:18:46.380 seven, eight, nine Democrats

00:18:47.920 that were there

00:18:48.680 so it was a larger group

00:18:49.880 of Democrats

00:18:50.420 and they were all posing

00:18:52.740 for the cameras

00:18:53.420 and look,

00:18:56.140 I think Rick Scott

00:18:58.020 had obvious reason

00:18:59.380 to be there,

00:19:00.220 there's a big,

00:19:01.040 big Venezuelan population

00:19:02.580 in Florida,

00:19:04.500 Rick Scott has a lot

00:19:05.360 of support

00:19:05.900 from the Venezuelan population

00:19:07.420 in Florida

00:19:07.900 so it made sense

00:19:08.680 for him to be there.

00:19:10.140 Bernie,

00:19:10.600 his family's from Columbia

00:19:11.820 and so,

00:19:12.660 you know,

00:19:12.940 he,

00:19:13.620 you know,

00:19:14.020 Bernie and I

00:19:14.640 are the two,

00:19:15.720 two Hispanic Republicans

00:19:17.100 that are in the Senate

00:19:18.000 and since he's

00:19:20.480 Colombian-American,

00:19:21.540 I'm Cuban-American,

00:19:22.440 we kind of talk smack

00:19:23.400 at each other quite a bit

00:19:24.340 and Colombians and Cubans

00:19:26.340 usually throw down

00:19:27.260 a little bit

00:19:27.840 and,

00:19:29.940 you know,

00:19:31.060 as for me,

00:19:32.560 look,

00:19:32.780 there's a significant

00:19:33.560 Venezuelan population

00:19:34.560 in Texas

00:19:35.680 in particular

00:19:37.000 because Venezuela

00:19:37.880 has the largest

00:19:38.780 proven reserves

00:19:39.920 of oil

00:19:40.520 in the world

00:19:41.640 and Houston

00:19:43.940 is obviously

00:19:44.660 the energy capital

00:19:45.760 of the world

00:19:46.420 and so there are

00:19:47.060 a lot of Venezuelans

00:19:48.080 who are in Houston,

00:19:49.440 a lot of Houston

00:19:50.600 oil companies

00:19:51.480 have been down

00:19:51.980 in Venezuela

00:19:52.480 over the years.

00:19:54.140 For many years

00:19:55.400 there was a group

00:19:56.780 called the Sitco Six 0.80

00:19:58.200 that were Americans

00:19:59.420 who were imprisoned

00:20:00.520 in Venezuela

00:20:01.280 and they were Houstonians,

00:20:02.920 they worked for Sitco,

00:20:03.960 the oil company

00:20:04.700 and Maduro

00:20:05.820 had put them in prison

00:20:06.780 and I was their

00:20:08.460 leading advocate

00:20:09.160 in the Senate.

00:20:09.740 I went to the Senate floor

00:20:10.720 repeatedly,

00:20:11.440 I spoke out for them,

00:20:12.920 I leaned repeatedly

00:20:14.940 on the regime

00:20:16.920 and ultimately

00:20:17.560 the Sitco Six 0.86

00:20:18.300 were released

00:20:19.000 but it had been,

00:20:20.620 you know,

00:20:20.840 I visited with

00:20:21.740 Maria Corina Machado,

00:20:23.480 previously had been engaged,

00:20:26.020 I'd been engaged

00:20:26.800 with the opposition leaders

00:20:27.880 for some time

00:20:28.800 and part of that is,

00:20:30.940 listen,

00:20:31.260 I hate communists.

00:20:32.780 It is,

00:20:33.740 you know,

00:20:35.160 my family was imprisoned

00:20:36.840 and tortured

00:20:37.520 by communists,

00:20:38.480 my dad was imprisoned

00:20:39.460 and tortured by Batista

00:20:40.520 who was not a communist

00:20:41.360 but my aunt,

00:20:42.680 my Tia Sonia,

00:20:43.840 was imprisoned

00:20:44.540 and tortured

00:20:45.120 by Castro's goons

00:20:46.320 and so,

00:20:47.680 when it comes to communists,

00:20:49.360 my...

00:20:50.560 Your top level

00:20:51.340 is extremely low.

00:20:52.700 I think they're

00:20:53.380 the embodiment of evil

00:20:54.640 and one of the real missions

00:20:57.180 that I've had,

00:20:58.020 really since the day

00:20:59.060 I got elected

00:20:59.600 to the Senate,

00:21:00.120 is trying to highlight dissidents.

00:21:02.460 I think there's a real power

00:21:04.080 to dissidents.

00:21:05.420 There's a real power

00:21:06.380 to those that stand up

00:21:07.700 to tyrants,

00:21:08.860 that show courage

00:21:10.200 and that face prison

00:21:11.540 and human rights abuses

00:21:13.080 because we've seen

00:21:15.300 tyrannies collapse 1.00

00:21:16.920 because of the threats

00:21:18.940 to their legitimacy

00:21:19.720 and so I've tried

00:21:20.700 in my time in the Senate

00:21:21.660 really to shine a light

00:21:23.080 and amplify

00:21:23.860 the message of dissidents.

00:21:26.000 You and I, by the way,

00:21:27.020 have talked about this

00:21:27.800 this week

00:21:28.180 when I was up in D.C.

00:21:29.160 and we had Bruce Pearl on.

00:21:30.320 By the way,

00:21:30.600 if you missed that show,

00:21:31.620 go back and listen to it.

00:21:32.980 The famous basketball coach

00:21:35.140 who's a man

00:21:36.500 standing up for Israel

00:21:37.420 right now

00:21:38.020 and actually loves

00:21:39.060 the political world.

00:21:39.360 And that was a fun podcast.

00:21:40.220 It really was.

00:21:41.080 Go back and grab it.

00:21:42.320 But you and I

00:21:42.900 have talked about this.

00:21:43.600 And by the way,

00:21:44.360 I did talk with someone

00:21:45.580 last night

00:21:46.140 who said she loved the podcast

00:21:47.920 and she cracked up the most

00:21:49.900 by hearing that Bruce

00:21:51.440 and I shared

00:21:52.200 having both run around

00:21:53.440 naked in college,

00:21:54.440 streaking on campus.

00:21:55.840 So if you want to hear

00:21:56.560 the story of that,

00:21:57.840 go listen to the last podcast.

00:22:00.300 There you go.

00:22:01.140 That's an easy tease right there.

00:22:03.180 You and I have talked about

00:22:04.860 the moment

00:22:05.840 that we're living in right now

00:22:07.440 could be one of the biggest

00:22:09.220 historical moments

00:22:10.380 certainly of my lifetime.

00:22:12.300 And that is

00:22:13.420 we have three countries

00:22:15.300 that without Donald Trump

00:22:16.820 being president right now,

00:22:18.380 if Kamala Harris

00:22:19.180 was in the White House,

00:22:19.960 we would not be having

00:22:20.960 this conversation,

00:22:21.800 I believe,

00:22:22.740 that are on the verge

00:22:23.580 of quite possibly

00:22:24.340 having free and fair elections

00:22:25.840 within the next 12 months.

00:22:27.560 And that would be Iran. 0.88

00:22:29.140 That would be Venezuela. 0.70

00:22:30.340 That would also be Cuba.

00:22:31.980 People are standing up

00:22:33.640 for themselves

00:22:34.240 and standing up

00:22:35.360 to their government

00:22:36.180 because they're being inspired

00:22:38.040 by Donald Trump

00:22:39.020 and what he's also said,

00:22:40.580 which is we have your back.

00:22:42.360 Well,

00:22:42.900 and I want to take a moment

00:22:44.180 for us just to reflect

00:22:45.720 on the incredible

00:22:47.340 consequential times

00:22:49.520 we're living in.

00:22:50.100 This is a point

00:22:50.700 that I made to Machado

00:22:51.780 when she was in D.C.

00:22:53.660 I said,

00:22:54.500 look,

00:22:54.680 it is entirely possible

00:22:56.120 that in the next few months,

00:22:58.720 in the next six months,

00:23:00.460 we could see the regimes

00:23:01.980 fall in Venezuela,

00:23:04.120 in Cuba,

00:23:05.160 and Iran.

00:23:06.260 We could see elections

00:23:08.000 in Venezuela,

00:23:09.420 in Cuba,

00:23:10.540 and Iran.

00:23:11.840 We could see leaders

00:23:13.640 elected by the people

00:23:14.980 who stand for freedom

00:23:16.880 and who want to stand

00:23:17.880 with America

00:23:18.500 and be friends

00:23:19.220 with America.

00:23:19.920 We could see that

00:23:20.660 in Venezuela,

00:23:21.840 in Cuba,

00:23:22.440 and Iran.

00:23:23.060 Iran,

00:23:23.680 it could happen

00:23:24.520 literally in the next few hours

00:23:27.180 or the next few days.

00:23:28.920 What is happening in Iran

00:23:30.140 is so consequential.

00:23:31.920 What is happening in Venezuela

00:23:33.320 is so consequential,

00:23:34.440 and Cuba is not far behind.

00:23:36.920 And if that happens,

00:23:39.740 that will be

00:23:40.800 the single most significant

00:23:42.980 foreign policy development

00:23:44.460 the world has seen

00:23:45.720 since the Berlin Wall

00:23:47.820 was torn to the ground.

00:23:49.120 It will literally

00:23:50.460 remake

00:23:51.820 the geopolitical map

00:23:53.600 and the consequences

00:23:55.320 of that.

00:23:55.820 Now,

00:23:56.200 to be clear,

00:23:57.940 there are a thousand things

00:23:59.160 that can go wrong.

00:24:00.120 There are a thousand things

00:24:00.900 that could go wrong

00:24:01.840 in Venezuela,

00:24:03.220 in Cuba,

00:24:03.960 in Iran.

00:24:04.580 It's not guaranteed.

00:24:05.800 In fact,

00:24:06.340 it is guaranteed

00:24:07.180 to not be smooth

00:24:08.740 and without challenges.

00:24:10.040 It is 100%.

00:24:10.900 It will be bumpy

00:24:12.300 and there will be challenges.

00:24:13.400 But all three regimes

00:24:16.320 are in a panic.

00:24:17.800 They are in a free fall.

00:24:19.380 And the people

00:24:20.160 of all three countries

00:24:21.560 are energized.

00:24:22.400 And if you were to pick

00:24:23.200 three countries

00:24:23.980 that for decades

00:24:25.900 have been explicitly,

00:24:28.560 passionately anti-American,

00:24:30.320 the regimes,

00:24:31.520 the rulers,

00:24:33.020 have been responsible

00:24:34.340 for terrorism,

00:24:35.540 responsible for threatening

00:24:36.640 the lives of Americans,

00:24:37.960 it would be difficult

00:24:39.600 to find three

00:24:40.760 more dangerous

00:24:41.840 than Iran,

00:24:43.080 Venezuela,

00:24:43.820 and Cuba.

00:24:45.040 And you're right.

00:24:46.180 This is the direct consequence

00:24:47.520 of strong leadership

00:24:49.420 from the commander-in-chief.

00:24:50.560 And it was interesting.

00:24:51.600 One of the Democrat senators

00:24:52.960 who was in the meeting

00:24:53.820 with me,

00:24:54.840 he actually pulled me aside

00:24:55.820 afterwards and said,

00:24:56.800 you know,

00:24:57.020 Ted,

00:24:57.260 you made this point yesterday

00:24:58.360 that this could be

00:25:00.440 a time as consequential

00:25:02.260 as the Berlin Wall

00:25:04.420 being torn to the ground.

00:25:05.440 And he said,

00:25:05.760 I hadn't really

00:25:06.380 thought about it that way,

00:25:09.200 but you're right.

00:25:09.880 And it was an interesting point.

00:25:12.420 And I have to say,

00:25:13.140 one of the things,

00:25:15.000 look,

00:25:15.280 I was really impressed

00:25:16.400 with Machado,

00:25:17.580 how she handled her message,

00:25:19.540 by the way,

00:25:20.580 to the senators,

00:25:22.120 was that America's support

00:25:24.780 is really important

00:25:26.000 to Venezuela.

00:25:27.180 And seeing some unity,

00:25:28.860 look,

00:25:29.060 her message,

00:25:29.620 she was not in any way

00:25:30.980 chastising the Democrats,

00:25:33.440 but she did say

00:25:35.140 unity is really important.

00:25:36.880 And what is happening,

00:25:38.700 the people of Venezuela,

00:25:40.100 this would not have happened

00:25:41.540 without President Trump.

00:25:42.680 And there were some

00:25:43.160 very partisan Democrats

00:25:44.160 in that room

00:25:44.860 who were not thrilled

00:25:46.180 to hear that message

00:25:47.120 because their message

00:25:48.860 every day is

00:25:49.540 Trump bad,

00:25:50.080 Trump bad,

00:25:50.520 Trump bad.

00:25:51.580 But she didn't want 0.93

00:25:53.100 to argue with them on that,

00:25:54.260 but she just said,

00:25:55.160 listen,

00:25:56.260 this is a moment

00:25:57.360 we've waited decades for.

00:26:00.340 And in the opposition,

00:26:01.520 she said,

00:26:02.220 so many people in Venezuela,

00:26:03.540 what they said is,

00:26:04.800 this day would never come,

00:26:06.000 this day would never come

00:26:07.160 and it came

00:26:07.860 and it is here

00:26:08.680 and seeing unity

00:26:10.980 from America

00:26:11.720 right now

00:26:12.340 is so important.

00:26:13.560 Look,

00:26:13.860 I think the same

00:26:14.660 is true for Iran, 0.81

00:26:15.840 seeing unity

00:26:16.660 standing with the protesters

00:26:18.800 against the Ayatollah.

00:26:21.680 If we are six months

00:26:23.360 from now

00:26:23.940 with the governments

00:26:25.040 and the leaders

00:26:25.700 of those three countries

00:26:26.940 being pro-American

00:26:28.560 and wanting to be

00:26:29.880 our friends,

00:26:31.480 that is like,

00:26:32.900 holy cow, 0.51

00:26:34.440 that makes the world

00:26:35.760 much safer

00:26:36.540 and that makes

00:26:37.160 every American

00:26:37.740 much safer.

00:26:39.800 Senator,

00:26:40.260 I want to ask you

00:26:40.940 real quick

00:26:41.280 before we get back

00:26:42.180 to Texas

00:26:42.720 where you had

00:26:43.240 an amazing trip

00:26:44.100 with the Secretary of War,

00:26:46.040 you got to go

00:26:46.700 to the plant

00:26:47.500 where they make F-35s,

00:26:49.160 that's incredible,

00:26:50.220 and you got to go

00:26:50.940 meet with Elon Musk

00:26:51.820 again and take a tour

00:26:53.320 of what he's doing

00:26:54.360 down in Brownsville, Texas.

00:26:56.720 But one other question

00:26:57.920 I just want to get

00:26:58.540 your reaction to

00:26:59.560 and that is,

00:27:00.240 what are you hearing,

00:27:01.360 what have you guys

00:27:02.100 been told this week

00:27:02.980 about what's actually

00:27:04.280 happening in Iran?

00:27:05.460 To be clear,

00:27:06.280 depending on when

00:27:06.720 you hear this,

00:27:07.540 things could change.

00:27:08.820 So it's changing quickly,

00:27:10.320 but we've had

00:27:10.720 an internet blackout there.

00:27:12.400 The phones

00:27:13.000 and the landlines

00:27:13.780 have shut down.

00:27:14.640 They didn't want

00:27:15.100 information to get out.

00:27:15.860 We saw the death toll

00:27:16.640 rise significantly

00:27:17.680 during that blackout period

00:27:19.640 and then the president

00:27:20.280 said the killing

00:27:20.860 had stopped.

00:27:21.660 He said that at the White House

00:27:22.460 and he's like,

00:27:23.060 look, I'm looking

00:27:23.600 at all options on the table.

00:27:25.160 What do you know

00:27:26.060 and what have you been told?

00:27:27.540 Well, we have been seeing

00:27:29.200 for a number of days now

00:27:30.580 over a million Iranians

00:27:32.300 taking to the street

00:27:33.220 day after day

00:27:34.320 after day

00:27:34.940 in protest.

00:27:36.220 The administration,

00:27:37.740 the regime,

00:27:38.460 is doing everything

00:27:39.020 they can to try

00:27:40.060 to put the protests down.

00:27:41.500 They're responding

00:27:42.420 with violence.

00:27:43.460 It is difficult

00:27:44.520 any time you have

00:27:45.740 a conflict,

00:27:47.140 you have unrest.

00:27:47.880 In this case,

00:27:48.460 you had potentially

00:27:49.120 a revolution.

00:27:50.160 There is a fog of war

00:27:51.320 and so it is difficult

00:27:52.560 to get clear

00:27:53.760 and accurate numbers.

00:27:54.980 I've seen death tolls

00:27:56.280 as high as 12,000

00:27:58.000 Iranians murdered 1.00

00:27:59.360 by the regime

00:28:00.620 trying to put down

00:28:01.500 the protesters

00:28:02.160 and they continue

00:28:02.980 standing up

00:28:03.700 and risking their lives.

00:28:04.940 It is incredible heroism.

00:28:06.940 It is difficult

00:28:07.760 to get accurate information

00:28:09.760 from the ground

00:28:11.100 although one of the things

00:28:11.960 that has helped

00:28:12.740 is Elon Musk

00:28:13.760 is providing free Starlink.

00:28:15.960 So even though

00:28:16.660 the Ayatollah and the Mullahs

00:28:17.840 are blocking the internet,

00:28:18.840 blocking television,

00:28:20.840 Starlink is operating for free.

00:28:22.840 You know,

00:28:23.020 just a few minutes ago,

00:28:24.060 a friend of mine

00:28:24.680 who's a senior official

00:28:25.980 at the State Department

00:28:26.920 texted me,

00:28:28.180 said,

00:28:28.400 I'm currently

00:28:28.980 in the Middle East.

00:28:30.660 This region feels ready

00:28:32.440 to break free from Iran 0.99

00:28:34.220 and turn to the future.

00:28:37.480 Wow.

00:28:38.820 This could be imminent.

00:28:40.520 This could happen

00:28:41.560 within hours or days

00:28:43.840 and it's powerful

00:28:46.320 what's happening.

00:28:47.740 It really is.

00:28:48.720 Also,

00:28:49.100 the president

00:28:49.560 keeping all options

00:28:50.680 on the table,

00:28:51.340 I think that's one

00:28:52.160 of the great parts

00:28:52.800 of his foreign policy.

00:28:53.840 Yes.

00:28:54.320 There's a lot of people

00:28:55.340 that are,

00:28:56.060 you know,

00:28:56.220 there's war hawks

00:28:56.940 that want him

00:28:57.280 just to go in

00:28:57.800 and bomb things.

00:28:58.940 There's also,

00:28:59.560 I think,

00:28:59.740 some Democrats

00:29:00.560 that want him

00:29:01.020 to do that

00:29:01.280 so they can then

00:29:01.800 criticize him.

00:29:03.040 I think he has

00:29:04.220 done a masterful job

00:29:05.660 this time with diplomacy

00:29:06.760 and also transparency,

00:29:08.680 but also making it clear

00:29:09.860 there is a red line

00:29:10.760 with the United States

00:29:11.480 of America

00:29:12.040 and I'm not afraid

00:29:14.040 to use the military

00:29:15.300 if I need to

00:29:15.940 to save the people's lives

00:29:17.300 that are being persecuted.

00:29:18.980 Well,

00:29:19.160 and there's a massive difference

00:29:20.600 between now

00:29:21.500 and 2009

00:29:22.560 when you had

00:29:23.140 the Green Revolution,

00:29:24.000 the last time

00:29:24.620 you had Iranians 1.00

00:29:25.300 really rising up

00:29:26.100 in big,

00:29:26.620 big numbers.

00:29:27.580 In 2009,

00:29:28.500 Barack Obama

00:29:29.120 was in the White House

00:29:29.980 and they made

00:29:30.460 a conscious decision

00:29:31.580 to undermine

00:29:33.580 the protesters

00:29:34.520 and stand with the regime

00:29:35.900 and it was exactly backwards

00:29:37.360 and I gotta say-

00:29:38.580 Can you remind people

00:29:38.800 of that scenario

00:29:39.800 because that story

00:29:40.680 still is astounding

00:29:41.700 if you think about it

00:29:42.560 compared to what

00:29:43.000 we're seeing now.

00:29:44.140 Yeah,

00:29:44.400 look,

00:29:44.720 it was the Obama administration

00:29:47.900 decided they were going

00:29:49.180 to stand with the Ayatollah

00:29:50.340 and stand with the Mullahs

00:29:51.380 and so they discouraged

00:29:53.520 the protesters,

00:29:54.300 they did not support them

00:29:55.700 and it is night and day.

00:29:57.400 Donald J. Trump

00:29:58.200 is not Barack Obama

00:29:59.300 and he's not Joe Biden.

00:30:00.900 He is instead

00:30:01.840 telling the people of Iran

00:30:03.740 we are with you,

00:30:04.720 we have your back.

00:30:06.040 He's also saying

00:30:07.320 he is threatening

00:30:08.620 real consequences

00:30:09.660 to the regime

00:30:10.380 if they murder

00:30:11.100 the protesters.

00:30:11.940 I think that's

00:30:12.340 a real deterrent.

00:30:13.500 He's telling the protesters

00:30:14.600 write down the names

00:30:16.020 of anyone attacking you,

00:30:17.680 there will be consequences

00:30:19.000 and you're right.

00:30:20.180 President Trump

00:30:21.440 has been reluctant

00:30:22.540 to use military force

00:30:24.080 unnecessarily

00:30:25.200 but he hasn't been afraid

00:30:27.600 to wield a stick

00:30:28.820 and that is why

00:30:30.420 our adversaries

00:30:31.380 are so terrified.

00:30:32.580 It's why you're seeing

00:30:33.520 change sweeping the globe.

00:30:35.900 Yeah.

00:30:36.220 Now let's go back to Texas

00:30:37.480 and this deals

00:30:38.700 with national security

00:30:39.540 as well

00:30:40.160 and our military.

00:30:41.960 You toured

00:30:43.520 with the Secretary of War

00:30:44.440 Pete Hedgeseth,

00:30:45.900 a good friend

00:30:46.500 of both of ours,

00:30:47.420 something that I'm jealous,

00:30:49.020 I'm not going to lie,

00:30:49.960 I would have gone,

00:30:50.780 I would have driven

00:30:51.740 for this invite.

00:30:53.060 You got to go

00:30:53.840 to the F-35 factory.

00:30:55.780 How cool is that?

00:30:57.440 Yeah, so Monday

00:30:58.380 was a full day.

00:30:59.260 I started in Houston,

00:31:00.260 I drove to San Antonio,

00:31:01.600 I visited the three soldiers

00:31:02.880 who were wounded

00:31:03.960 in the Maduro raid,

00:31:06.560 I then flew

00:31:07.100 with the Secretary of Defense

00:31:08.240 to Fort Worth,

00:31:09.040 went to the F-35 plant,

00:31:10.820 then flew to Brownsville,

00:31:12.200 went to Starbase

00:31:13.640 and then flew to D.C.

00:31:14.620 all in one day.

00:31:15.460 So it was five cities

00:31:16.400 in one day.

00:31:17.680 Wow.

00:31:18.560 Fort Worth,

00:31:19.200 the F-35 plant

00:31:20.220 is incredible.

00:31:21.300 The plant is over

00:31:22.580 a mile long.

00:31:24.200 They're building

00:31:24.900 F-35, 0.98

00:31:26.440 fifth generation

00:31:27.180 fighter jets,

00:31:27.960 the technology on them

00:31:29.100 is incredible.

00:31:30.140 One of the reasons

00:31:31.180 that we're able

00:31:31.880 to prevail

00:31:32.520 in military conflicts

00:31:34.180 and no one else

00:31:35.420 can really come close

00:31:36.500 is because of

00:31:37.100 the incredible technology

00:31:38.280 and Texans,

00:31:39.880 we're proud

00:31:40.580 F-35s are built 0.88

00:31:42.460 right here in Texas

00:31:43.560 the workers

00:31:45.280 that are there.

00:31:46.500 We had a chance

00:31:47.940 to visit

00:31:48.340 with a great many

00:31:49.080 of them.

00:31:50.040 Secretary Hegseth

00:31:50.860 gave an address

00:31:51.580 to the workers,

00:31:52.320 thanked them

00:31:52.880 for their incredible work

00:31:54.260 helping protect America,

00:31:58.080 helping keep America strong.

00:32:00.320 And then I got to say

00:32:01.480 down in Starbase,

00:32:03.100 Elon was there.

00:32:04.080 We spent several hours

00:32:05.420 with Elon,

00:32:06.600 toured around,

00:32:07.300 and I've been

00:32:07.780 to the F-35 plant

00:32:09.180 before.

00:32:09.600 I've been to Starbase

00:32:10.380 down in Boca Chica

00:32:11.500 multiple times.

00:32:13.080 I got to tell you,

00:32:13.720 every time I go

00:32:14.780 to Starbase,

00:32:16.440 it's advanced further.

00:32:18.020 So this time around,

00:32:19.260 they're now on

00:32:19.800 the third generation

00:32:20.800 starships.

00:32:21.660 Last time I was there,

00:32:22.660 they were on the

00:32:23.040 second generation

00:32:23.720 starships.

00:32:24.600 The third generation

00:32:25.800 has substantially

00:32:26.940 more lift.

00:32:28.300 The new engines

00:32:29.180 are in it.

00:32:29.720 You look at

00:32:30.400 the degree

00:32:31.420 of rapid innovation

00:32:34.200 and their objective,

00:32:36.180 they want to make,

00:32:37.060 they want to make

00:32:38.120 rocket ships

00:32:38.800 like airplanes

00:32:39.640 where basically

00:32:40.700 you think about

00:32:41.280 an airplane,

00:32:41.860 you take off,

00:32:42.500 go to your destination,

00:32:44.100 refuel,

00:32:44.740 and you go to

00:32:45.100 the next place,

00:32:45.720 and you refuel

00:32:46.280 and you go to

00:32:46.640 the next place.

00:32:47.740 And it is such

00:32:48.680 a system change

00:32:50.220 from a paradigm

00:32:52.320 shift from the

00:32:53.260 old world

00:32:53.880 that a rocket

00:32:54.400 you fire off once,

00:32:55.440 drop it in the ocean,

00:32:56.160 and you're done.

00:32:57.740 In this instance,

00:32:59.140 the objective is

00:33:00.320 to dramatically

00:33:01.880 lower the cost

00:33:03.240 of space flight.

00:33:05.080 And I will tell you

00:33:05.960 for our military,

00:33:06.920 look,

00:33:08.580 Secretary Hegseth

00:33:10.500 gave a major address

00:33:11.940 at SpaceX

00:33:12.860 talking about

00:33:14.060 innovation

00:33:15.140 at the Department of War,

00:33:16.780 talking about

00:33:17.500 moving away

00:33:18.660 from the old

00:33:19.380 legacy contractors,

00:33:20.680 moving away

00:33:21.200 from the bureaucracy,

00:33:22.320 and instead

00:33:22.800 prizing

00:33:24.360 and incentivizing

00:33:25.940 innovation,

00:33:26.760 bringing in

00:33:27.300 new innovators.

00:33:28.700 He's also talking

00:33:29.720 about leadership

00:33:30.420 that he's doing

00:33:31.320 to shake up

00:33:32.760 the old bureaucracy

00:33:33.660 and to integrate AI

00:33:35.200 in the decision-making.

00:33:37.360 And obviously,

00:33:38.560 Elon and XAI

00:33:40.220 is helping

00:33:41.560 lead the world

00:33:42.440 in AI.

00:33:43.800 And one of the challenges,

00:33:44.980 this is something

00:33:45.600 Pete and I have talked

00:33:46.620 about quite a bit.

00:33:47.860 The Pentagon,

00:33:49.040 with some frequency,

00:33:50.700 fights the last war.

00:33:52.240 They think about

00:33:52.960 the war that just happened

00:33:54.920 rather than the next war.

00:33:56.840 And if we find ourselves

00:33:59.260 in a military conflict

00:34:00.520 with, say,

00:34:01.220 God forbid, China, 1.00

00:34:02.440 and look,

00:34:02.780 everyone wants to avoid

00:34:03.780 a military conflict

00:34:04.580 with China.

00:34:05.260 But if we find ourselves

00:34:06.440 in a military conflict

00:34:07.320 with China,

00:34:08.100 it's not likely

00:34:09.280 to be aircraft carriers

00:34:10.880 that decide it

00:34:12.740 the way they have

00:34:13.560 in previous military conflicts.

00:34:15.480 That next war, 0.86

00:34:16.800 particularly with

00:34:17.360 a near-peer power,

00:34:18.720 is likely to be fought

00:34:20.220 with thousands

00:34:20.980 or tens of thousands

00:34:22.140 or even hundreds

00:34:22.940 of thousands

00:34:23.480 of drones

00:34:24.240 controlled by AI.

00:34:26.900 And so,

00:34:28.360 at SpaceX,

00:34:30.120 Elon was leaning in,

00:34:31.620 Hegseth was leaning in,

00:34:32.840 saying,

00:34:33.400 we are trying to create

00:34:34.520 in the Pentagon

00:34:35.080 the innovation mindset

00:34:37.100 so we are ahead

00:34:38.100 of our adversaries

00:34:39.120 so that we can avoid war

00:34:40.880 through peace,

00:34:41.800 through strength.

00:34:42.480 It's incredible.

00:34:43.920 Don't forget,

00:34:44.600 we do this show

00:34:45.140 three days a week,

00:34:45.880 so make sure you download

00:34:47.020 Verdict with Ted Cruz

00:34:48.160 wherever you get your podcast.

00:34:50.300 Hit that subscribe

00:34:51.000 or auto-download button.

00:34:52.680 If you're listening

00:34:53.020 on the radio,

00:34:53.600 we'll see you back here

00:34:54.440 next week as well.

00:34:55.280 But grab the podcast

00:34:56.220 in between.

00:34:56.760 You can also watch it

00:34:57.440 on YouTube.

00:34:58.400 It's been Verdict

00:34:59.100 with Ted Cruz,

00:34:59.900 Ben Ferguson with you.

00:35:00.820 Have a great week.

00:35:02.840 This is an iHeart Podcast.

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Verdict with Ted Cruz - January 16, 2026

Inside the Room with the Heroic Soldiers Wounded in the Maduro Raid & with Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado

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