Verdict with Ted Cruz - July 30, 2025


Major Legislation to Protect the Flying Public, plus New Evidence FBI Complicit in Russia Hoax

Topics
drinking coffee & legislation rotaract bill safety reforms legislation to protect flying public accountability for FBI involvement
Hosted by
Ted Cruz
Mentioned
Donald Trump Sean Duffy Heidi Reagan Airport Doug Leone Hillary Clinton Sherry Lilly Adam Sandler Mike Waltz John Ratcliffe Happy Gilmore Andrew McCabe Tim Lilly Benjamin Obama Chairwoman Homendy Jennifer Stewart Caitlin Clark Ronald Reagan Ben Ferguson and 8 more
BONUS POD： Worst of the Worst： ICE Targets Convicted Child Predators in Houston Sweep BONUS： Daily Review with Clay and Buck - Jul 31 2025

Episode Stats


Length

32 minutes

Words per minute

166.76

Word count

5,498

Sentence count

484

Harmful content

Misogyny

2

sentences flagged

Toxicity

7

sentences flagged

Hate speech

3

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

On January 29th, 2017, a helicopter crashed into Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard. Six months later, Senator Ted Cruz has introduced legislation to make air travel safer for the traveling public. Today's episode is dedicated to the victims of the crash, and the families who lost their lives in the accident.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.580 Guaranteed human.
00:00:05.520 Welcome, it is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you.
00:00:09.220 And Senator, it's nice to talk about a really important issue tonight
00:00:12.940 that many Americans have become much more concerned about.
00:00:16.560 That's flying.
00:00:18.120 You fly a lot, I fly a lot, and you have introduced new legislation
00:00:21.960 that's going to deal with what happened with that helicopter crash
00:00:25.560 into the airplane right there at Reagan.
00:00:28.040 Your wife was flying in that night.
00:00:30.000 I remember that night well.
00:00:31.960 And six months to the day, you've introduced this.
00:00:34.840 Well, that's exactly right.
00:00:36.520 You and I are sitting here.
00:00:38.660 It is Tuesday night, six months ago to the day, on January 29th,
00:00:44.980 is when the horrific accident occurred over Ronald Reagan National Airport.
00:00:49.880 67 souls were killed in that accident.
00:00:53.160 And this week, today actually, I introduced legislation to dramatically improve
00:00:58.040 air safety, to protect the flying public.
00:01:00.640 We're going to talk about that, talk about the need to avoid any accident like that going forward.
00:01:06.600 We're also going to talk about stunning evidence that's come forward,
00:01:11.120 that the FBI was complicit in the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax.
00:01:18.100 The FBI knew what they were doing, and they played an active role.
00:01:21.500 We're going to lay out what the head of the CIA laid out this week.
00:01:24.460 All of that on today's verdict.
00:01:26.180 I want to talk to you real quick about an amazing thing that you can do every single day.
00:01:30.580 It is called drinking a really good coffee.
00:01:32.740 And if you start your great cup of coffee, then that's something you crave.
00:01:36.420 You're going to love a company called Crockett Coffee.
00:01:38.860 Now, Crockett Coffee is a company, a brand that was started by two of my good friends,
00:01:43.720 fellow patriots, Buck Sexton and Clay Travis.
00:01:46.460 And they decided, stop drinking average coffee.
00:01:49.280 Get a great cup of coffee.
00:01:51.240 And they do it by, well, doing something that's pretty awesome.
00:01:54.520 They do small batch roasted coffee.
00:01:57.900 Yeah, this is not your average cup of coffee.
00:02:00.380 And you're going to enjoy the aroma of Crockett Coffee as it brews in your home
00:02:04.060 like you've never experienced before.
00:02:06.440 I'm hooked because I start my day off with coffee.
00:02:08.660 Why not make it a fabulous cup of coffee?
00:02:11.380 Now, you can choose between fresh ground, whole bean, or K-cups if you choose.
00:02:16.360 And if you're interested in mushroom coffee and the positive benefits that come with enjoying that each day,
00:02:20.640 Crockett Coffee is now producing that as well.
00:02:23.300 There's dark roast, mild roast, light roast, a decaf version, and a mushroom organic blend.
00:02:28.700 And you choose what you like to try first.
00:02:31.640 Now, here's what I love about Crockett Coffee.
00:02:33.540 A portion of your purchase goes directly to support Tunnel to Towers Foundation
00:02:39.100 because the good people at Crockett Coffee also pledge to never forget.
00:02:43.460 Now, let me just save you some money so you can try it, and you'll understand why I love it.
00:02:48.280 Go online to CrockettCoffee.com.
00:02:51.000 Use my name, Ben, and you're going to get 20% off your first order.
00:02:55.060 That's CrockettCoffee.com.
00:02:58.300 My name, Ben, as your promo code.
00:03:00.200 You'll get 20% off, and you're going to get to experience premium small batch coffee,
00:03:05.000 the way coffee was meant to be roasted.
00:03:07.980 And it's just awesome.
00:03:09.340 Done right here in the heartland as well.
00:03:10.840 CrockettCoffee.com.
00:03:11.740 My name, Ben, as your promo code.
00:03:12.980 20% off.
00:03:14.220 All right.
00:03:14.660 So, Senator, let's go back six months in time and remind people.
00:03:17.900 I remember that night.
00:03:20.060 It was a night where we had that helicopter that went right into that plane that was coming down at Reagan National,
00:03:27.620 and it killed so many people.
00:03:30.580 It also, I think, really shook a lot of travelers to their core.
00:03:34.560 And the question that was asked was, like, how does this even happen?
00:03:37.700 How is this possible?
00:03:39.240 And now there's real legislation to keep our families safe as they fly.
00:03:43.140 You fly a lot.
00:03:44.180 Your family flies a lot.
00:03:45.260 It's something that's on a lot of people's minds.
00:03:48.480 Well, this happened on January 29th.
00:03:51.060 It was the ninth day of the Trump presidency.
00:03:54.340 And actually, the night it happened, I was having dinner with Mike Waltz.
00:03:57.280 Mike Waltz was, at the time, President Trump's national security advisor.
00:04:00.880 The two of us were talking about the national security threats to the country.
00:04:04.220 We were having a great dinner.
00:04:05.800 And then at the very end of the dinner, we were wrapping up, and he got a text over his phone. 0.96
00:04:09.320 He's like, oh, crap. 0.51
00:04:11.760 He said there was just a major crash over Reagan Airport. 0.98
00:04:14.700 And so Mike rushed off to the situation room to deal with it from the White House.
00:04:20.240 As I got up, that night, it so happened, Heidi was flying into D.C., and she was landing at Reagan.
00:04:27.720 And I will say, my body man came up to me, and Trent, and you know Trent, he's a great guy.
00:04:32.540 Yeah.
00:04:32.720 Trent came up to me, and he said, Heidi's okay, but there was a plane crash at Reagan.
00:04:38.540 I got to say, Trent did a very good job starting with Heidi's okay, because I get, you know, when your wife's in the air like that, if you reverse those statements, that causes you to freak out.
00:04:49.020 So I was very grateful.
00:04:50.560 Heidi's plane was scheduled to land about a half hour after the crash.
00:04:54.660 So they diverted her to BWI Airport, which is, you know, about an hour away.
00:04:59.940 Heidi got home that night to our apartment.
00:05:02.020 We normally live in Houston, but she was coming up that night to be with me.
00:05:05.860 I got to tell you, I just held her.
00:05:08.740 I mean, you know, your wife is on a plane.
00:05:10.980 It could as easily been her plane as the plane that crashed.
00:05:14.760 And it was a plane, an American Airlines plane that was flying from Wichita to D.C.
00:05:21.280 as it was landing at D.C.A. Reagan Airport.
00:05:25.080 An Army Black Hawk helicopter came across the landing path and collided.
00:05:30.980 And there were three soldiers on the Army helicopter.
00:05:36.900 There were 64 people, 61 passengers and three crew members on the plane.
00:05:44.360 And in an instant, they were incinerated.
00:05:48.860 It was a horrific accident.
00:05:50.900 I will tell you, in the wake of the accident, I went to the NTSB site where they pulled all the wreckage out.
00:05:57.720 And the wreckage, the damage, here's the good news.
00:06:02.400 I asked, I said, look, did anyone drown?
00:06:04.420 Because the plane and the helicopter went down in the Potomac.
00:06:07.400 And I suppose the good news is they said nobody drowned.
00:06:11.580 They said the helicopter rotor struck the wing.
00:06:16.540 The wing is filled with jet fuel.
00:06:19.460 And it immediately exploded.
00:06:21.960 And it essentially incinerated everyone.
00:06:23.940 So they died instantly, which I've got to say, if you're going to die in a plane crash, you'd rather die instantly than slowly and painfully.
00:06:31.900 So I suppose there's a blessing in that.
00:06:34.840 But I will say standing at the NTSB site with the wreckage of the plane, the wreckage of the helicopter,
00:06:40.160 and you see just charge seats, you see just pieces of the plane and helicopter.
00:06:48.040 And you also saw, you know, children's backpacks and toys and luggage and all of the wreckage of 67 people who died instantly.
00:07:01.640 And it was horrific.
00:07:03.520 It was shocking.
00:07:04.660 And, look, what was frustrating is it should not have happened.
00:07:09.300 It was avoidable.
00:07:10.800 And so in the six months that have followed, I have chaired multiple hearings.
00:07:14.780 I've had multiple roundtable discussions with the NTSB, the National Traffic Safety Board, with the FAA, with the Department of Transportation, to say what went wrong.
00:07:25.520 And there are multiple pieces of what went wrong.
00:07:28.440 That should never have happened.
00:07:30.300 One of the things that went wrong is the Army helicopter did not have functioning ADS-B-OUT.
00:07:40.220 Now, what does that mean?
00:07:41.300 ADS-B-OUT and ADS-B-IN is advanced technology to locate where a plane is, where a helicopter is.
00:07:50.160 And ADS-B-OUT broadcasts to everyone so you can get a precise, the air traffic controllers can get a precise image,
00:07:55.960 and other aircraft can get a precise image of exactly where that aircraft is.
00:08:02.040 ADS-B-IN is the ability to receive the signals from all the other aircrafts.
00:08:07.640 So, ideally, you need both.
00:08:09.500 You need ADS-B-OUT, so you're broadcasting to the whole world, and you need ADS-B-IN, where you can see the images of the other aircraft.
00:08:17.860 Now, for 20 years, 20, the NTSB, the National Traffic Safety Board, has been recommending that every aircraft have ADS-B-IN and ADS-B-OUT.
00:08:31.220 That is not the law, and the Army Blackhawk helicopter did not have ADS-B-OUT that was functioning that night.
00:08:38.960 So, that meant the American Airlines plane could not see it until the two collided and everyone died.
00:08:45.720 This week, I introduced legislation.
00:08:48.860 I called it the ROTARACT, and it mandates that every aircraft, a jet, a helicopter, or any other aircraft that is in commercial airspace,
00:08:57.980 that is in the airspace where planes are flying, where the flying public is, must have both ADS-B-OUT and ADS-B-IN.
00:09:08.100 I think this is common-sense legislation.
00:09:10.080 I think we're going to get it passed.
00:09:11.120 And I think when we get it passed, it is going to make the flying public significantly safer.
00:09:16.820 Why did it take so long?
00:09:18.160 I mean, I know there was a lot of people that said, well, it was just a cost issue, and it was a cost add-on to the price of a plane.
00:09:24.280 It was cost add-on to small, you know, planes and different things, and people were frustrated.
00:09:29.400 They were like, this is another one of those regulations.
00:09:31.220 Was it as simple as that, and that's the reason why it was always basically not made a law?
00:09:36.220 So, there are different pieces of it.
00:09:37.720 The FAA required ADS-B-OUT, so it required aircraft to broadcast their location,
00:09:44.320 so the air traffic controllers could get it, and other aircraft that had ADS-B-IN could get it.
00:09:50.400 However, there was an MOU, a Memorandum of Understanding with the Army, that exempted a lot of Army flights.
00:09:58.140 This was a training flight.
00:09:59.520 This was not a vital national security flight.
00:10:02.100 This was not like they were transporting nuclear secrets.
00:10:05.100 This was a training flight, but they did not have functioning ADS-B-OUT-ON in a way that anyone could see.
00:10:15.120 I think that exemption makes no sense, and so part of the Rotaract is ending that exemption and saying,
00:10:20.500 look, if you're flying commercial airspace, you need to have ADS-B-OUT-ON.
00:10:25.360 That was one component.
00:10:27.440 The second component is ADS-B-IN, which is the ability to see the other signals.
00:10:32.680 Now, it varies.
00:10:33.820 Many, many large airline flights typically have ADS-B-IN, but a lot of other flights do not,
00:10:40.880 and the impediment, as you noted, was cost.
00:10:44.920 That 20 years ago, it was fairly expensive to put this on.
00:10:48.220 And it's not that expensive anymore, and one of the things I've done over the last six months
00:10:53.140 is that I've met with a lot of the stakeholders.
00:10:54.960 I've met with the airlines.
00:10:55.980 I've met with general aviation.
00:10:58.020 I've met with a lot of the folks that are flying, and you can actually get ADS-B-IN
00:11:03.040 with an iPad and fairly inexpensive technology.
00:11:06.980 So you're not talking like a $100,000 upgrade on a plane.
00:11:11.040 You're talking for relatively low cost, maybe a couple hundred, a couple thousand dollars.
00:11:17.100 You can have an iPad and the technology to have ADS-B-IN.
00:11:20.140 So it doesn't cost a lot, but it makes the flying public a lot safer.
00:11:25.160 And I want you to listen right now.
00:11:27.420 I want you to listen, first of all, to what I had said about the Rotaract,
00:11:30.700 and then I want you to listen to Secretary Duffy, the Transportation Secretary.
00:11:34.420 So start with what I said at the press conference today.
00:11:38.500 Well, good morning.
00:11:41.040 Today is an auspicious day for aviation safety,
00:11:44.700 a day marked, I hope, by a revived spirit of hope and a shared determination
00:11:50.540 to act in the face of an unforgettable tragedy.
00:11:54.120 American skies must be as safe as possible,
00:11:56.980 and our duty as lawmakers is to ensure that they are.
00:12:01.320 I would like to start by thanking the individuals who are joining me
00:12:04.360 for the introduction of the Rotarcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform,
00:12:09.820 or more of the Rotar Act.
00:12:11.820 Secretary Duffy, Chairwoman Homendy, Tim and Sherry Lilly, Doug Lane,
00:12:19.320 and my colleagues have all worked hard to make the American skies safer.
00:12:24.740 Tim, Sherry, Doug, thank you for your courage and your advocacy.
00:12:33.200 Your presence reminds us of what is at stake.
00:12:35.880 You've turned your grief into purpose.
00:12:42.340 We are here today because of your efforts and the memory of Tim and Sherry,
00:12:46.440 your son Doug, your son Doug, your wife and son,
00:12:51.400 and all of the loved ones that were lost over the Potomac.
00:12:55.100 The Rotaract represents a common-sense step forward in aviation safety reform.
00:13:03.720 One of the most important parts of this bill is the requirement that all aircraft,
00:13:08.780 military and civilian, use both ADS-B out and ADS-B in.
00:13:16.800 ADS-B is critical for aviation safety.
00:13:19.460 This technology allows aircraft to broadcast their positions and to receive positions of others
00:13:25.500 in real time, faster than other technology in use today.
00:13:30.860 It gives pilots and air traffic control a clear view of what is happening in the skies.
00:13:37.740 The NTS-B first recommended ADS-B in nearly 20 years ago.
00:13:44.300 Well, we are going to make that happen this year.
00:13:48.440 Make no mistake, there cannot be a double standard in aviation safety.
00:13:54.700 We should not tolerate special exceptions for military training flights operating in congested airspace.
00:14:02.300 No matter the circumstances, any aircraft flying near commercial traffic must fully adhere to safety standards.
00:14:11.380 Given the communications breakdown that led to the accident,
00:14:15.980 it is also important to address helicopter routes in congested commercial airspace.
00:14:22.720 We cannot have commercial airplanes and helicopters on a collision course ever again.
00:14:32.040 This bill is based on two core principles,
00:14:35.640 technological transparency and institutional responsibility.
00:14:39.620 While American skies are among the safest globally,
00:14:44.460 this safety is not always assured.
00:14:48.280 I want to be clear.
00:14:49.920 The Senate will lead this effort.
00:14:52.120 We will not wait for another accident to happen
00:14:54.620 before we act decisively to protect the American skies.
00:14:59.560 We have made it abundantly clear that when American lives are at risk,
00:15:04.340 excuses are not acceptable.
00:15:07.380 However, this is about more than policy.
00:15:10.260 It's about people.
00:15:12.120 The families standing here, they didn't ask to be a part of this story.
00:15:16.980 However, they stand with the courage to ensure that it has a better ending for others.
00:15:22.400 This is the kind of legacy we should all aspire to build.
00:15:26.500 Thank you, and I now recognize the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to give his remarks.
00:15:34.340 Sean, you know, the night that this plane crash happened was the night he was actually sworn in,
00:15:39.460 and that was the first day on the job for him.
00:15:41.580 It was his first day on the job.
00:15:42.960 Yeah, I mean, that evening.
00:15:43.960 I remember seeing his family heading into where his office was going to be,
00:15:48.660 and then apparently he's there, and then immediately has to deal with this.
00:15:53.160 And obviously that impacted him in a major way.
00:15:55.920 You know him well.
00:15:56.900 I know Sean well.
00:15:58.340 I can't imagine your first night on the job.
00:16:00.100 This is what you were dealing with, this type of tragedy.
00:16:02.260 And it seems to be a real focus point for him.
00:16:06.180 Sean is a really good man.
00:16:07.580 He's become a good friend.
00:16:08.620 He's doing a great job as President Trump's Secretary of Transportation.
00:16:12.600 But this was baptism by fire.
00:16:14.480 He had not been on the job 24 hours when this accident occurred,
00:16:18.320 and he dove right in the middle of it.
00:16:20.000 And he's been dealing with the aftermath.
00:16:21.320 And I want you to listen to him now at the press conference today about our legislation.
00:16:26.980 Here's Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
00:16:30.100 This is not partisan.
00:16:31.280 Safety is not partisan.
00:16:33.220 It is Democrats and Republicans, House, Senate, DOT, FAA, the President's administration.
00:16:41.800 All of us want to make sure we're safe.
00:16:43.540 And so, Senator, I commend you for this bold effort and rallying the forces in this body to make sure we lead and make sure our skies continue to be the safest in the world.
00:16:55.220 And this is one giant leap that's going to help make that happen.
00:16:59.680 And I look forward to working with you and your colleagues to advance this cause.
00:17:03.480 So, thank you for driving.
00:17:07.080 Again, 22 years ago, the NTSB recommended this.
00:17:11.220 By the way, sometimes people get concerned about cost.
00:17:15.760 And I don't think we should be concerned about cost when it comes to safety.
00:17:19.200 But I was talking to the administrator of the FAA.
00:17:21.780 The cost to deploy this technology is not that great for commercial aircraft or for the military.
00:17:30.000 We can drive safety way higher and also at a very affordable cost.
00:17:36.040 That's the benefit of the advancement of technology over the course of the last 22 years.
00:17:41.820 And so, this is doable.
00:17:43.980 And I think the American people expect this from this body, this administration, to keep them safe.
00:17:51.860 Yeah, I mean, you wrap this up and you talk about the family members that were there for this.
00:17:56.180 They want to make sure this tragedy never, ever happens to another family again.
00:17:59.960 That seems to be clear, Sean.
00:18:01.600 So, the big question becomes, is this going to be a bipartisan thing and can you get it done?
00:18:06.180 So, I believe we will.
00:18:07.520 And listen, there are 67 families who lost a loved one that night.
00:18:12.160 And those families are grieving.
00:18:14.260 They're in agony.
00:18:15.220 And yet, they're using their agony to be advocates.
00:18:18.020 And they're trying to use that horrific tragedy to change the law to protect the flying public so that there's not another family.
00:18:26.520 So, it's not your family or my family that sometime in the future loses a loved one on an air flight.
00:18:31.860 And I want you to listen right now to Tim Lilly.
00:18:34.860 Tim is the father of the American Eagle co-pilot, Sam Lilly.
00:18:39.640 And he was flying the American plane that crashed into the Blackhawk helicopter.
00:18:46.160 And actually, Tim himself was a Blackhawk pilot.
00:18:50.980 So, he had flown those exact routes right along Reagan Airport.
00:18:55.500 So, he had a lot of experience with it.
00:18:56.880 And yet, tragically, he and his wife lost their son that night.
00:19:00.820 Give a listen to Tim Lilly.
00:19:02.560 This is not going to be Sam's legacy to die in vain.
00:19:06.680 67 really great people lost their lives that night.
00:19:11.220 And there's no reason for that.
00:19:14.160 What we have here is legislation, if it's passed, is going to close some very important safety loopholes so that this never has to happen again.
00:19:26.380 It's simple, right?
00:19:27.740 We're going to close these loopholes.
00:19:29.260 Yeah, and look, to see the families standing together.
00:19:34.580 So, I actually, this evening, I had drinks with the Secretary of the Army.
00:19:38.740 And the Secretary of the Army met today with the families of those whose lives were lost.
00:19:45.200 And he said it was a rough meeting.
00:19:46.540 Look, they're pissed off. 0.93
00:19:48.940 If your family was killed that night, you'd be pissed off.
00:19:53.780 You'd be pissed off at the Army flight that crashed into the plane. 0.55
00:19:57.960 You'd be angry.
00:19:58.560 You'd be saying what to change.
00:19:59.980 And it was apparently, look, it was not an easy meeting.
00:20:03.340 And I respect the Secretary for going and listening and hearing their pain.
00:20:09.040 I respect the families for channeling that pain into something productive.
00:20:13.860 It's easy to just, if you lose a loved one, to mourn, to get angry, to be angry at God, to be angry at the world.
00:20:22.680 I mean, that's a perfectly natural reaction.
00:20:25.520 And yet, I really admire these families that they, or are they feeling those sentiments?
00:20:30.440 Of course.
00:20:31.820 But they've made the conscious decision, I'm going to channel that anger into trying to make a difference and change the laws.
00:20:39.880 Now, you asked, is this going to happen?
00:20:42.800 It needs to be bipartisan.
00:20:44.340 Now, the bill I introduced today is not bipartisan.
00:20:47.180 No Democrats had joined it.
00:20:48.980 And I will say the Democrats, they filed their own legislation that is partisan legislation,
00:20:53.340 that they decided they wanted to tee off on President Trump and Doge and have a bunch of elements in the bill that have nothing to do with safety,
00:21:02.380 but have everything to do with scoring partisan points.
00:21:04.860 I think that's not very productive.
00:21:07.900 This bill is designed to be bipartisan.
00:21:11.680 And it is one of the advantages of chairing the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
00:21:17.880 I'm going to tee up this bill.
00:21:19.700 We are going to mark up this bill.
00:21:22.180 Every member of the Commerce Committee is going to vote on this bill.
00:21:26.240 I think we're going to get overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill.
00:21:30.540 It needs to be bipartisan.
00:21:31.640 There's nothing in this bill that, from a Republican side, is partisan.
00:21:35.900 There's nothing that I put that is a crazy right-wing priority.
00:21:39.780 This is designed to keep the flying public safer.
00:21:43.120 This is a common-sense provision.
00:21:44.820 So I believe we will get bipartisan support.
00:21:47.780 I believe it will be passed into law.
00:21:49.620 And my prediction, Ben, this will be signed into law this year.
00:21:54.020 And it will make everyone who flies safer.
00:21:56.640 Canadian women are looking for more. 1.00
00:21:59.620 More out of themselves, their businesses, their elected leaders, and the world around them.
00:22:03.740 And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the Honest Talk podcast.
00:22:07.460 I'm Jennifer Stewart.
00:22:08.660 And I'm Catherine Clark.
00:22:09.900 And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women.
00:22:13.660 Entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers.
00:22:17.200 All at different stages of their journey.
00:22:19.400 So if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us.
00:22:22.380 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
00:22:28.400 I want to move to the other topic that we mentioned earlier.
00:22:31.120 And that deals with the FBI right now.
00:22:34.000 And new intel that's coming out.
00:22:36.260 And I got to say, a lot of people are going to be shocked by it.
00:22:40.780 I'm not surprised at all by this.
00:22:43.680 And I want to get your take on now what we're learning about the FBI with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax.
00:22:49.060 And the controversial Trump-Russia actions predicted with alarming accuracy by foreign actors.
00:22:57.060 I mean, you look at this coming out now.
00:22:58.920 And it's just a joke how incredible this whole, I call it a play.
00:23:03.600 It was a movie.
00:23:04.440 It's a script.
00:23:05.240 And everybody was playing with the script that they knew was a lie.
00:23:08.740 That's right.
00:23:09.260 But I want to take a minute and sort of pull the curtain back for our listeners.
00:23:12.700 So, we do this podcast.
00:23:15.040 And we do this podcast sometimes late at night.
00:23:17.440 So, it is 1255 a.m.
00:23:19.700 So, look, Ben is half asleep.
00:23:21.760 To be honest, he's been asleep for two hours.
00:23:23.900 And we woke him to do this.
00:23:25.820 So, the headline of this story says that it was predicted with alarming specificity.
00:23:33.340 Yes, that's true.
00:23:34.200 And I want y'all to know, we recorded this, and this is one of the advantages of doing a podcast.
00:23:39.800 When you record it and screw it up, you can just stop and rewind and do it again.
00:23:43.120 We recorded it, and twice, Benjamin was unable to say the word specificity.
00:23:50.220 He tried.
00:23:50.840 It's a tough one, specificity.
00:23:52.160 I can't say it now, see?
00:23:54.680 And I will confess, I kept making it harder because I kept saying specificity.
00:24:00.180 Yes, he did.
00:24:00.860 He did.
00:24:01.140 I can say that word, no problem, right?
00:24:02.900 That one's easy.
00:24:04.740 So, finally, after twice crashing and burning on saying specificity, he just said, with alarming accuracy.
00:24:14.140 By the way, the quote is not accuracy.
00:24:15.980 It's specificity.
00:24:17.560 But I didn't say quote-unquote.
00:24:19.240 See, I covered myself there.
00:24:20.760 You didn't say the word quote, but I just wanted our listeners to know that, like, the specificity with which we—
00:24:27.880 The struggle can be real at 1 a.m.
00:24:29.500 That is accurate.
00:24:31.100 It's not 1 a.m.
00:24:31.840 It's 1257.
00:24:32.900 You got three minutes till 1 a.m.
00:24:35.520 All right.
00:24:36.260 So, let's cover the—but this is the important stuff to understand.
00:24:42.240 Look, these are real human beings.
00:24:45.320 I'm in my D.C. apartment.
00:24:46.780 You're in a hotel room, I think.
00:24:48.620 Is that right?
00:24:49.400 No, I'm in a house in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
00:24:53.000 So, that's where the World Championships is.
00:24:55.700 Look, that's pretty fancy and shi-shi. 0.96
00:24:58.220 And you've got to be up at, like, 6.30 is tea time.
00:25:00.840 Is that right?
00:25:01.240 It's 6.18 or something absurd.
00:25:04.860 6.18.
00:25:06.060 All right, Benjamin, while you're at tea time, I will be fast asleep.
00:25:09.980 I believe you.
00:25:11.620 And you'll be dreaming about the alarming specificity, the word I can't say.
00:25:16.420 You still can't say it.
00:25:17.620 Come on.
00:25:18.860 Specificity.
00:25:19.360 Just say it once.
00:25:20.860 Specificity.
00:25:21.340 There we go.
00:25:22.060 I nailed it.
00:25:22.360 There we go.
00:25:22.800 Look at that.
00:25:23.600 By the way, you know what I did Monday on the flight to D.C.?
00:25:27.380 Say that again?
00:25:28.860 Do you know what I did Monday on the flight to D.C.?
00:25:30.840 What did you do?
00:25:33.060 I watched Happy Gilmore 2.
00:25:34.980 Have you seen that?
00:25:36.200 It's so good.
00:25:37.540 It is so good.
00:25:38.460 It is awesome.
00:25:38.740 I love when they don't screw up a sequel like Top Gun Maverick.
00:25:43.040 They killed it, right?
00:25:44.680 Happy Gilmore, it's phenomenal.
00:25:46.580 Happy Gilmore 2 may be better than Happy Gilmore.
00:25:49.420 Like, it's really good.
00:25:52.560 And, by the way, did you see it coming?
00:25:54.440 Because I did not.
00:25:55.820 Hold on.
00:25:56.420 Spoiler alert.
00:25:57.000 If you haven't watched it yet, turn it down for five seconds.
00:25:59.500 When he killed his wife with a golf ball, I did not see that coming.
00:26:03.080 Did you?
00:26:03.300 I did not see that coming either.
00:26:05.900 I will say, by the way, as a complete aside, I've gotten to know Adam Sandler's producer.
00:26:12.060 You know, he's a big hoops player.
00:26:14.020 I got to tell you, I'm told that Sandler, I've invited him to come play hoops with me,
00:26:18.580 and he said yes.
00:26:19.400 So, hadn't happened yet, but I'm actually really psyched because Sandler and I are almost exactly
00:26:25.060 the same age, and he's a serious ball player.
00:26:27.360 And, as you know, I play hoops twice a week.
00:26:30.880 By the way, really, do I say count me in for that game?
00:26:33.700 I'd like to be there for that game.
00:26:35.680 Okay.
00:26:36.060 Don't injure Adam Sandler like he is a national comedic treasure.
00:26:40.720 And I will say, I played hoops with you.
00:26:42.480 The last time I played hoops with you, you broke your finger.
00:26:44.480 You're a large man.
00:26:46.040 I'm not worried about him.
00:26:46.900 You're a strong man.
00:26:47.260 I'm worried about me.
00:26:48.820 And you throw your body around pretty physically, which I admire. 0.70
00:26:52.720 Like, I'm like, screw it.
00:26:53.640 If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. 0.91
00:26:55.320 But I'm just saying, don't injure Adam Sandler.
00:26:58.220 There you go.
00:26:59.300 That'd be one heck of a headline, right?
00:27:01.900 All right.
00:27:02.380 Let's get back.
00:27:03.020 We actually had a story to do, but I just had to call you out because you, like, magically
00:27:08.140 edited out you're screwing up the word.
00:27:11.140 And so I just had to, like, bring our listeners in and say, you know, sometimes the magic
00:27:15.380 of podcast is not exactly what you think.
00:27:18.500 All right.
00:27:18.840 Yeah.
00:27:19.140 You know, I'm right.
00:27:20.420 Go for it.
00:27:20.880 I'm ready.
00:27:21.760 Go ahead.
00:27:22.240 Say what you're going to say.
00:27:23.260 No, no.
00:27:23.560 I was going to say.
00:27:24.140 So this is the part that laugh.
00:27:25.740 When you do radio, like I did three hours a day, my producer Diaz, who does this show
00:27:30.320 as well, when that would happen, the worst part is he's just laughing at me through the
00:27:35.760 glass on the other side of the wall because it's live and there's nothing you can do to fix
00:27:40.100 it.
00:27:40.400 And so he just laughs in my face.
00:27:41.940 So now this is like my weird revenge because for how many years we worked here at Diaz,
00:27:46.820 12, 13, 14, I don't even know how many it is.
00:27:49.860 He just used to just laugh at me.
00:27:52.040 And now he actually has to go back and fix it.
00:27:54.060 So I'm like, the joke's on you, buddy.
00:27:55.560 The joke's on you.
00:27:56.460 So, yeah, when it's live, there's nothing you can do about it.
00:27:58.780 So with all that specificity, the word I can't say is still the night for some reason.
00:28:04.060 Let's get back to the FBI story.
00:28:05.760 You have reported on this story with alarming fesificity.
00:28:10.020 And let me read from the Fox News story.
00:28:12.740 Quote, U.S. intelligence has credible foreign sources indicating that the FBI would play
00:28:17.580 a role in spreading the salacious Trump-Russia collusion narrative before the Bureau ever
00:28:24.060 launched its controversial crossfire hurricane probe.
00:28:27.940 Sources familiar with the intel told Fox News Digital.
00:28:30.540 CIA Director John Ratcliffe is expected to declassify the underlying intelligence,
00:28:37.900 including a classified annex related to former special counsel John Durham's investigation
00:28:43.140 into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.
00:28:46.980 A source familiar with the contents of the classified annex told Fox News Digital
00:28:51.080 that while it may not have been exactly clear in the moment what the intelligent collection meant,
00:28:56.560 with the benefit of hindsight, it predicted the FBI's move with alarming specificity.
00:29:04.640 And it goes on to say,
00:29:06.000 Bingo, there's your quote.
00:29:07.420 There you go.
00:29:08.980 Quote,
00:29:09.340 Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion
00:29:14.740 that there was a coordinated plan inside the U.S. government to help the Clinton campaign
00:29:20.120 stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia.
00:29:23.740 The source, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence matters
00:29:26.900 that have not yet been made public, told Fox News Digital.
00:29:30.880 Quote,
00:29:31.140 You put that in perspective, and I think it's fair to say at this point,
00:29:52.800 and everything we were hearing during the back of the day on this,
00:29:57.060 it was all just straight up government propaganda,
00:29:59.220 and the media was 100% in on it.
00:30:03.720 Well, it was not just government propaganda.
00:30:06.160 It was driven by the Hillary Clinton campaign. 0.77
00:30:09.480 It was opposition research that they paid for.
00:30:12.080 And then they gave to the Obama administration to launder it.
00:30:15.680 They laundered it through the FBI.
00:30:17.260 They laundered it through the Department of Justice.
00:30:19.080 And it was the federal government attacking Donald Trump
00:30:23.020 because they did not want Donald Trump to be president.
00:30:27.120 And the degree to which the government was complicit in partisan politics,
00:30:34.020 but not just partisan politics,
00:30:35.460 partisan politics that was false, that was a lie.
00:30:38.720 This was made up.
00:30:40.960 The Russia hoax was a hoax. 0.76
00:30:43.640 It was concocted through the Hillary Clinton campaign.
00:30:46.960 It was laundered through the FBI and the Department of Justice.
00:30:51.180 And it was a lie that was a political attack job.
00:30:54.840 And I want to commend John Ratcliffe, the head of the CIA,
00:30:59.040 a good friend of mine, for making this public,
00:31:01.700 for drawing accountability and truth to what occurred.
00:31:07.300 What do you think is going to come from this?
00:31:10.640 Because there's so many, I think, just gruntled and frustrated Americans 1.00
00:31:13.760 that hear those things like, all right,
00:31:15.240 we're now getting more and more confirmation that's happened.
00:31:18.020 Will there be any real accountability?
00:31:20.720 And does this move us closer to that?
00:31:23.280 So I hope so.
00:31:24.460 There needs to be accountability.
00:31:26.100 And I will say you have Tulsi Gabbard who released her bombshell information
00:31:32.960 about the degree of the complicity of the administration.
00:31:38.380 And if you didn't hear our podcast last week on this,
00:31:41.840 you should listen to the podcast on Tulsi Gabbard's bombshell information.
00:31:45.820 I hope there is accountability.
00:31:47.840 I call on the Department of Justice.
00:31:50.240 I also had, when I was having drinks with the Army Secretary,
00:31:52.600 I also had drinks with the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.
00:31:56.660 And so I was urging DOJ,
00:31:58.880 follow the facts and prosecute anyone who is complicit.
00:32:02.700 There are challenges because some of the people who were involved in this,
00:32:07.020 their criminal conduct was before the statute of limitations expired.
00:32:11.020 And so it is harder to prosecute someone who committed criminal conduct
00:32:14.880 after the statute of limitations has expired.
00:32:18.160 Andrew McCabe, who was the Deputy Director of the FBI,
00:32:20.780 he testified before Congress, he testified falsely,
00:32:24.400 and the statute of limitations has not yet expired on his testimony.
00:32:28.300 So if I were to predict the single most likely person
00:32:31.400 in the Obama administration to face prosecution,
00:32:34.660 it would be Andrew McCabe,
00:32:36.100 because there's still a window where he lied to Congress
00:32:38.940 and it's within the statute of limitations.
00:32:41.120 Really incredible.
00:32:42.180 We're going to keep you updated on all this.
00:32:43.480 Don't forget to hit that subscribe or auto download button.
00:32:45.880 Share this podcast and please write us a five-star review.
00:32:48.620 It helps us reach more people out there on the charts.
00:32:51.260 And then, Senator, I will see you back here in a couple of days.
00:32:54.660 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:32:57.540 Guaranteed Human.