Verdict with Ted Cruz - March 01, 2022


March to Kyiv


Episode Stats


Length

45 minutes

Words per minute

161.37498

Word count

7,358

Sentence count

538

Harmful content

Misogyny

5

sentences flagged

Toxicity

62

sentences flagged

Hate speech

18

sentences flagged


Summary

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

Ted Cruz talks about Putin's invasion of Ukraine and what the West can do to stop it, and why it might not be enough. Ted Cruz is a senator from Texas and a presidential candidate running for re-election in 2020.

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 .
00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.480 Guaranteed human.
00:00:04.300 Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine.
00:00:09.080 Ukrainians have put up an incredible fight, fought much harder, I think, than a lot of
00:00:14.040 people were expecting.
00:00:15.620 Not least of all, Vladimir Putin, who has met fierce resistance, and yet he continues
00:00:21.360 on his march to Kiev and throughout other Ukrainian cities, leaving a lot of us in the
00:00:26.080 West asking one simple question.
00:00:29.980 Can anything be done to stop it?
00:00:33.060 This is Verdict with Ted Cruz.
00:00:40.920 This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz is brought to you by GenuCell.
00:00:44.520 Now, before you skip the ads, just take a listen to this one.
00:00:47.300 Yes, I know some of you skipped the ads.
00:00:49.360 Bags and puffiness under the eyes are a problem for millions of American men and women until
00:00:53.480 now.
00:00:53.880 Introducing the new GenuCell Serum with Plant Stem Cell Technology for under-eye bags and
00:00:59.180 puffiness.
00:00:59.720 These are my favorite products.
00:01:01.500 The Immediate Effects 2, which you put under your eyes for under-eye bags and puffiness.
00:01:06.020 And yes, the Anti-Wrinkle Serum, the Anti-Aging Anti-Wrinkle Serum.
00:01:13.400 These are my two favorite products.
00:01:15.020 People across the country have had amazing results from using these.
00:01:17.820 Susan from New Jersey wrote, I've been using GenuCell for a couple months.
00:01:20.740 The puffiness around my eyes is gone.
00:01:22.400 Even the crow's feet and small lines have disappeared and haven't come back.
00:01:25.540 I love your product.
00:01:26.540 I use it under my eyes, around my cheekbones, and on my eyelids.
00:01:29.200 And it's not just Susan, folks.
00:01:30.580 Do you think I wake up looking like this?
00:01:32.340 Well, you can think that, but it may or may not be true.
00:01:35.220 With GenuCell's instant effects, you will see results in the first 12 hours or your money
00:01:39.360 back.
00:01:39.660 I guarantee it.
00:01:40.680 If you order now, you can save big on GenuCell's risk-free introductory offer.
00:01:44.100 Go to GenuCell.com slash cactus.
00:01:46.640 GenuCell.com slash cactus.
00:01:48.220 Order now and use our special promo code, CACTUS.
00:01:51.360 Save an extra 10% off your order today.
00:01:53.220 Go to GenuCell.com slash cactus.
00:01:56.220 Welcome back to Verdict with Ted Cruz.
00:01:58.120 I'm Michael Knowles.
00:01:59.600 Senator, you are privy to much more informative conversations about what's going on in Ukraine
00:02:05.600 right now than I am, or I suspect any of us are.
00:02:09.600 So I think a lot of people are feeling frustration here.
00:02:14.860 This has been going on for days and weeks, over a week now.
00:02:18.140 There's been a buildup to this for weeks and even months, and yet Putin seems to be winning.
00:02:23.260 Is there anything that we in the West can do to stop the Russian takeover of Ukraine?
00:02:28.760 Well, there may be.
00:02:30.280 I can tell you I just came from a two-hour all-senators classified briefing, and what's
00:02:35.400 happening is ugly.
00:02:36.360 And it's probably going to get uglier before it gets better.
00:02:40.720 We are seeing the most significant, the most large-scale military conflict in Europe since
00:02:47.660 1945.
00:02:49.020 The economic effects of this are already significant on Russia.
00:02:53.700 I think they're expected to get much, much worse.
00:02:56.400 And so Putin, the price is higher than he anticipated.
00:03:01.620 But that being said, I think the most likely projection for the coming days and coming weeks
00:03:08.800 is a whole lot of bloodshed in Ukraine, both of Ukrainians and Putin is targeting civilians,
00:03:17.600 but also of Russians as well.
00:03:19.500 So you're seeing, as you mentioned, Senator, some pushback on Putin at home.
00:03:24.740 You're seeing protests in Moscow and elsewhere.
00:03:27.100 You're seeing certain Russian oligarchs actually calling for an end to the war because this is
00:03:31.560 not great for their bottom line.
00:03:33.100 Maybe they have humanitarian motives too, but certainly they have financial ones.
00:03:36.820 And then on the Ukrainian side, you've got Ukrainian President Zelensky now making an
00:03:41.720 emergency application for Ukraine to join the European Union.
00:03:45.260 And the EU president has said that she is in favor of Ukraine joining at some point, maybe
00:03:51.580 not right now.
00:03:52.640 There is a process.
00:03:53.660 You think, well, if they don't join right now, there might not be a Ukraine to join. 0.68
00:03:57.800 You've got Zelensky now asking the United States to impose a no-fly zone.
00:04:02.400 You had nominally Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman who tends
00:04:08.220 to side with the more liberal members of the House.
00:04:11.520 He also was calling for a no-fly zone, a no-fly zone meaning that we would shoot Russian planes
00:04:17.260 out of the air if they violated it.
00:04:19.680 So is any of that going to happen?
00:04:22.400 Is the United States going to get involved in a full-fledged war here for Ukraine or not?
00:04:28.460 Well, I certainly hope not. 0.95
00:04:30.000 I think that would be dumb as hell for us to do. 0.91
00:04:33.480 Let me say, first of all, Zelensky is a badass. 0.94
00:04:37.640 And you want to talk about rising to the occasion.
00:04:41.280 You know, when the Biden administration offered to help evacuate him, which is a great way
00:04:45.320 to project strength right at the outset.
00:04:47.280 Yeah.
00:04:48.180 Zelensky's response was nothing short of spectacular, which is, I need ammunition.
00:04:52.540 I don't need a ride.
00:04:53.240 I mean, that is, look, I think that has rallied the men and women of Ukraine powerfully to
00:05:02.040 see their leaders ready to fight.
00:05:05.220 I think it also underscores that the Biden administration has been woefully slow providing
00:05:15.360 Ukraine with ammunition, with weapons.
00:05:17.660 They have been weak throughout.
00:05:20.680 The reason this occurred, the reason the invasion happened is because of the weakness of Joe Biden
00:05:27.140 and the weakness in Afghanistan, the disastrous withdrawal last year from Afghanistan, but also
00:05:34.320 specifically the repeated weakness of Biden with respect to Ukraine and Russia.
00:05:39.480 We've talked about Nord Stream 2 at length, but also on weaponry.
00:05:45.000 Biden twice last year, in April and December of last year, halted the transmission of weapons
00:05:51.820 to the Ukrainians.
00:05:53.020 They need Stinger missiles. 0.97
00:05:55.140 They need javelins right now.
00:05:56.680 They need the equipment to take out Russian tanks and Russian planes and Russian helicopters.
00:06:03.140 And they're running low on all of them.
00:06:04.980 We're seeing Europe stepping up.
00:06:06.500 Look, I got to tell you, just even a month ago, the Biden administration was slow walking,
00:06:12.920 providing lethal aid to Ukraine.
00:06:15.100 And they were embarrassed into it because what happened is a group of Democratic senators
00:06:21.220 when it went over to Ukraine on a CODEL, on a congressional delegation, and they got there
00:06:26.060 and they're unloading weaponry from the Brits.
00:06:29.440 The United Kingdom was sending offensive weaponry.
00:06:32.060 And like, you know, the Americans, the Biden administration is still, still too scared of
00:06:37.440 its own shadow to do that.
00:06:39.340 It was only when the Brits shamed us into it that the Biden administration finally began
00:06:44.920 providing some in terms of weaponry.
00:06:47.520 But I think, I think we ought to listen to Zelensky when he says he needs ammunition.
00:06:51.400 We ought to be providing ammunition in large quality quantities, but a no-fly zone. 0.99
00:06:57.980 Are you frigging nuts? 0.95
00:06:59.540 We should not be using the American military to shoot down Russian airplanes, to shoot down 1.00
00:07:05.800 Russian tanks, to kill Russian soldiers.
00:07:08.140 That is an invitation to escalation, which would be spectacularly dangerous.
00:07:15.060 And I think it's unfortunate you've got American politicians calling for that.
00:07:18.940 Not very many.
00:07:20.220 Most have better judgment than that.
00:07:22.420 But look, the Ukrainians have shown they want to defend their nation.
00:07:28.160 We ought to be helping ensure that they have the weapons to do so and they can fight to
00:07:35.020 defend their own country.
00:07:36.480 Now, Senator, you just said that because Joe Biden has not led on this issue and he's actually,
00:07:42.880 you might go further and say he's created some incentives actually for Russia to invade.
00:07:46.620 But because of that, Europe now is stepping up and Britain.
00:07:50.460 But so you're talking like a Republican senator, because when I hear my Democrat friends talk,
00:07:56.560 what they're saying is Joe Biden, through his magnificent leadership, has united Europe like
00:08:03.220 never before.
00:08:04.040 How about that?
00:08:06.280 You know, I think it's spectacularly funny.
00:08:08.260 Ironically, there's a level of truth to it in a very perverse sense, because what Biden has
00:08:16.620 done has been so spectacularly bad, it has provoked the greatest military conflict in Europe
00:08:23.120 since World War Two. 0.95
00:08:24.260 And now all of Europe is like, oh, crap, Russia's invading. 0.95
00:08:27.740 So, yes, everyone is unified now after Russia invaded. 0.90
00:08:31.720 Why did Russia invade?
00:08:33.220 Because of Joe Biden's weakness.
00:08:34.720 You know, it reminds me of during the Obama administration where I've joked that that Obama
00:08:42.400 may have retroactively deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
00:08:47.300 Remember, they gave him the Nobel Peace Prize like 12 minutes after he was sworn in as president
00:08:51.640 for the great accomplishment of not being George W. Bush, that that was enough to give him the prize.
00:08:57.500 But in hindsight, Obama may have deserved it because he did something no one thought was possible.
00:09:04.060 He unified the Israelis and the Arabs.
00:09:07.020 They came together and all Obama had to do was put in place a deal that was putting us on a path to giving Iran nuclear weapons. 0.99
00:09:15.720 And suddenly the Israelis and Arabs said, are you frigging nuts? 1.00
00:09:19.000 This is so lunatic. 1.00
00:09:20.400 This is very much the same as what Biden has done in Europe. 0.95
00:09:25.520 His weakness has been so provocative that Russian tanks have rolled into Ukraine. 0.93
00:09:30.580 And all of Europe is like, oh, crap, now we're united. 0.93
00:09:35.200 Well, yes, but it's only because it's gotten so spectacularly bad that Europe has united against Putin. 0.95
00:09:42.840 But look, listen, Michael, as you know, I have been for a year predicting exactly where we are right now.
00:09:52.780 And it makes me sad.
00:09:53.900 This is not a prediction I wanted to come true.
00:09:57.900 We saw this danger back in 2019.
00:10:01.140 We saw it in 2014 when Putin first invaded Ukraine.
00:10:04.860 We saw it in 2015 when Putin started the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to go around Ukraine so that he could invade Ukraine and still get his gas to Europe.
00:10:14.020 We saw it in 2019 when I authored the sanctions legislation that passed with bipartisan supermajorities that Trump signed and that stopped Nord Stream 2.
00:10:25.060 It's why Putin didn't invade Ukraine in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, because he needed to get his gas to market and he had to go through Ukrainian pipelines to do so.
00:10:38.780 And because we had a strong president in Donald Trump and Putin didn't want to mess with him.
00:10:44.420 Just weeks before the invasion, 44 Democrats voted in favor of waiving sanctions on Russia.
00:10:50.980 Remember that when they start beating their chest about how tough they are on Russia?
00:10:55.060 They caused this invasion by waiving those sanctions.
00:10:58.240 But we filmed the last podcast last week.
00:11:02.000 At the time, I mentioned in the last podcast the possibility of a deal.
00:11:07.500 Here's what had happened.
00:11:08.880 And this was something that had happened, but I didn't reveal the complete details of it on the pod.
00:11:16.140 But the day before, I actually called Chris Coons, called him on a cell.
00:11:20.980 And he was in Europe.
00:11:22.120 He was actually in Warsaw, Poland.
00:11:25.420 And I called Chris and said, look.
00:11:28.640 Putin has just invaded Ukraine.
00:11:31.660 How about now the Biden White House finally do what it should have done a year ago and impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2?
00:11:41.620 And I said, Chris, if the White House does this, I'll lift all my holds on the State Department nominees.
00:11:47.560 And Chris's reaction, he thought it was a very good deal.
00:11:50.580 He said, look, I'll call the administration right now and relay that offer.
00:11:54.840 And so I had, when we filmed the last podcast, I had just made that call and made that offer.
00:11:59.700 And it was pending.
00:12:01.200 The day after we filmed it, the White House took the deal.
00:12:03.900 They finally imposed sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
00:12:08.200 Now, a year late, but they imposed them.
00:12:10.940 And I lifted all the holds.
00:12:12.260 And so it shows some of the leverage you can impose in the Senate to try to force actions.
00:12:19.540 But when it came to the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 from the Biden White House, it was too little, too late.
00:12:25.320 So I remember as we were filming that episode, we were sort of waiting to find out if this deal was going to go through.
00:12:32.260 You know, you can't give too much because you don't want to sink the deal.
00:12:35.900 It does end up working probably hours after the podcast ended up dropping.
00:12:40.860 So the deal worked.
00:12:42.100 The sanctions are in place.
00:12:44.340 Now the question is, will that deter Putin?
00:12:49.320 Did Biden need to put more behind the sanctions?
00:12:52.060 Did Biden need to institute the sanctions earlier?
00:12:54.900 Did other countries need to get on board?
00:12:57.220 What are the sanctions actually going to do?
00:12:59.540 Okay.
00:13:00.380 So no, yes, yes, yes.
00:13:02.260 In response to your questions.
00:13:04.220 So will that deter Putin?
00:13:06.740 At this point now, Putin is fully invested on the invasion.
00:13:11.080 He wants to conquer Ukraine. 0.93
00:13:13.380 And he is giving up significant Russian casualties every day to do so.
00:13:17.900 At this point, his pride is at stake.
00:13:20.680 That being said, does Biden need to do more?
00:13:23.780 Yes.
00:13:24.060 So the problem with the Nord Stream 2 sanctions, one spot Biden put in place, is he's projected so much weakness.
00:13:32.260 That the sanctions aren't credible to Putin.
00:13:34.040 Putin is sitting there.
00:13:35.060 I think Putin is, in fact, laughing at the Nord Stream 2 sanctions because I think Putin believes, well, fine, they'll sanction it now while I'm actually driving tanks on Kiev.
00:13:46.080 Right.
00:13:46.680 But once Putin succeeds in conquering Ukraine, which I think he believes he will, and once he succeeds in putting a puppet government in place, which I think is what Putin plans to do in Ukraine. 0.53
00:13:59.860 Then I think he believes, for good reason, that Biden will say, oh, well, what a shame.
00:14:06.980 Now we'll lift our sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and you can turn the pipeline on.
00:14:10.460 And so the Biden White House's sanctions on Nord Stream 2 are not credible as sticking.
00:14:17.720 And that's why I'm introducing legislation this week to make the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 permanent and to take away Biden's ability to waive them.
00:14:28.380 And, you know, there's an old there's an old military phrase that people people learn about, which is, you know, people have heard the phrase you shouldn't burn your bridges.
00:14:39.220 Yeah.
00:14:40.420 But but but that actually comes from military strategy where where an invading army would come in, they would cross a bridge and they'd burn the bridge behind them.
00:14:52.140 So they had to win the war because retreat was no longer an option.
00:14:56.240 And I think in order for the Nord Stream 2 sanctions to be credible, we've got to burn Biden's bridges because Putin now knows Biden's so weak, he'll waive the sanctions again once the urgency is gone.
00:15:14.740 Right.
00:15:15.220 We'll have a lot more to turn effect if it is clear and written in U.S. law that Nord Stream 2, the sanctions are permanent and it will never, ever, ever be allowed to be turned on because that gives Ukraine the ability. 0.62
00:15:30.060 The pipelines still go through Ukraine.
00:15:32.360 It puts Putin in a much more vulnerable position.
00:15:35.140 Right.
00:15:35.340 So even if the the current conveyor of the sanctions, Joe Biden, even if he has no credibility, the sanctions themselves could.
00:15:42.540 And if if the Democrats really believe what they're saying about Ukraine and about Russia, they'll vote for your legislation.
00:15:49.160 We'll see if that actually pans out.
00:15:51.320 This episode of Verdict is brought to you by Thompson Cigars.
00:15:54.640 Now, I don't have to tell you the gentleman on this show likes cigars.
00:15:57.480 So does my husband.
00:15:58.340 In fact, I just traveled to Milwaukee this past week.
00:16:01.020 And when I got home, I asked my husband, well, what did you do while I was gone?
00:16:03.660 And he tells me that he was smoking Thompson Cigar.
00:16:06.660 Real story.
00:16:07.200 This actually happened and he had a great time.
00:16:09.420 That's why you've got to check out Thompson Cigar, too.
00:16:11.360 Whether you're working from home or just kicking back after a week of being essential or whether you're batching it while the wife's out of town, there's no better way to relax than with a premium cigar.
00:16:20.980 They've got the best prices on the biggest brands in the business from Macanudo to Monte Cristo.
00:16:25.260 If you're looking to try new, rare, top-rated blends, but you don't want to splurge on boxes, well, check out Thompson's Cigar Tour, a smattering of five different blends delivered to your doorstep each month.
00:16:36.380 Now, Michael and my husband have been fans of Thompson even before they became a partner on this show because no one has more selection than Thompson.
00:16:42.920 These guys rarely do offers, but right now Thompson is offering our listeners 15% off orders over $75 or 20% off orders over $99.
00:16:52.460 To take advantage of these incredible savings, simply go to ThompsonCigar.com and use promo code Cactus when you're ready to check out.
00:16:59.500 That website is Thompson, T-H-O-M-P-S-O-N Cigar.com and use promo code Cactus.
00:17:05.240 You mentioned something that seems really crucial here, which is Putin's pride.
00:17:11.200 He's so far into this at this point, it seems impossible for him to turn around.
00:17:16.380 There have been reports, one from your colleague Marco Rubio, who says he tweeted out today, he said,
00:17:22.160 I can't go into the intelligence briefings, but something is seriously wrong with Putin.
00:17:27.340 And he's far more erratic, for instance, than he was some years ago.
00:17:32.320 I think that was the insinuation of it.
00:17:33.800 You've got certain Russia watchers, Fiona Hill would be one example, who's saying Putin, he really means business.
00:17:41.220 The man could launch World War III.
00:17:43.020 We might be in it already.
00:17:44.420 He would be willing to use nuclear weapons.
00:17:47.120 What's your take on the madness of Putin?
00:17:51.040 Look, I think Putin is exceptionally dangerous.
00:17:54.380 I think he is an autocrat. 0.98
00:17:56.980 I think he is a tyrant. 0.96
00:17:58.280 I think he is a dictator. 0.94
00:18:00.260 I think he is surrounded by yes-men.
00:18:02.480 I think nobody is willing to tell him no.
00:18:05.860 Nobody is willing to stand up to him.
00:18:07.480 And anyone that tries dies. 0.98
00:18:09.020 Like he kills any dissenters. 0.96
00:18:10.780 That has a way of quashing dissent.
00:18:14.580 And I think he has, you know, he's megalomaniacal.
00:18:19.960 I mean, that's a term I've used for many times. 0.86
00:18:22.320 He is and was a KGB thug.
00:18:25.180 And we talked about in the last podcast about how he has these grand visions of Russian greatness.
00:18:33.400 He yearns for the old Russian Empire.
00:18:36.040 He yearns for the Soviet Union.
00:18:37.440 He yearns for the Russian Empire of 1922.
00:18:40.280 He wants to be a czar.
00:18:42.020 He doesn't want to be a president.
00:18:43.560 He wants to be a czar.
00:18:44.540 And I think he views it as his destiny to restore Russian greatness and dominance.
00:18:52.480 That's very, very dangerous. 0.84
00:18:54.140 I think he's also a strong man in the sense that when he sees resistance, his instinct is crush, kill, destroy.
00:19:03.660 I think in the coming days and weeks in Ukraine, we're going to see some horrific atrocities.
00:19:10.980 The Russians have some weapons which, if they use them, could kill vast numbers of civilians.
00:19:17.820 They have bombs that effectively suck the oxygen out of a place and kill everything in that vicinity.
00:19:25.440 I think there's a real risk of Russia using weapons that inflict horrific outcomes.
00:19:31.420 You know, Putin made a big show about directing his nuclear forces to be on alert.
00:19:39.180 Do I think that means that we're likely to see global thermonuclear war?
00:19:45.520 Hopefully, no.
00:19:46.640 I don't think we're on the verge of that.
00:19:50.120 But I don't put it past Putin at all to use what are sometimes called tactical nukes,
00:19:55.360 which are smaller nuclear weapons that can inflict devastating consequences,
00:20:02.660 but less than a global nuclear fallout.
00:20:09.980 I pray to God he doesn't do that.
00:20:11.980 But I don't put that beyond him at all.
00:20:14.040 I think that is more likely a threat than a real possibility.
00:20:19.240 But he is someone who, when pressed, when pressed is very, very dangerous.
00:20:28.500 And it's why Biden's weakness is so, it jeopardizes American security.
00:20:38.300 Look, you look at last year, Biden waived sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
00:20:42.320 You look at last year, Biden twice halts delivery of weapons to Ukraine in an effort to appease Putin.
00:20:48.940 You look at Biden, the Biden administration negotiating with Putin, saying,
00:20:53.500 well, okay, if you promise not to invade, we're willing to consider pulling troops out of Europe.
00:20:59.220 We're willing to consider pulling our missiles out of Europe.
00:21:01.240 We're willing to consider pulling our anti-missile batteries out of Europe.
00:21:04.760 Look, all of that weakness tells Putin, push harder, push harder, push harder.
00:21:08.720 That encourages the bully, even now.
00:21:12.920 So the Biden administration, after the invasion, they're kind of stuck.
00:21:17.320 They'd been saying, oh, look, all of this weakness and negotiation is going to stop at invasion.
00:21:21.660 Well, no, it's not.
00:21:22.740 And anyone that understood Putin knew that it was not,
00:21:26.220 which I'd been screaming from the mountaintops for months that this was the outcome of what Biden was going to do.
00:21:33.660 But at this point, the sanctions they put in place, they put in place, as we sit here tonight, three tranches of sanctions.
00:21:43.540 They've sanctioned some of the Russian banks, but not all of them.
00:21:47.460 They put in place what they haven't put in place is secondary sanctions on the Russian central bank.
00:21:53.860 What that means is the Russian central bank can still engage in financial transactions with, for example, China, with, for example, India.
00:22:02.460 If we want to really impose financial harms, you impose secondary sanctions on the Russian central bank.
00:22:10.140 They claim they've made Russia a pariah so that now no one in the civilized world will deal with Russia.
00:22:17.360 But interestingly enough, the State Department put exceptions and said, well, except on climate,
00:22:22.060 we're going to continue to have John Kerry play footsie with Russia on climate.
00:22:25.700 And they said, oh, and except on Iran nuclear deal, when it comes to giving the Ayatollah nuclear weapons,
00:22:30.500 we'll continue to play footsie with Russia on that. 0.87
00:22:33.480 So they put all these exceptions.
00:22:35.700 But here's the funniest exception, Michael.
00:22:37.480 So they have sanctions on Russian banks, but they make an exception for energy transactions, for oil and gas.
00:22:47.080 Now, mind you, oil and gas is Russia's principal source of revenue.
00:22:51.220 So these supposed tough sanctions exempt the thing that is funding Putin carrying out this invasion.
00:23:00.020 And it is, once again, this almost inherent weakness in Biden and Harris and Schumer and Pelosi.
00:23:10.200 And Putin can smell that weakness.
00:23:13.820 And unfortunately, it only encourages it.
00:23:16.740 So why don't we put the sanctions on the energy industry?
00:23:19.680 Is it one, because Biden doesn't really care if Russia conquers Ukraine and he knows that what he is doing right now doesn't have any teeth, so never mind?
00:23:28.980 Or is it two, because we need the oil and Europe needs the oil?
00:23:34.480 Look, it's some of both.
00:23:36.620 On one level, I think the Biden administration has all but given up hope that the Russian invasion will stop.
00:23:44.400 They believe this is a done deal.
00:23:48.000 It may be a few weeks, maybe even a few months if the Ukrainians surprise. 1.00
00:23:53.580 But they believe eventually Russia will conquer Ukraine.
00:23:56.700 And then what they're counting on is an insurgency that plays out over years, that if Russia conquers Ukraine, that the Ukrainians engage in guerrilla warfare.
00:24:08.440 And that may play out.
00:24:09.500 Look, Russia invaded Afghanistan and for years faced guerrilla warfare in Afghanistan.
00:24:15.520 That's a possibility.
00:24:17.540 I think that's about all the Biden administration is holding on hope for.
00:24:22.220 However, they really don't see any vision for preventing Russia from conquering Ukraine any more than they saw a vision for stopping the invasion in the first place. 0.53
00:24:36.300 That they believe they don't understand strength.
00:24:41.160 I told you about the previous briefing where one Democratic senator asked, why didn't Putin invade in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020?
00:24:49.760 And several of us just started laughing out loud.
00:24:51.920 I mean, it's a question that answers itself.
00:24:56.980 But I will say also, on the European dependence on Russian oil, listen, Biden has gone a long way to creating that dependence.
00:25:08.720 When Biden in his first week shuts down the keystone pipeline in America, when he shuts down new leases on federal lands, when he shuts down new offshore leases, all of that reduces America's ability to export energy, which makes our allies more dependent on our enemies.
00:25:26.020 Today's episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz is brought to you by IPvanish.
00:25:31.920 Did you know that browsing online using incognito mode doesn't actually protect your privacy?
00:25:36.740 Without added security, you might as well give all your private data away to hackers, advertisers, your internet service provider, and who knows who else.
00:25:43.660 IPvanish helps you securely and privately browse the internet by encrypting 100% of your data.
00:25:49.280 This means that your private messages, passwords, emails, browsing history, and other information will be completely protected from falling into the wrong hands.
00:25:56.720 IPvanish makes you virtually invisible online.
00:25:59.300 It's that simple.
00:26:00.000 Just for Verdict listeners, IPvanish is offering an insane 70% off their annual plan.
00:26:04.980 That's like getting nine months for free.
00:26:06.760 You have to go directly to ipvanish.com slash cactus to get this 70% off discount.
00:26:12.040 IPvanish is super easy to use.
00:26:13.780 Just tap one button and you're instantly protected.
00:26:16.100 You won't even know it's on.
00:26:17.220 You can use IPvanish on your computers, tablets, and phones.
00:26:20.360 Whether you're at home or in public, don't go online without using IPvanish.
00:26:24.400 Don't forget, Verdict listeners get 70% off the IPvanish annual plan.
00:26:28.740 Just go to ipvanish.com slash cactus to claim your discount and secure your online life.
00:26:34.320 That's ipvanish.com slash cactus.
00:26:38.560 Senator, there's been a little bit of a schizophrenia maybe on the American right when it comes to the person of Vladimir Putin.
00:26:49.320 There have been some right-wingers who seem to be, if not admiring of Vladimir Putin,
00:26:55.840 they are so critical of our own leaders in the West that they look at things that Putin does and they think,
00:27:02.100 well, maybe we should do that as well.
00:27:04.020 There was the head of MI6, the British spy agency.
00:27:08.180 He tweeted out something to the effect of, you know,
00:27:11.420 what distinguishes us from Vladimir Putin is LGBT rights.
00:27:17.700 And that's why we need to celebrate LGBT rights.
00:27:19.840 And I think a lot of people looked at that and said, well, if transgenderism in the classroom is all that separates us from Putin,
00:27:27.880 then pass the vodka, comrade. 0.99
00:27:29.440 I mean, there was a real—but you look at Putin, the guy's obviously a killer. 1.00
00:27:35.640 He's a thug. 0.95
00:27:36.720 He leads the country that we were at war with for half of the 20th century. 0.93
00:27:41.920 What is our understanding of Putin?
00:27:46.520 And why do some people find him, if not attractive, why is there a kind of interest on the right in Putin?
00:27:54.880 Yeah, look, I think that MI6 tweet was really unfortunate.
00:27:58.940 And I love the Brits.
00:28:01.160 I'm a diehard Anglophile, but that made one want to weep at how the empire has fallen.
00:28:08.120 Look, there is, I think, a small fringe group on the right that finds themselves enamored with strongmen and Putin in particular.
00:28:24.360 I think it's a very small group.
00:28:27.040 Any conservative, as far as I'm concerned, any conservative, any Republican, any American, any patriot, 1.00
00:28:32.520 the view on Putin, my view on Putin is he's a dictator, he's a thug, he's a murderer, he's an evil man, he is our enemy, he hates us, and he wants to kill us. 1.00
00:28:44.300 And so just so we have no ambiguity. 0.99
00:28:46.720 I will say I think the press desperately wants to amplify this small little fringe group on the right because, A, they love any dissension on the right.
00:29:03.540 So they, you know, we're in this weird Alice in Wonderland where for 60 years, conservatives stood up to the Soviet Union and liberals defended, celebrated, heralded the Soviet Union.
00:29:22.220 For more than 60 years, for almost a century, probably.
00:29:25.320 It was forever and ever. 1.00
00:29:27.520 Look, Bernie Sanders honeymooned in the damn Soviet Union. 1.00
00:29:31.620 Right, right. 0.99
00:29:33.540 And, you know, going back to, you know, the Sandinistas, I mean, there's not a communist revolution on earth that Democrats haven't defended.
00:29:41.740 Yeah.
00:29:42.020 When Trump became president, there was this fictional narrative that Democrats and the corrupt corporate media invented of Russia, Russia, Russia.
00:29:52.960 And it was very weird for four years, Democrats suddenly discovered Russia was bad.
00:29:58.240 Yeah.
00:29:58.680 And it's the most bizarre, like, what's weird.
00:30:02.480 So some of the old Democrats, the ones who've been around the Senate a long time, they actually know that these are sort of fake talking points.
00:30:09.840 That they were using for convenience to attack Trump, but they don't really believe it.
00:30:16.760 Some of the newer Democrats didn't quite get the joke and they suddenly, oh, oh, this is what we believe, Russia bad.
00:30:23.140 And then suddenly when Biden is surrendering to Russia, they're like, they don't know what to say.
00:30:27.560 They just kind of stammer voicelessly because they haven't they haven't figured out that for four years when Democrats were saying Russia bad, they were posturing.
00:30:37.760 They were lying.
00:30:38.480 Look, Russia bad. 0.97
00:30:40.880 I will say it unequivocally.
00:30:42.660 But you know what?
00:30:43.580 I said it during Jimmy Carter.
00:30:45.120 I said it during Ronald Reagan.
00:30:46.360 I said it during Bush and Clinton and Bush and Obama and Trump and Biden.
00:30:52.180 So since I was five, I've been saying Russia bad. 0.50
00:30:56.880 That's what happens when you're raised in a Cuban household. 0.90
00:30:59.400 We tend to have fairly stark views of communism that continue forever.
00:31:06.700 But I will say you're there is this fringe view on the right.
00:31:14.480 That that celebrates Putin and it does so, I guess.
00:31:20.000 Because they think he has the right enemies, that that that there are some leftists who who he is dismissive of.
00:31:26.560 And it's sort of like, all right, if he's dismissive of leftists and I don't like leftists, therefore, he's my guy. 0.94
00:31:32.900 And it's like, no, he wants to kill you, too. 0.85
00:31:35.400 So don't be confused about this.
00:31:37.780 No, I think that's a really important point, Senator, because, you know, a lot of American conservatives, they look at the deep state.
00:31:44.940 You know, they look at the elected government now in America.
00:31:47.600 They look at the global leaders or at least the Western leaders and they say, well, all those guys hate my guts. 0.97
00:31:54.560 And the president says that I'm a Nazi and half the country is full of Nazis. 0.99
00:31:57.620 And we really ought to just shut up and go away and have no role in our government. 0.99
00:32:02.260 We're all terrorist insurrectionists. 0.98
00:32:03.940 And so I don't like them.
00:32:06.140 And Putin doesn't like them either.
00:32:07.880 But you've made an important observation, which is Putin hates us, too.
00:32:13.580 Putin does not particularly favor one American side over the other.
00:32:18.480 He doesn't like America.
00:32:19.720 He doesn't like the West.
00:32:20.920 He's aggressing on the West.
00:32:22.520 It is true that Vladimir Putin funds the construction of cathedrals while America funds a drag queen story hour in libraries. 0.54
00:32:29.640 But by any measure, by any measure, Ukraine is a more Christian country and at least equally conservative as Russia.
00:32:38.800 So even if even if American conservatives are trying to export or superimpose domestic political values on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, I don't think it holds up.
00:32:48.380 And I think it's a really important insight you're making here.
00:32:50.680 Just because a man is the enemy of my of my enemy or my opponent does not make him my friend.
00:32:57.000 Yeah, and it's, as I said, I think the corporate media vastly elevates these few handful of fringe folks on the right because they love telling the narrative.
00:33:12.360 Right.
00:33:14.000 And look, you even look at, for example, the press went crazy about Trump's comments about Putin,
00:33:20.780 that his strategy of framing himself as as a peacekeeper was savvy. 0.99
00:33:27.100 Listen, nobody's ever said Putin was stupid. 0.99
00:33:29.860 Right. 0.99
00:33:30.560 Let's be clear.
00:33:31.740 His failing is not lack of intelligence. 0.99
00:33:35.720 His failing is that he's an evil murderer trying to conquer the world. 1.00
00:33:39.640 It would be better if he were stupid. 1.00
00:33:42.040 I wish Putin were stupider. 1.00
00:33:44.880 Yeah. 1.00
00:33:45.080 He might be less of a threat than then, but but the press obsessively holds on to.
00:33:51.860 So, you know, you look at the Sunday shows, the Sunday shows all they want to question any Republican is,
00:33:57.140 well, isn't it terrible that Trump used the word savvy to describe what what Putin is doing?
00:34:04.000 You don't see any of the press questioning Democrats.
00:34:06.660 Well, why did Biden surrender to Putin over and over again?
00:34:10.600 Why did 44 Democrats vote just weeks ago?
00:34:15.580 Yeah.
00:34:16.020 Not to sanction Russia because the press are propagandists.
00:34:20.380 One of the big issues here is we need foreign energy.
00:34:23.740 We need foreign oil.
00:34:24.720 We need foreign gas.
00:34:25.780 We were on a pathway back to energy independence in recent years.
00:34:30.160 And then, unfortunately, this president doesn't seem all that interested in it.
00:34:34.160 So what does the future look like for American energy?
00:34:38.820 The White House says we need American energy.
00:34:41.340 We have to be less reliant on foreign oil.
00:34:44.760 But we're not going to drill here.
00:34:46.800 We're not going to we're not going to build our pipelines.
00:34:48.780 We're not going to build nuclear facilities.
00:34:50.820 So what is the White House saying they're going to do?
00:34:53.920 Look, they don't have any reasonable plan.
00:34:57.060 They are driven by zealotry and extremism.
00:35:00.680 When it comes to the Green New Deal, the Green New Deal. 0.90
00:35:03.780 Last week, I had a lunch with a number of CEOs of energy companies in Houston.
00:35:10.920 And one of the things I was trying to explain to them is I said, look, you guys are trying
00:35:15.540 to argue based on reason, based on logic, based on facts.
00:35:21.300 You can't reason with these people.
00:35:23.400 They're not interested in reason or logic or facts.
00:35:27.580 The radical left, the Green New Deal proponents, the people driving the Biden administration's
00:35:33.980 energy policy, they hate oil and gas.
00:35:38.520 They want to destroy all U.S. production.
00:35:41.580 They want to bankrupt every U.S. oil and gas company.
00:35:44.900 And they don't care about the consequences.
00:35:46.920 They don't have when you ask them, how are you going to drive to work?
00:35:50.540 How are you going to power jet airplanes?
00:35:52.940 They don't have an answer.
00:35:54.020 It's not like you're going to put a windmill on the front of an airplane.
00:35:56.240 They have no answer.
00:35:58.400 It is visceral.
00:36:00.520 It's emotional.
00:36:01.300 And part of the problem is, for too many on the left, faith is no longer part of their
00:36:07.900 life.
00:36:08.680 They are virulent atheists. 0.97
00:36:12.800 And so this angry environmentalism has replaced faith in their lives.
00:36:19.180 It is their new faith.
00:36:21.140 Look, mankind, all of us yearn for doing something bigger than ourselves, serving a purpose that
00:36:30.340 is higher than just the momentary existence of waking up and eating and going through the
00:36:37.540 day and going back to sleep.
00:36:38.680 We want a transcendent purpose.
00:36:41.540 And for too many on the left, this visceral emotional environmentalism has replaced religion.
00:36:52.140 And in that context, oil and gas producers are evildoers. 0.99
00:36:58.260 They are Satan. 1.00
00:36:59.200 They must be vanquished. 0.98
00:37:01.440 And one mustn't concern oneself with the pesky details of how it works and who suffers and
00:37:08.320 who pays the price.
00:37:09.740 This is the most convincing take I've actually heard on this because I've been trying to
00:37:14.780 wrap my head around what the end goal is here for Democrats.
00:37:19.580 Is it that they, well, I know they want alternative energies, but surely they know that windmills
00:37:24.100 and unicorn tears are not going to power the United States.
00:37:28.540 So what are they trying to do?
00:37:29.820 Are they trying to work on some other international energy scheme?
00:37:32.700 But what you're saying here is actually ties in with a conversation we're having about
00:37:36.100 Putin, which is on this issue, they're just not behaving like rational actors.
00:37:41.640 There is.
00:37:42.360 And even if the elected politicians are on the Democrat side, they're beholden to a base
00:37:46.840 that has become fanatical in its environmentalism.
00:37:49.900 And so why won't they pursue nuclear?
00:37:52.160 Well, because that's bad.
00:37:53.800 Why won't they produce oil at home or encourage the production of oil at home? 0.96
00:37:58.200 Well, because that's bad.
00:37:59.380 They'll buy it overseas.
00:38:00.260 So what?
00:38:01.040 Yeah.
00:38:01.260 Well, OK, at least we don't need to think about there's just not a there's not a through
00:38:04.280 line of reason.
00:38:05.540 Michael, what was the end goal of burning witches at the stake? 0.99
00:38:09.400 To get rid of all those pesky witches, I thought. 1.00
00:38:12.680 That is their end goal. 0.98
00:38:14.920 That is how they view it.
00:38:16.380 You know, a couple of years ago, I was doing this thing called called Trib Fest, which is
00:38:19.960 it's done in Austin at the University of Texas at Austin.
00:38:23.700 And I was being interviewed by Chris Hayes, you know, the leftist host on MSNBC.
00:38:27.980 And it was before the last election.
00:38:30.360 And I asked him, I said, hey, I kind of turned the tables back and was asking him a question,
00:38:35.000 which he didn't like.
00:38:35.580 I said, Chris, so if Biden wins, should the Biden administration ban fracking?
00:38:40.900 It was interesting.
00:38:41.600 Hayes starts backtracking.
00:38:43.020 He's like, because he didn't want to commit to that before the election because he knew
00:38:46.920 that was unpopular.
00:38:47.700 And he's like, well, well, maybe over time in a phased outcome over five years, maybe.
00:38:54.560 And I said, look, projections are if you ban fracking, it would destroy 1.4 million jobs
00:39:00.340 in this country.
00:39:01.420 And suddenly the students at UT begin applauding.
00:39:05.740 Wow.
00:39:06.180 And we're in this big auditorium and they begin applauding.
00:39:08.720 And I say, look, it's very easy for all of you guys sitting there sipping your Starbucks
00:39:14.500 lattes.
00:39:15.340 Yeah.
00:39:15.740 By the way, at a university paid for by oil and gas, your professors are paid for by oil
00:39:21.100 and gas.
00:39:21.580 All of the buildings were built by oil and gas.
00:39:24.240 The state was built by oil and gas.
00:39:26.220 For you to sit there applauding, destroying the jobs right now.
00:39:31.680 There's an Hispanic guy driving to work in the oil field in South Texas in his pickup truck,
00:39:36.480 and he's providing for his kids.
00:39:38.620 And you're applauding.
00:39:39.960 Yes, yes. 0.99
00:39:40.920 Take away that dirty man's job. 1.00
00:39:43.320 Right. 0.99
00:39:43.880 You want to know why the American people are fed up with the contemptuous left?
00:39:48.000 It's you sitting there in plush comfort saying, much better that he has no job.
00:39:54.380 Right.
00:39:54.800 That's the elitist contempt the left has right now.
00:39:58.100 That's the Betoization of all sorts of, hell yes, we're going to take your job. 1.00
00:40:03.180 Hell yes, we're going to take your energy and your gas and your oil and your heating. 0.99
00:40:07.060 Of course, it doesn't play very well in Peoria.
00:40:09.160 I've got to ask you, switching gears a little bit, before we go, we're recording this on Monday.
00:40:16.620 The State of the Union is tomorrow on Tuesday.
00:40:20.940 Probably Joe Biden is not going to talk very much about energy.
00:40:24.140 It doesn't seem to be a big winner for him.
00:40:26.580 Do you have any predictions for the State of the Union?
00:40:29.000 I'm going to predict what it's not going to be.
00:40:31.260 It's not going to be honest.
00:40:33.980 If Joe Biden were honest, he would stand up and say, the State of the Union, thanks to the Biden administration's policies, is weaker in every respect than it was a year ago.
00:40:50.840 If Joe Biden were honest, he would say, we spent trillions of dollars, we racked up trillions in debt, and that has produced galloping inflation that is hurting Americans across the country.
00:41:02.880 If Joe Biden were honest, he would say, we refuse to enforce the law, and the result was the worst illegal immigration in 61 years as 2 million people entered this country.
00:41:15.400 As a result of our policies, we saw more crime, we saw more children being physically and sexually assaulted, we saw more disease, and we saw more poverty.
00:41:24.380 If he was being honest, he would say, as a result of our illegal and unconstitutional vaccine mandates, we've seen doctors fired, we've seen nurses fired, we've seen police officers and firefighters fired.
00:41:35.800 I've been the one firing soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines.
00:41:39.320 We've seen truck drivers fired as a result, if he were being honest, of my giving in to the radical socialist left.
00:41:48.120 We've seen police officers and police forces across the country undermine.
00:41:52.520 We've seen crime rates skyrocket, murder rates skyrocket, carjacking rates skyrocket.
00:41:58.100 And all of that is just domestic.
00:42:00.460 If you look abroad, every region of the world is a result of the Biden administration's weakness.
00:42:07.760 Every region's gotten worse.
00:42:09.500 We abandoned Afghanistan to the Taliban. 0.96
00:42:11.640 We abandoned Ukraine to Russia.
00:42:13.720 We are in the process of abandoning Taiwan to China, and we're trying to give the Ayatollah and Iran a nuclear weapon. 0.79
00:42:20.160 If he were being honest, he would say, it was a mistake when I gave in to the radical left.
00:42:29.080 When I was running for president in 2020, I campaigned as a moderate, as a centrist.
00:42:35.600 And then I gave control of the agenda to Bernie Sanders, to AOC, to Elizabeth Warren.
00:42:40.500 And that was a mistake.
00:42:42.160 I apologize.
00:42:43.560 And I'm going to go back to doing what I told the American people I would do in the election.
00:42:48.640 The chances that he does that, I think, are 0.0 percent.
00:42:53.420 But that would be an honest statement. 0.97
00:42:56.080 If Joe Biden were on a senator, if my aunt had cojones, she would be my uncle. 1.00
00:43:01.260 So I don't think we're going to look forward to that speech. 0.97
00:43:04.040 And in today's world, Michael, she can be both.
00:43:06.260 She might be.
00:43:07.340 She might be.
00:43:08.520 On that note, Senator, we must bring in our friend Liz Wheeler.
00:43:13.060 Liz, what are you going to be talking about on the Verdict Plus community series, The Cloak Room?
00:43:20.540 And actually, before Liz starts, can I ask you something, Liz?
00:43:23.800 Liz, can I ask, just for the record, you are neither Michael's aunt nor uncle.
00:43:28.740 Is that right?
00:43:30.040 That is correct.
00:43:31.040 And nor can I change my gender.
00:43:32.800 Michael, the question that you asked me, what are we going to talk about on The Cloak Room?
00:43:35.840 It's a little hard to know what to say following a comment, an interaction like that.
00:43:41.680 It's like following.
00:43:43.180 You're asking me, essentially, to follow the headliner here.
00:43:47.120 Senator, we have a great conversation for The Cloak Room over on Verdict Plus.
00:43:51.000 As you know, anybody who wants to join us can join us on verdictwithtedcruise.com slash plus.
00:43:56.960 You can use promo code CLOAKROOM to get one month free on an annual subscription.
00:44:01.340 Today, we're going to be talking about two interesting controversies,
00:44:03.920 the first being pro golfer Phil Mickelson was flirting with the idea of backing an alternative
00:44:10.300 PGA Tour, an alternative to the PGA Tour with the Saudis. 1.00
00:44:16.680 And this has caused quite the kerfuffle.
00:44:18.740 So we're going to talk about that.
00:44:19.800 We're also going to talk about former Attorney General Bill Barr. 0.95
00:44:22.140 He's writing a book called One Damn Thing After the Other. 0.94
00:44:25.780 And is this another John Bolton book where the Attorney General might trash Trump? 0.97
00:44:30.780 It appears that it might be so.
00:44:31.880 So we're going to discuss both of those things.
00:44:34.440 As I said, join us on verdictwithtedcruise.com slash plus.
00:44:38.500 Promo code CLOAKROOM for one month free on your annual subscription.
00:44:41.420 It's going to be a good conversation.
00:44:42.900 Well, I can't wait to hear the conversation.
00:44:44.340 I can't wait to read the former Attorney General's book,
00:44:47.020 because if it does turn out to be a bad book, we totally, we never had him on this show.
00:44:52.220 It was never a very popular episode of Verdict.
00:44:54.500 Do not pay no attention to that.
00:44:56.280 I look forward to it, Liz.
00:44:57.660 In the meantime, I'm Michael Knowles.
00:44:59.560 This is Verdict with Ted Cruz.
00:45:01.880 This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz is being brought to you by Jobs, Freedom, and Security
00:45:15.080 PAC, a political action committee dedicated to supporting conservative causes, organizations,
00:45:20.540 and candidates across the country.
00:45:22.560 In 2022, Jobs, Freedom, and Security PAC plans to donate to conservative candidates running
00:45:27.940 for Congress and help the Republican Party across the nation.
00:45:32.420 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:45:34.940 Guaranteed Human.