Verdict with Ted Cruz - ＂Only a Handful＂ of Apartment Complexes Taken over by Venezuelan Gangs is No Big Deal Media Says, plus Where Does The Presidential Race Stand？

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.560 Guaranteed human.

00:00:05.480 Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you.

00:00:09.640 Senator, there is an amazing thing that's happening right now in this country,

00:00:14.460 and it is apparently you shouldn't be worried about Venezuelan gang members

00:00:19.080 if they take over like entire apartment complexes

00:00:21.980 and start, you know, terrorizing the residents,

00:00:25.540 kicking them out, changing the locks,

00:00:27.020 then charging rent, taking over the building from the owners.

00:00:30.700 And that's something not to be concerned about.

00:00:33.020 You're only supposed to be concerned if they take over your entire city,

00:00:36.980 says at least ABC.

00:00:39.000 Well, we're seeing skyrocketing crime from illegal alien criminals 1.00

00:00:43.520 that are being released by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,

00:00:46.360 including a surge in Venezuelan crime.

00:00:49.480 Venezuela Maduro is emptying out his jails.

00:00:52.140 And in particular, we're seeing Venezuelan gang members committing crimes,

00:00:55.740 committing crimes in Texas, taking over apartment complexes.

00:00:58.600 And the media, of course, is doing everything they can to dismiss it and say,

00:01:02.280 there's nothing here to see.

00:01:03.900 Pay no attention to the threat to your safety.

00:01:06.000 We're going to break that down.

00:01:07.500 We're also going to step back and ask, where are we in the presidential race?

00:01:10.760 We're just over three weeks out from Election Day.

00:01:13.120 What's likely to happen?

00:01:14.240 Who's going to win?

00:01:14.880 We're going to break it down state by state.

00:01:16.600 And finally, we're going to detail a brand new report that my team put out in Washington

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00:01:41.100 Yeah, it's going to be very interesting to see how much of your tax dollars have been

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00:03:28.680 Senator, let's start by reminding people about this story and how it began.

00:03:37.220 Venezuelan gangs started taking over these apartment complexes that happened in, for example,

00:03:44.120 in Colorado first.

00:03:46.080 Police are now warning of Venezuelan gang crime in places as far away as Wisconsin,

00:03:51.460 and the media is trying to act like this isn't even happening.

00:03:56.300 Well, it's happened in Chicago.

00:03:57.760 It's happened in San Antonio, Texas.

00:04:00.560 And last week on the pod, we covered two instances of horrific crime here in Texas.

00:04:05.600 One in Dallas, the woman who, in her home, four Venezuelan illegal immigrants broke into her home, held her at gunpoint, tied her up, pistol whipped her with their pistols, threatened to cut her fingers off, and robbed her.

00:04:21.380 And mind you, these Venezuelans, they could speak no English. 1.00

00:04:25.540 They were actually using Google Translate on their phone to issue their orders. 0.58

00:04:30.420 And it was just dumb luck that one of them left a fingerprint in the house that enabled them to be apprehended.

00:04:37.060 We also know in Houston, Jocelyn Nungere, the beautiful 12-year-old girl raped and murdered by two illegal aliens whom Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released.

00:04:47.380 They had in their custody, they released them the very same day they apprehended them.

00:04:53.060 Well, we now have reports that at least one of those two child rapists and murderers was a gang member from Venezuela as well.

00:05:00.500 And then this story that broke this past week, entitled, Alleged Venezuelan Gang Members Arrested in Houston, San Antonio.

00:05:08.660 Dallas police also say there has been gang activity in North Dallas linked to the Trender-Aragua gang.

00:05:14.780 And let me read to you from the Dallas Morning News.

00:05:17.400 Authorities in Houston and San Antonio have announced the arrest of multiple people that said to have ties to the Trender-Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, recently declared a terrorist organization by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

00:05:28.380 Dallas police have also said the department has had gang activity in the North Dallas area tied to the gang and is collaborating with other agencies to address crimes linked to the Trender-Aragua and other gangs.

00:05:40.520 According to a Texas Department of Public Safety news release, a DPS agent assigned to the Houston Anti-Gang Center was notified of a suspected Trender-Aragua member living in the Houston area.

00:05:51.760 That led to the investigators to Jorgens Robertson-Kova, 32, who was wanted out of Pearland for theft, the release said.

00:06:01.240 Robertson-Kova, who DPS said is a confirmed Trender-Aragua member, was booked into the Brazoria County Jail Monday on a theft charge.

00:06:09.300 He remained in jail Tuesday on a $5,000 bond.

00:06:12.060 Police said they were able to link Robertson-Kova to the Trender-Aragua due to his tattoos, including a five-point crown and a rose, which police said are known TDA markings.

00:06:23.880 The arrest comes days after multiple police agencies conducted a raid at an apartment complex in San Antonio on Saturday, arresting 19 people, four of whom are alleged to be members of Trender-Aragua, according to the San Antonio Express News.

00:06:40.840 The raid was conducted by the San Antonio Police, DPS, the FBI, Border Patrol, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

00:06:49.040 Of those arrested, 16 were Venezuelan citizens and three were U.S. citizens.

00:06:54.160 The Venezuelan citizens were taken into custody by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Removal Operation agents after they were processed at the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

00:07:03.800 This is happening every single day.

00:07:08.600 It is getting more and more dangerous.

00:07:11.240 And Trender-Aragua originated as a South American prison gang, and we are seeing more and more Texans and more and more Americans across the country endangered because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the Democrats keep practicing catch and release and releasing violent criminal gang members who are illegal aliens.

00:07:30.740 By the way, the media is really trying to downplay this.

00:07:35.860 And there's a perfect example of this happening Sunday.

00:07:39.400 We're weeks away from the election, and on TV, there was a moment.

00:07:45.540 And it was a moment where ABC was interviewing the VP candidate, one of your colleagues in the Senate, J.D. Vance.

00:07:52.420 And they said that, well, you guys are basically spreading misinformation, misinformation about Venezuelan gangs.

00:07:59.600 And she tried to act like it is not a problem that is, quote, taking over cities, as Trump described it, because they haven't actually taken over entire cities.

00:08:08.140 They're just taking over entire apartment buildings.

00:08:10.840 Take a listen to this back and forth.

00:08:13.600 And this is what state-sponsored media does when they have a fix-in for a candidate they're obsessed with.

00:08:20.720 The fact that Donald Trump allegedly said something that you think is wrong.

00:08:24.080 I'm just going to say that local officials and FEMA officials say that is just flat wrong.

00:08:27.900 But we played some other comments about migrants, including in Aurora, in Colorado, where Trump said the city had been invaded and conquered by Venezuelan gangs.

00:08:40.140 The Republican mayor of the city said flatly the city and state have not been taken over or invaded or occupied by migrant gangs.

00:08:48.600 So do you support Donald Trump making those claims that the Republican mayor says were grossly exaggerated and have hurt the city's identity and sense of safety?

00:08:59.100 I understand what you're saying, that some people left behind.

00:09:02.300 But he's making these statements that the mayor is flat out disputing.

00:09:07.280 Well, Martha, you just said the mayor said they were exaggerated.

00:09:11.820 Grossly exaggerated.

00:09:12.740 That means there's got to be some element of truth here.

00:09:16.460 And, of course, President Trump was actually in Aurora, Colorado, talking to people on the ground.

00:09:21.700 And what we're hearing, of course, Martha, is that people are terrified by what has happened with some of these Venezuelan gangs.

00:09:27.740 Senator Vance, I'm going to stop you because I know exactly what happened.

00:09:30.800 But I'm going to stop you.

00:09:31.940 The incidents were limited to a handful of apartment complex, apartment complexes.

00:09:39.180 And the mayor said our dedicated police officers have acted on those concerns.

00:09:43.760 A handful of problems.

00:09:46.740 Only, Martha, do you hear yourself?

00:09:49.340 Only a handful of apartment complexes in America were taken over by Venezuelan gangs.

00:09:54.160 And Donald Trump is the problem and not Kamala Harris' open border.

00:09:58.420 Americans are so fed up with what's going on.

00:10:01.360 And they have every right to be.

00:10:02.780 And I really find this exchange, Martha, sort of interesting because you seem to be more focused with nitpicking everything that Donald Trump has said,

00:10:12.120 rather than acknowledging that apartment complexes in the United States of America are being taken over by violent gangs.

00:10:19.300 I worry so much more about that problem than anything else here.

00:10:24.220 We've got to get American communities in a safe space again.

00:10:27.720 And unfortunately, when you let people in by the millions, most of whom are unvetted, most of whom you don't know who they really are,

00:10:34.940 you're going to have problems like this.

00:10:36.940 Kamala Harris, 94 executive orders that undid Donald Trump's successful border policies.

00:10:42.520 We knew this stuff would happen.

00:10:44.060 They bragged about opening the border.

00:10:46.060 And now we have the consequences and we're living with it.

00:10:48.780 We can do so much better.

00:10:50.740 But frankly, we're not going to do better, Martha, unless Donald Trump calls this stuff out.

00:10:54.580 I'm glad that he did.

00:10:55.700 OK, let's let's just let's just end that with they did not invade or take over the city, as Donald Trump said.

00:11:01.540 I want to move on to just a few apartment complexes.

00:11:04.220 No big deal.

00:11:05.000 A few apartment complexes that the mayor did not seem was invading the entire city.

00:11:09.400 I mean, it's amazing that they're actually saying this with a straight face that a couple apartment complexes taken over by criminal gangs from Venezuela is apparently supposed to be normalized and is no big deal in America today.

00:11:23.460 So I'm actually surprised that Martha Raddatz didn't finish her questioning with I'm Kamala Harris and I approve this message.

00:11:31.460 I mean, it was pure naked propaganda for the Democrats.

00:11:35.680 It's only a handful of complexes.

00:11:38.200 You know, now, mind you, if you happen to live in one of those apartment complexes that has been taken over by Venezuelan gangs that are controlling it and terrorizing you, maybe it's a problem for you. 0.98

00:11:46.560 But, you know, I mean, where the media, what do we care about the pesky little people that live in apartments? 1.00

00:11:50.860 They don't really matter.

00:11:51.700 You know what?

00:11:52.460 Martha Raddatz has a very, very nice home in D.C. 1.00

00:11:55.440 She she lives very, very comfortably.

00:11:57.580 So not a problem for her if some little people have to deal with these criminals. 1.00

00:12:03.260 I mean, what an arrogant, out of touch comment.

00:12:07.360 Only a handful of apartment complexes have been taken over by Venezuelan gangs.

00:12:13.860 And she says no big deal. 0.91

00:12:15.740 Look, I think ABC looks utterly ridiculous in that exchange. 0.75

00:12:21.720 The other thing I think it tells you is the fact that they believe in the idea that these gangs should be here. 0.68

00:12:31.180 And as long as they're not taking over an entire city, we're not even going to be concerned or fight for the people.

00:12:37.000 You remember when news and some do it locally, but remember when news used to be the ones that would stand up for one American where there was injustice being done in an apartment?

00:12:45.740 Complex, whether it was a slum ward or something like that, or laws were being broken and quality of life was being affected.

00:12:52.180 Right. They would go on TV and they would like do a 10 o'clock news story standing up for the little guy who's standing up for the people whose lives have been uprooted, who are being attacked.

00:13:03.480 A great example of this is there was an interview done this week where, and I'm going to quote one of the people that lived in the apartment complex, put it this way.

00:13:12.180 They brought their country with them.

00:13:14.560 They brought the terror of living in Venezuela and gang run apartment complexes saying no one is helping them out. 1.00

00:13:21.400 An alleged apartment takeover, quote, by Venezuelan gang members in Colorado has elevated the issue of migrant crime.

00:13:27.880 And viral video captured by the Aurora apartment tenants has refuted attempts by politicians and establishment media to downplay or deny that there is actually a threat.

00:13:38.360 Cindy Romeo, whose video of armed members of the Venezuelan gang patrolling and forcing her out of her building made news, right?

00:13:47.540 This is how we know about all this.

00:13:48.840 But she said the part of the story that people are missing is that for months they were contacting local police and local elected officials about the takeover as it was happening.

00:14:04.140 And no one stopped it.

00:14:05.840 She said we pleaded for months to law enforcement pleaded for months to elected officials for help.

00:14:10.940 But those pleas were met with a mix of, A, denial, B, indifference, and sympathetic inaction.

00:14:18.580 She said the gangs figured it out.

00:14:20.500 They can continue to grow their influence inside of her apartment complex. 0.97

00:14:25.440 They forced people out by threatening them, by shooting their cars up, and then bringing motorcycles into the hallways to wake them up while they slept until they finally moved out.

00:14:38.580 They changed the locks, and they brought in illegals, and they charged them rent. 1.00

00:14:43.500 That's what she said is a takeover in how it happened.

00:14:46.800 And she said the worst part is everyone in the local media acted like what we were dealing with didn't matter.

00:14:53.360 Well, and it's worse than that.

00:14:54.980 There's not a single elected Democrat that gives a flip, and that seems extreme.

00:15:00.700 But if they care, they do something about it.

00:15:03.180 They're not concerned about the victims of crime.

00:15:05.480 And by the way, many of the victims of crime by these illegal immigrants are themselves Hispanic or are African American because these illegal immigrants are frequently going to low-income areas that often have a significantly higher minority population. 0.60

00:15:21.840 Jocelyn Nungary was a young Hispanic girl.

00:15:23.780 That tragically is a pattern we've seen over and over and over again, which is the victims of murder, the victims of rape, the victims of child rape are frequently the most vulnerable among us.

00:15:39.800 And, you know, the Democrats are big on saying they love to emote, they love to care.

00:15:44.380 But if they cared, they would do something about this.

00:15:46.780 I mean, let me ask you, Ben, have you seen a single Democrat saying it is unacceptable to have an apartment complex or multiple apartment complexes, or let's use Martha Raddatz's phrase, a handful of apartment complexes taken over by violent Venezuelan gangs? 0.53

00:16:04.420 Have you seen even one Democrat saying that?

00:16:06.120 No. And not only that, as the woman that was living in this apartment complex put it, she said, quote, how many gang members living right outside your door is okay? 0.98

00:16:14.500 How many guns right outside your door is okay?

00:16:18.180 How many motorcycles revving their engines in the middle of the night to wake you up and your kids up is okay?

00:16:24.820 Well, the media doesn't want you to know about it.

00:16:27.620 They want to dismiss it.

00:16:28.500 They want to mock at it.

00:16:29.420 They want to laugh at it.

00:16:30.960 Laugh at it.

00:16:31.540 And I'll tell you, look, that's one of the reasons why.

00:16:33.380 Moving on to our second story.

00:16:34.600 Where is the presidential race right now?

00:16:37.500 If you look at the real clear politics averages of polling right now, if the election happened right now, Donald Trump would get 302 electoral votes and Kamala Harris would get 236.

00:16:51.000 That's based on the current averages.

00:16:52.420 It doesn't necessarily mean that's where we'll be, but let's break down what is the battleground.

00:16:59.380 And by the way, the best way to do this is looking at the averages, because that way, if you have particular polls that are outliers, the averages cut them out.

00:17:11.620 So let's start with Arizona.

00:17:14.960 Arizona, the real clear politics average is Trump plus 0.5.

00:17:20.200 Nevada, the real clear politics average is Trump plus 0.2.

00:17:27.420 Wisconsin, the average is Harris plus 0.3.

00:17:33.960 Michigan, the average is Trump plus 0.9.

00:17:38.960 Pennsylvania, the average is Trump plus 0.4.

00:17:45.300 North Carolina, the average is Trump plus 0.5.

00:17:50.640 And Georgia, the average is Trump plus 0.5.

00:17:55.140 Now, one thing that's important to know about that.

00:17:58.360 Every one of those is less than a point.

00:18:00.700 Those averages are close.

00:18:02.180 You want to understand why this election is close?

00:18:04.440 I just went through those seven battlegrounds, and they're all within less than a point on average.

00:18:10.860 But consistently, Trump is ahead in six of the seven.

00:18:14.880 And if that holds through on election day, Trump's the next president.

00:18:20.060 You look at what you just described as Trump being the next president.

00:18:24.420 Let's dive into that.

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00:20:35.980 So, let's talk about the polls.

00:20:39.360 And you mentioned that there's a chance that Donald Trump can really win this thing.

00:20:44.480 I look at the trends right now.

00:20:47.440 And when you see Saturday Night Live, for example, making fun of Kamala Harris,

00:20:52.140 you've got to ask yourself the question, Senator, are they starting to hedge their bets a little bit?

00:20:57.500 But maybe has she lost her mojo? 0.99

00:21:00.200 Or maybe they weren't able to fake out enough Americans to believe she's somehow this great candidate?

00:21:06.100 Well, give a listen right now to SNL turning on Kamala. 0.95

00:21:09.720 It's really quite remarkable.

00:21:11.080 They never turned on Barack Obama.

00:21:13.120 They were very reluctant to turn on Joe Biden.

00:21:15.540 But it's interesting.

00:21:16.640 We've really seen the late-night comics recognizing just how absurd of a candidate she is. 1.00

00:21:23.240 Yeah, they do this Family Feud, if you don't know the game show, or I want you to have reference here.

00:21:28.960 Family Feud, they do a mock-up of that.

00:21:31.560 And it's the, quote, Republicans against the Democrats.

00:21:34.600 And not only do they make fun of Kamala, they make fun of, like, the entire Democratic Party and Joe Biden.

00:21:39.580 Take a listen.

00:21:40.520 All right, let's play the game.

00:21:42.220 Okay, 100 people surveyed.

00:21:43.660 Top six answers on the board.

00:21:45.200 Name something that you keep in your glove compartment.

00:21:47.840 Oh, D.P. Harris.

00:21:48.580 Steve, look, I was raised in a middle-class family, all right?

00:21:54.460 Oh, here we go.

00:21:55.620 Okay, my mother raised my sister and me, all right?

00:21:59.040 She worked hard and saved up.

00:22:01.620 Yeah, uh-huh.

00:22:02.380 And we had a second mother, too.

00:22:04.080 Okay.

00:22:04.800 Did that mother have a glove compartment? 1.00

00:22:07.240 A small business owner named Ms. Shelton.

00:22:09.820 Okay, we got that.

00:22:10.960 Something that you keep in your glove compartment.

00:22:13.680 Oh, a Glock, Steve.

00:22:14.740 A big old Glock.

00:22:16.160 Oh.

00:22:16.440 Oh, snap. 0.99

00:22:20.640 Okay, so you strapped like that.

00:22:22.260 All right.

00:22:23.040 Show me the blip, blam, blicky.

00:22:26.280 All right.

00:22:28.300 Number two answer, the Democrats is controlling the board.

00:22:31.080 Let's go.

00:22:31.600 Yeah.

00:22:32.300 All right.

00:22:33.960 Doug Emermoff, name something that you keep in your glove compartment.

00:22:38.720 Oh, wow.

00:22:39.680 I mean, I can't top that.

00:22:41.260 It was so perfect.

00:22:43.300 I'll go with the same answer, Steve.

00:22:45.360 A Glock.

00:22:45.800 Oh, man, you want to give the same answer?

00:22:49.720 Oh, it seems like a bad strategy, but show me another blip, blam, blicky.

00:22:55.040 Oh.

00:22:58.260 That's crazy.

00:22:59.260 A second gun, that's the number one answer. 1.00

00:23:02.140 Damn, America. 1.00

00:23:03.500 All right. 1.00

00:23:04.200 Let's go over to Tim Walsh.

00:23:06.200 Okay, something that you keep in your glove compartment.

00:23:07.740 This is right in my wheelhouse, in my glove box.

00:23:10.980 I got hot hands, napkins from Runza, and got to have Tums in case I eat something spicy

00:23:17.160 like tomato.

00:23:17.760 Well, if you say so, show me some white nonsense. 1.00

00:23:25.520 Oh, sorry if not up there.

00:23:27.320 Let's go over to President Joe Biden, something that you keep in your glove box.

00:23:30.340 I'd like to buy a vowel.

00:23:33.860 Well, that is, that's the wrong game, player.

00:23:36.420 Come on, Conan.

00:23:39.680 What are you doing?

00:23:40.960 It's me.

00:23:41.640 I'm still the president.

00:23:42.700 I'm Joe.

00:23:43.400 I may be older. 0.99

00:23:44.820 I'll beat the hell out of you. 1.00

00:23:46.420 I'll pop you. 1.00

00:23:47.520 I'll give you an uncle's sandwich.

00:23:48.720 You know how to do it.

00:23:49.540 I can make sandwiches.

00:23:50.820 And guess what?

00:23:51.700 Here's the deal.

00:23:52.660 I'm not the old one now.

00:23:54.280 Trump is.

00:23:55.420 The only difference, I know when to walk away.

00:23:57.540 About six months too late.

00:24:00.900 Okay, show me whatever that was.

00:24:05.140 Oh.

00:24:06.300 I mean, Senator, I was dying laughing when this actually happened, because I got to see it

00:24:11.420 on Saturday Night Live in real time.

00:24:13.580 And I'm like, oh my gosh, they're hedging their bets right now.

00:24:17.420 And not only were they making fun of Kamala, but they put the guy that they're basically saying

00:24:21.580 should have been given the VP Kennedy seat ahead of wall two. 0.61

00:24:25.960 They had third in line next to Joe Biden.

00:24:28.860 Like, they were sending all the signals that, hey, maybe this isn't going to work out.

00:24:32.880 Well, look, they're clearly recognizing there are problems.

00:24:36.800 And SNL making fun of Democrats, that doesn't happen very often.

00:24:40.440 And it was actually funny.

00:24:41.560 One of the few times SNL is funny.

00:24:43.920 And by the way, I'm all for making fun of Republicans too.

00:24:46.860 SNL has made fun of Trump.

00:24:48.640 They've made fun of me a lot of times.

00:24:49.980 It can certainly be funny making fun of Republicans.

00:24:52.740 But when it's a one-sided partisan screed, it makes it a lot less interesting.

00:24:57.220 That was pretty darn funny.

00:24:59.400 But, you know, it's interesting.

00:25:00.500 NBC, it's not just their late night comedy that's recognizing that Kamala's in trouble. 0.99

00:25:06.280 Take a listen to what NBC said on Meet the Press on Sunday.

00:25:09.740 Vice President Kamala Harris had a five-point lead in our last poll taken a month ago right 0.99

00:25:14.740 after the debate.

00:25:15.960 That lead has all but evaporated, Willie.

00:25:18.960 Take a look at this new head-to-head matchup.

00:25:21.940 Forty-eight percent to forty-eight percent.

00:25:24.180 That is what we call a deadlocked race.

00:25:27.540 It underscores what we all know, that this is tight, that the country is sharply divided.

00:25:34.520 One of the other big headlines here, people are viewing the Trump presidency more favorably

00:25:39.640 than the Biden presidency.

00:25:41.080 Why is that significant?

00:25:42.200 We've seen the vice president get pressed repeatedly on what she would do differently than President

00:25:47.980 Biden.

00:25:48.380 And she's really struggled with that answer.

00:25:50.260 We have new reporting that will roll out on the show this morning, Willie, taking us

00:25:54.240 inside the Harris campaign where there are discussions about changing her answer on that.

00:25:59.940 Can she draw a distinction on the Middle East, for example, on immigration, all under discussion

00:26:05.520 with this razor-tight race, Willie?

00:26:08.100 And she continues to say, I am not Joe Biden, but you're right.

00:26:11.360 We'll have to get more specific here.

00:26:12.740 I mean, that is a panic if you are the Democratic Party.

00:26:16.580 Am I wrong?

00:26:18.460 Yeah, you can hear them.

00:26:20.000 Oh, gosh, she says she's not Joe Biden, but everyone knows she is.

00:26:24.300 She's exactly the same.

00:26:26.000 But she's got to say she'll do something better, like immigration, the thing she was in charge 0.98

00:26:31.100 of the last four years.

00:26:32.560 She was border czar, but no, no, no.

00:26:34.200 If she's president, suddenly the open border she was in charge of won't happen.

00:26:37.680 That panic is significant, and listen, this race remains incredibly close, but there is

00:26:45.580 reason to be a lot more optimistic today than there was a month ago.

00:26:50.580 The poll numbers are a lot more encouraging, and we've got three weeks to go.

00:26:54.320 Canadian women are looking for more, more out of themselves, their businesses, their elected 1.00

00:26:58.920 leaders, and the world around them.

00:27:00.640 And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the Honest Talk podcast.

00:27:04.320 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

00:27:05.520 And I'm Catherine Clark.

00:27:06.520 And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women, entrepreneurs, artists,

00:27:11.920 athletes, politicians, and newsmakers, all at different stages of their journey.

00:27:16.300 So if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us.

00:27:19.540 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

00:27:25.180 I want to move to another subject real quick, and this is the reason why we do this podcast

00:27:30.020 is we get to bring you information that is not being covered, and this is important.

00:27:35.180 There was a investigation that you guys put together in Washington that revealed, and you were the leader

00:27:44.020 on this, how the Biden-Harris administration diverted billions of dollars from scientific research

00:27:52.820 to DEI activists.

00:27:55.780 And for people that are listening, let's start with this.

00:27:58.500 Remind them what DEI stands for, and then this story that is broken.

00:28:02.220 Well, DEI is diversity, equity, and inclusion, and it is the catchphrase of the woke left.

00:28:10.420 And let me just give you the headline.

00:28:13.080 Before Biden took office in 2020, less than 1% of the grants from the National Science Foundation

00:28:19.040 were related to DEI.

00:28:20.880 DEI.

00:28:21.880 Today, that number is greater than 10%.

00:28:25.400 So there has been a massive, massive shift.

00:28:28.580 Now, what does that mean?

00:28:29.940 Well, this past week, I put out a report.

00:28:33.360 So as you know, I'm the ranking member on the Senate Committee of Commerce, Science, and

00:28:38.000 Transportation.

00:28:38.860 That means I'm the senior Republican on the Commerce Committee.

00:28:42.020 The Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over about 40% of the U.S. economy, including science,

00:28:47.260 and including the National Science Foundation.

00:28:49.180 So my team engaged in a systematic study, and we put out a report examining how the National

00:28:56.400 Science Foundation has increasingly politicized the use of taxpayer dollars meant for scientific

00:29:02.380 research.

00:29:03.500 And the report shows that in its first week, the Biden-Harris administration mandated that

00:29:11.240 all taxpayer-funded scientific research and development must incorporate diversity, equity,

00:29:17.980 and inclusion, DEI values.

00:29:20.320 In response to this directive, the National Science Foundation allocated over $2.05 billion,

00:29:30.960 over $2 billion, to thousands of research projects that promoted neo-Marxist perspectives,

00:29:38.980 or DEI tenets.

00:29:40.960 And taxpayer dollars supported these very questionable scientific studies used by researchers to drive,

00:29:47.980 extreme ideologies in the classrooms and on their campuses.

00:29:52.180 And here are the top-line numbers.

00:29:54.120 Our analysis identified 3,483 grants, over 10% of all National Science Foundation grants during

00:30:02.360 the Biden-Harris administration, that went to questionable projects promoting DEI or pushing

00:30:08.320 neo-Marxist perspectives about enduring class struggle.

00:30:12.960 And our investigation grouped these grants into five categories.

00:30:17.600 Status, social justice, gender, race, and environmental justice.

00:30:24.240 So let me give you some of the examples.

00:30:26.760 So Shirin Vosugi, who is an associate professor of learning sciences at Northwestern University and

00:30:33.420 a co-principal investigator for a $1,034,751 NSF grant awarded in 2023 for a project titled, quote,

00:30:45.820 Reimagining Educator Learning Pathways Through Storywork for Racial Equity in STEM.

00:30:53.120 And Vosugi credits Marxist Traditions for her decision to teach children, quote,

00:31:00.300 the meaning of genocide and apartheid after Hamas's attack against Israel.

00:31:06.680 I'll give you another example.

00:31:07.880 In 2023, NSF awarded Georgia Institute of Technologies Kelly Cross $99,791 to, quote, disrupt racialized

00:31:20.420 privilege in the STEM classroom by acknowledging, quote, whiteness and white supremacy are deeply

00:31:30.200 ingrained in the past, present, and future of U.S. higher education.

00:31:33.620 Cross sought to, quote, subvert these toxic systems to create a more equitable education

00:31:40.440 system and to, quote, initiate a national conversation about addressing racial inequity and white supremacy

00:31:48.680 in the STEM profession and classroom.

00:31:51.760 This is what your taxpayers tax dollars are going towards.

00:31:55.260 When how does this happen where they can divert this type of funding at this level is the question

00:32:00.960 I think most taxpayers would want to ask immediately, like, I can understand skimming some money here

00:32:06.640 or there, but diverting billions from scientific research to DEI.

00:32:10.640 Two billion dollars.

00:32:12.080 Yeah, two billion dollars to DEI activists.

00:32:15.040 That's not where your tax dollars are supposed to go.

00:32:17.220 And by the way, I think you and I agree on this.

00:32:19.840 I wouldn't want these funds diverted to a conservative activist group either.

00:32:25.940 No, this is meant to be science.

00:32:28.260 This is meant to be saving people's lives.

00:32:30.060 Let me give you another example.

00:32:32.000 In 2022, NSF awarded San Jose State University $401,744 for an ongoing project to, quote,

00:32:41.780 transform science teaching and learning through empowering teachers and students as climate

00:32:47.480 justice action researchers and change agents.

00:32:51.360 The project is meant to foster, quote, the development of a hub for justice-centered science education and will produce school-based materials and professional development activities that examine the interwoven nature of climate justice and racial justice.

00:33:06.720 Now, who is in charge of this?

00:33:07.760 Well, the principal investigator was Tammy Vicentainer, who sees her classroom as a venue for social activism.

00:33:17.940 In April 2024, Vicentainer wrote that her course, quote, for aspiring middle and high school teachers centers racial justice in science education.

00:33:29.660 And at the end of her course, she showed her students photos of Israel dropping pamphlets inside the Gaza Strip to warn residents to move out of the way of incoming rocket fire.

00:33:41.580 Vicentainer, who claimed that Hamas' October terror attack needed to be contextualized, explained that the photos, quote,

00:33:51.540 create spaces that engage complexity in promotion of shared dignity and humanity to build bridges across differences.

00:33:59.540 But she didn't explain what the hell they had to do with science, which is what a National Science Foundation grant is supposed to be about.

00:34:09.060 Incredible.

00:34:10.020 Let me tell you about the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

00:34:13.320 October the 7th was the one-year mark of the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

00:34:19.160 1,200 Israelis were murdered and more than 250 were taken hostage.

00:34:24.260 Yet the war in Israel rages on today, with Iran firing a massive barrage of nearly 200 ballistic missiles earlier this month.

00:34:33.220 Israel and her people are facing attacks from enemies on all sides.

00:34:37.700 Now, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is on the ground, and they're providing critical needs for the people.

00:34:44.260 We're talking about food, shelter, and safety to those in need during this crisis.

00:34:48.360 Since the war started, thousands of reservists, everyday Israeli citizens, have left their families to serve their country.

00:34:56.820 Soldiers have been injured, and their families need our support as well.

00:35:00.180 And that's why I'm asking for you to give a gift of $150 to help the fellowship provide food and other basic necessities to these families to help them survive.

00:35:11.100 I want to say thank you to so many of you who've gotten involved, and thank you for those that are going to give today.

00:35:17.600 Because the fellowship also has a supporter that said they will match your gift, doubling your impact if you give right now.

00:35:27.220 So join us in letting those families know that listeners like you stand with Israel.

00:35:32.640 You can call to make your $150 gift, and it will double and impact right away at 888-488-IFCJ.

00:35:41.100 That's 888-488-4325.

00:35:45.820 Or you can go online to supportIFCJ.org.

00:35:50.960 That's one word, supportIFCJ.org.

00:35:55.780 Senator, final question on this story that you obviously have broken, and it's a big one.

00:36:02.560 When these types of stories break, usually in the past, you'd have a lot of media that would cover it.

00:36:08.780 You'd have other colleagues that would come in and say they want to make sure this is stopped, or have rules and regulations that would help stop it right away.

00:36:18.260 When you came out with this report, did any of the major media outlets call and say, hey, we want this info that you're exposing, or do they just look the other way?

00:36:26.260 Well, there were a handful of stories, but they were principally in conservative outlets, because the actual corporate media doesn't cover news.

00:36:34.080 This news is inconvenient.

00:36:35.520 The fact that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are funneling billions that's meant to go to science, that's meant to save lives, that's meant to promote basic research.

00:36:45.800 They're funneling it instead to aggressively ideological left-wing activist zealots.

00:36:52.520 Zealots, they're using it to corrupt students, to corrupt universities, to corrupt K-12 education. 0.55

00:36:58.960 That is a message that the media does not want to cover.

00:37:02.920 They will actively do everything they can to suppress, because look, you know, what's the big deal to stealing billions of dollars of taxpayer money to fund Marxists poisoning the minds of our kids?

00:37:13.260 The next thing you know, you're going to say it's a big deal that a handful of apartment complexes are taken over by Venezuelan gangs.

00:37:22.680 Yeah, great point.

00:37:23.860 Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

00:37:26.320 Hit that subscribe or auto-download button.

00:37:28.580 On those in-between days, grab my podcast as well.

00:37:31.260 I'll keep you up to date on the latest breaking news, the Ben Ferguson podcast, so download that right now as well.

00:37:36.200 And then Senator and I will see you back here on Wednesday morning.

00:37:39.700 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:37:41.580 Guaranteed Human.

Verdict with Ted Cruz - October 14, 2024

＂Only a Handful＂ of Apartment Complexes Taken over by Venezuelan Gangs is No Big Deal Media Says, plus Where Does The Presidential Race Stand？

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