Verdict with Ted Cruz - March 14, 2025


Terrorist Linked Illegal Aliens Released into the US plus Protecting Your Children takes a Single Act


Episode Stats

Length

42 minutes

Words per Minute

160.25414

Word Count

6,760

Sentence Count

422

Misogynist Sentences

18

Hate Speech Sentences

3


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.560 Guaranteed human.
00:00:06.260 Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you.
00:00:10.320 And Senator, there are a couple big issues we get to deal with today that are really important,
00:00:14.320 including a shock that almost 100 terror-linked migrants were released into the United States of America in 2024 alone by the Biden administration.
00:00:25.900 It really is a shocking story.
00:00:27.960 Tulsi Gabbard revealed in Eagle Pass in Texas that the intelligence community had informed the Biden administration
00:00:35.120 that of hundreds of terror-linked illegal immigrants, that roughly 100 of them were arrested in 2024
00:00:43.680 and that they released all but eight of them after they knew that they were linked to terrorist organizations.
00:00:51.440 It's a shocking story. We're going to break it down and give you the details.
00:00:54.380 We're also going to talk about the Take It Down Act.
00:00:56.440 The Take It Down Act is my legislation protecting women, protecting teenage girls, teenage boys,
00:01:01.880 from revenge porn, from deep fakes online.
00:01:06.680 And this week, the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, she came to the Capitol supporting my legislation.
00:01:11.860 We did a roundtable together, so we're going to bring you into what Melania had to say about the Take It Down Act.
00:01:16.880 And also, President Trump at the State of the Union praised the Senate for passing my Take It Down Act unanimously and called on the House to pass it.
00:01:25.020 We're going to bring you in that roundtable, and you're going to hear what the First Lady had to say and what several of the victims had to say.
00:01:30.960 I got to tell you, today I did something that was just really fun, and it was to spend a little time at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas,
00:01:41.360 with my friends at the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
00:01:44.580 And I got to see just what their work looks like with some videos that I was shown, some pictures of the impact that so many of you are having by being involved with IFCJ and helping the people in Israel.
00:01:58.520 After more than a year of war, terror and pain in Israel, there is still a great demand for basic humanitarian aid.
00:02:05.180 And that is where the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has supported, and they continue to support those in the Holy Land still facing the lingering horrors of war and those who are in desperate need right now.
00:02:18.340 Your ongoing monthly gift of $45 will provide critically needed aid to communities in the North and the South that have been devastated by the ongoing attacks against the Jewish people.
00:02:30.560 Now, your generous donation each month helps deliver to those that are in need the most, including the evacuees and the refugees from all of these different war-torn areas.
00:02:41.000 There's also a lot of first responders and volunteers and wounded soldiers, even elderly Holocaust survivors that are in desperate need, and you are helping them.
00:02:51.140 That is why I just want to say, number one, thank you for getting involved and helping so many people in this great time of need and uncertainty.
00:02:59.360 Your gift to bless Israel and her people, you can do that by visiting supportifcj.org.
00:03:07.600 That's one word, supportifcj.org.
00:03:11.740 Or you can call them, 888-488-IFCJ.
00:03:16.620 That's 888-488-IFCJ.
00:03:20.940 888-488-4325.
00:03:23.740 Or supportifcj.org.
00:03:26.420 All right, let me also remind you, don't forget, the algorithms change and the way that podcasts change all the time.
00:03:32.220 So if you have not hit that subscribe button or auto-download button, make sure you check that, hit the save, depending on where you're listening.
00:03:40.360 And please, if you'll help us by reaching, we'll reach more people when you guys share this pod on social media.
00:03:46.520 So we do the fight here every day to try to get you great intel and information on what's happening in D.C.
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00:04:02.180 So let's go back, Senator, to this headline.
00:04:05.900 Almost 100 terrorist-linked migrants released in 2024.
00:04:10.280 The part that I think we really should hone in on is this wasn't an accident.
00:04:15.900 It wasn't like a misappropriation of paperwork.
00:04:19.540 This was done on purpose.
00:04:21.760 Yeah, they knew.
00:04:22.740 They had full knowledge.
00:04:24.260 And look, don't take my word for it.
00:04:26.200 Listen to Tulsi Gabbard and what she said this week down in Texas at the Eagle Pass.
00:04:31.180 Give a listen.
00:04:32.000 Trump has been in office.
00:04:33.340 Really, what you're seeing here today and what you'll continue to see is a unified effort across President Trump's national security team,
00:04:40.820 the Department of Homeland Security, towards our mission, which is to ensure a safe, free, and prosperous society for Americans.
00:04:48.240 As Director of National Intelligence, there are a number of areas where we are focused.
00:04:53.220 The President talked about in his speech, over 21 million people have come across our borders illegally under Joe Biden's administration.
00:05:00.600 There are many of them that we don't know who they are.
00:05:03.620 They have not been vetted.
00:05:05.120 We don't know where they are.
00:05:06.860 I'll give you one quick example of one of the problems that we are getting after.
00:05:11.500 From Central Asia, there were over 4,000 people who came across our borders using an ISIS-affiliated network.
00:05:19.060 Our National Counterterrorism Center went through and identified those individuals.
00:05:23.480 There were hundreds of them who were either known terrorists or associated with known terrorists.
00:05:28.540 That information was provided to the Biden administration.
00:05:32.160 You may remember in some of the news, a little over 100 of those people were arrested in 2024.
00:05:38.380 Of those who were arrested, only eight were either deported or remained in custody.
00:05:44.880 Only eight.
00:05:45.860 The rest of them were released back into our country.
00:05:49.380 Where are they?
00:05:50.180 What are they doing?
00:05:51.300 What may they be plotting?
00:05:53.100 This is just the beginning.
00:05:54.320 There are many, many areas that we need to stay very focused on, working with the Department of Homeland Security, working with the FBI to ensure that we're keeping the American people safe.
00:06:04.140 Our Counterterrorism Center is working on making sure that we have that single source for vetting so that we can figure out who is actually in our country and identify those who pose a threat and get them removed.
00:06:16.380 The president's designation of the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations falls directly into this, especially as we're seeing some of the tactics that these cartels are using reflect some of the tactics that we've seen used by Islamist terrorists in countries that many of us have served in overseas.
00:06:32.300 Our mission is very clear.
00:06:34.600 Our objective is to keep the American people safe.
00:06:37.200 I'm grateful to be a part of this team that President Trump has assembled to accomplish that mission.
00:06:41.800 Thank you.
00:06:42.760 I love the focus.
00:06:44.420 The vice president was down there as well.
00:06:45.940 Well, the team and, you know, you compare that to the border czar who never decided to go to Eagle Pass, didn't want anything to do with it.
00:06:51.680 And now we understand, again, more why, because they knew they were doing all of the things that they were doing to put America's national security at risk.
00:06:59.340 Yeah, and it's worth really focusing on the facts that Tulsi Gabbard, who's now the director of national intelligence, what she said.
00:07:08.080 She said from Central Asia, there were more than 4,000 people who came across our borders using an ISIS-affiliated network.
00:07:17.860 So ISIS, you know, kind of bad guys, terrorists who've killed lots and lots of Americans, they're smuggling over 4,000 people illegally into this country from Central Asia.
00:07:28.680 By the way, Central Asia includes multiple Islamic countries like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, where radical Islamic terrorism is a real threat.
00:07:37.100 And Tulsi said the National Counterterrorism Center went through and identified those over 4,000 individuals, and there were hundreds of them, hundreds is the word she used, who were either known terrorists or associated with known terrorists.
00:07:56.080 And then she says, quote, that information was provided to the Biden administration.
00:08:02.960 So the Biden administration knew hundreds of either known terrorists or people associated with known terrorists were smuggled into America illegally by an ISIS-affiliated network.
00:08:15.320 And then she goes on to say in 2024, a little over 100 of those terror-linked people were arrested.
00:08:24.840 And then the shocking thing, of the little more than 100, only eight were either deported or remained in custody.
00:08:35.880 Only eight.
00:08:37.760 Quote, the rest of them were released back into our country.
00:08:43.600 So, this is not illegal aliens crossing the border that get apprehended, they let them go, but they don't know they're terrorists.
00:08:49.560 These are people they know are either themselves known terrorists or associated with known terrorists.
00:08:57.400 They also know that they were smuggled illegally into this country by an ISIS-affiliated network, and they were arrested again.
00:09:04.560 And yet, over 90 of them, nearly 100, the Biden administration released into America, into your community, into my community, in a single year.
00:09:18.080 This is in 2024.
00:09:20.300 That is stunning.
00:09:23.120 And I've got to tell you, Ben, I've never heard a single Democrat give any justification for what is just idiocy.
00:09:31.740 Let's release terror-linked illegal immigrants into America.
00:09:35.540 What possibly could go wrong with that?
00:09:37.860 When you look at the, and sometimes it's just people are stupid, is it, but it also could be more, I could be more sinister than that, I guess.
00:09:46.600 I look at this, I'm like, they knew it.
00:09:49.700 Did they just not want to admit that the open border would allow for so many bad actors to come across, with many that may just be coming across, right, for a better life, a job, if you put it in the best light possible, Senator.
00:10:03.780 And so they knew that if they admitted they caught these people, and then they didn't release them, and they actually prosecuted them or sent them back to their country, there's a lot of options here.
00:10:13.660 That was going to sign a huge light on the problem.
00:10:16.340 So therefore, hey, we can't admit it's happening.
00:10:18.100 So we're just going to go with this anarchy and insanity until the end.
00:10:22.280 Look, Ben, I really don't know.
00:10:25.460 You know, I had, my very first boss had a phrase he used to say.
00:10:28.620 He said, never attribute to incompetence, never attribute to malice what can be explained with incompetence.
00:10:35.960 And look, I think there's a lot of wisdom to that, that a lot of times people are just, they just do dumb things.
00:10:41.040 That being said, listen, do I believe the Biden administration wants terrorists to attack America?
00:10:50.060 No.
00:10:51.600 But then why the hell would you release these people?
00:10:54.380 And I guess the only plausible explanation I can come up with is they're such radicals on open borders.
00:11:02.480 They're so committed to their open borders because they want millions and millions of illegal immigrants because they view them as future Democrat voters,
00:11:10.300 that they're just deportation was off the table.
00:11:13.480 They're not in that business.
00:11:14.900 They don't do it.
00:11:15.660 I don't know.
00:11:17.580 Listen, this is related to a story we covered in a pod a couple of weeks ago.
00:11:21.860 We're in Massachusetts right now.
00:11:24.580 They're taking violent child abusers, child molesters, people who are raping children,
00:11:31.740 who are illegal aliens.
00:11:33.460 And even with violent child rapists, the Massachusetts authorities are releasing them
00:11:39.240 rather than give them over to ICE to be deported.
00:11:41.860 Now, look, reasonable people, you could have an argument about what should be the level of illegal immigration.
00:11:47.540 There are all sorts of things you'd have reasonable disagreements on.
00:11:50.540 But, I mean, Ben, explain to me why someone says, you know what we need more of?
00:11:55.040 We need more child rapists in our community.
00:11:58.880 Let's let these go.
00:11:59.760 Like, my brain cannot wrap itself around those repeated actions, and yet that's what's happening.
00:12:07.500 This is the same sort of thing.
00:12:08.620 You apprehend someone who's a known terrorist who was smuggled into America by ISIS,
00:12:13.540 and you say, oh, let's let him go.
00:12:15.480 Like, I don't know.
00:12:18.140 You know, the poll numbers that came out from the president's speech the other night were truly incredible.
00:12:23.340 76% approved of Trump's address to Congress.
00:12:26.180 That is a massive win for the president.
00:12:29.440 You look at some of the other ones, poll numbers, not only that, 91% said Trump spent time on issues they cared about.
00:12:37.660 Yeah.
00:12:38.060 That is a home run.
00:12:40.660 71% said the speech was, quote, inspiring.
00:12:44.240 And 62% said it was unifying.
00:12:46.540 And they said that this speech, 68% said they felt hopeful, 54% said they felt proud of the country from the speech.
00:12:56.860 And when you look at these numbers, even on the issue of inflation, where Democrats leaned in heavy over the last few weeks to try to say everything that's, you know, eggs and everything else are the problem of Donald Trump.
00:13:07.900 The American people aren't buying that either.
00:13:09.480 When they were asked whether the president had a clear plan to battle inflation, 68% said yes to that as well.
00:13:15.540 And then on the issue of immigration at the border, the people watched and 77% said they were in favor of Donald Trump's plan on immigration at the border.
00:13:29.480 When you see this, right, and you look at what the president's saying, and then all those that are working towards this, you've got the vice president, you've got Tulsa, you've got the secretary of state.
00:13:41.140 Everyone seems to be in lockstep on this issue of the border.
00:13:44.600 Is that the reason why you think the president's winning so much right now on securing this border?
00:13:49.760 Because he's explaining it the way we are right now as well?
00:13:53.220 Because he is not absolutely frigging nuts?
00:13:56.020 Yes.
00:13:56.800 I think the Democrat Party has gone insane.
00:13:59.480 Releasing murderers and rapists and child molesters into America is a really bad idea, and it turns out it's a really unpopular idea.
00:14:09.040 Releasing terrorists into America is a really bad idea, and it turns out it's a really unpopular idea.
00:14:15.180 Look, you and I, we did a pod the night of the State of the Union, and we talked a lot about how the Democrats, for the first time ever, didn't applaud for the president of the United States,
00:14:26.840 didn't stand for the president of the United States, didn't applaud at anything.
00:14:30.780 I'll tell you, actually, yesterday in the Senate gym, I had a conversation with a Senate Democrat.
00:14:35.920 I'll keep him anonymous, but he was a Senate Democrat, one of my colleagues.
00:14:39.280 And he made a comment, he said something about, he thought we were just living in a surreal world.
00:14:46.960 And I said, look, I gotta say, I was shocked that you guys didn't applaud or stand for the president at all.
00:14:55.800 And he was like, well, you gotta understand, we just think he's destroying the Constitution.
00:15:05.300 And I said, look, I stood and applauded every year for Barack Obama, I stood and applauded every year for Joe Biden,
00:15:12.140 and I disagreed with almost everything they were doing.
00:15:15.620 But I respect the office, and I respect the American people.
00:15:18.700 And he just kind of shrugged and said, we're living in different universes, and our bases are fundamentally different.
00:15:28.120 You look at Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he also announced a policy to penalize foreign countries
00:15:33.900 that allow the transit of illegal immigrants, and is pressuring many countries that refuse to accept the return of their migrants as well.
00:15:42.180 So, this could also have a big impact on this country.
00:15:47.400 I want to get your thoughts on that.
00:15:50.060 Yeah, look, this administration is securing the border.
00:15:53.840 They're doing it right now.
00:15:55.000 And they are going to deport illegal aliens.
00:15:58.160 They are going to send out of the country, especially the violent criminal illegal aliens,
00:16:03.100 the murderers, the rapists, the child molesters, the gangbangers.
00:16:06.720 And the countries that don't take it, they're going to make them take it.
00:16:11.360 And that's what a strong president who's actually defending this country does.
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00:16:46.820 All right.
00:16:47.420 I want to move on to this other really important issue.
00:16:50.700 And I want to say sincerely, Senator, thank you for leading on the Take It Down Act.
00:16:56.740 It is going to have a huge impact in this country at protecting people against deep fake porn
00:17:05.100 and people that are trying to harm them, especially young girls.
00:17:09.360 You've highlighted it and explained it.
00:17:11.440 And the First Lady is now all in on this issue as well.
00:17:14.420 And you guys had a roundtable on Capitol Hill.
00:17:17.760 Talk a little bit about this.
00:17:19.060 Well, yeah.
00:17:20.940 So, the First Lady came this week to Capitol Hill.
00:17:23.800 And this is the first legislative issue she's gotten involved in this term.
00:17:28.060 And she's leaned in hard in support of my Take It Down legislation.
00:17:32.280 And so, we did a roundtable that she came and participated in.
00:17:36.460 And we had several of the victims who had been targeted share their stories.
00:17:42.100 And it was really powerful.
00:17:44.060 And her leadership will really have a powerful effect.
00:17:47.220 Here, I want you to listen.
00:17:48.620 These are my opening remarks at the roundtable.
00:17:51.840 Give a listen.
00:17:52.620 I'll start by thanking the First Lady for joining us today.
00:17:55.820 And thank you for your support of this incredibly important legislation, the Take It Down Act,
00:18:02.020 which has already passed the Senate unanimously.
00:18:04.740 And I am hopeful that the House will soon take it up and pass it
00:18:07.980 and put it on the President's desk to be signed into law to protect young women and young boys
00:18:15.120 and all of those who are being victimized across the country.
00:18:19.220 I also want to thank our brave victims and victim advocates who are here,
00:18:24.540 Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Brandon Guffey, and Breeze Liu.
00:18:29.400 Thank you for being here.
00:18:30.780 Each of you have endured the unspeakable.
00:18:34.340 And your courage standing up and speaking for others is really remarkable.
00:18:40.900 I also want to thank Stephan Turkheimer with RAINN for your advocacy and support on this issue as well.
00:18:47.040 Thank you for your leadership.
00:18:49.000 And, of course, I want to thank Senator Klobuchar, who is the lead Democrat sponsor in the Senate,
00:18:54.380 and Representative Salazar and Representative Dean, who are the lead sponsors in the House,
00:18:59.540 who have worked alongside in this important bipartisan legislation.
00:19:06.100 If you're a victim of revenge porn or AI-generated explicit imagery,
00:19:12.800 your life changes forever.
00:19:15.900 Most likely you've been targeted by someone you know.
00:19:19.040 And you're likely struggling to have that material removed from the Internet.
00:19:25.600 Disturbingly, many of these victims are teenagers at American high schools
00:19:30.580 who are facing a surge in AI-generated sexual images.
00:19:37.200 Hundreds of teens, often targeted by their own classmates,
00:19:41.920 are enduring senseless psychological harm,
00:19:45.180 knowing that these fake images exist and they're still out there.
00:19:48.360 And in many cases, there's no recourse for these teenage victims.
00:19:54.200 But this issue extends beyond high school.
00:19:57.500 There are thousands of cases where predators have used non-consensual intimate images
00:20:02.940 to extort victims, both sexually and financially.
00:20:08.820 And the results can be even more traumatic than financial loss,
00:20:16.400 as we'll hear here today.
00:20:19.280 In dozens of instances, parents and siblings have suffered unbearable pain,
00:20:27.540 having lost their child or their brother or their sister to suicide
00:20:32.000 because the victim felt there was no way out from sextortion.
00:20:38.440 Outside of high school,
00:20:40.400 many adults are also dealing with the very real and dire consequences
00:20:45.100 of having their sexually explicit images shared online without their consent.
00:20:50.580 I have heard from victims of sexual abuse, of rape, of human trafficking,
00:20:58.080 who strongly support the Take It Down Act
00:21:00.800 because they desperately want some of the most traumatic moments of their lives
00:21:05.120 taken off the Internet.
00:21:07.940 The Take It Down Act empowers victims across the entire United States.
00:21:12.700 It makes it a felony for these deviants to publish any non-consensual intimate images,
00:21:20.820 including fake, lifelike, pornographic images of real people.
00:21:27.720 Just as importantly, our bipartisan bill requires big tech
00:21:33.020 to have a notice and takedown process
00:21:35.620 so that every victimized American,
00:21:38.760 not just the rich and famous, but everyone,
00:21:41.300 has a right to get these disturbing images taken offline immediately.
00:21:48.660 We are today one step closer
00:21:51.620 to making this dream a reality.
00:21:54.460 Just three weeks ago,
00:21:56.140 the Senate unanimously passed the Take It Down Act.
00:22:00.240 Now it goes to my House colleagues,
00:22:02.320 and I have every assurance and confidence
00:22:04.900 that the House will take this up,
00:22:07.520 pass it, and put it on the President's desk
00:22:09.480 so that we can protect the victims of these predators.
00:22:14.060 And we're very excited to be joined today
00:22:16.160 by the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump.
00:22:19.540 Mrs. Trump has long been a champion
00:22:22.140 for protecting our nation's children
00:22:24.460 with her Be Best initiative.
00:22:27.420 And I can think of no more important issue
00:22:29.580 for our First Lady to lean on
00:22:31.060 than protecting children online.
00:22:33.280 Your success will mean our children's success
00:22:36.840 and healing for thousands of victims.
00:22:41.100 I mean, it's incredible, this legislation,
00:22:44.400 and it's also awesome to see the First Lady
00:22:47.040 coming to the forefront on this issue
00:22:50.360 and saying, I want to champion this as well.
00:22:52.820 Yeah, look, it was tremendously important.
00:22:54.720 She reached out.
00:22:55.500 She wanted to do this.
00:22:56.560 She actively participated in the roundtable.
00:23:00.820 And here, I want to play a moment
00:23:02.240 of what she had to say at the roundtable.
00:23:04.780 Here's the First Lady, Melania Trump.
00:23:08.460 I was heartened to learn that Senator Cruz
00:23:11.380 and Senator Kovach are united
00:23:13.660 to prioritize this fundamental matter.
00:23:15.960 I must admit, however,
00:23:19.320 I expected to see more Democrats,
00:23:21.880 leaders with us here today,
00:23:24.820 to address this serious issue.
00:23:28.240 Surely, as adults,
00:23:29.720 we can prioritize America's children
00:23:32.480 ahead of the continent holidays.
00:23:36.280 I urge Congress to prioritize
00:23:39.120 the passage of the taking-down epi-field.
00:23:43.140 This legislation is essential
00:23:45.240 for addressing the growing concerns
00:23:47.680 related to online safety,
00:23:50.680 protecting individual rights,
00:23:53.300 and promoting a healthier digital environment.
00:23:58.140 By advocating this bill,
00:24:00.360 Congress can take an important step
00:24:02.760 towards ensuring accountability
00:24:04.860 and fostering responsibly online behavior.
00:24:09.940 The taking-down epi-field
00:24:11.740 represents a powerful step
00:24:14.420 goal of justice,
00:24:16.580 healing, and unity.
00:24:18.860 The First Lady there,
00:24:20.500 and I do love that she was honest.
00:24:22.880 She's like,
00:24:23.660 how are there not more Democrats with this?
00:24:27.320 Well, and look,
00:24:28.860 the answer is the anger and rage
00:24:31.800 we saw at the State of the Union.
00:24:33.200 They're just filled with anger and rage.
00:24:35.760 But I will say,
00:24:36.980 the fact that the First Lady got involved,
00:24:39.320 so last year,
00:24:41.100 we passed the Take-It-Down Act out of the Senate.
00:24:43.200 We got it passed out of the Senate
00:24:44.360 and it went to the House,
00:24:45.620 and unfortunately,
00:24:46.680 the House did not take it up and pass it.
00:24:48.400 Now, the House tried to,
00:24:50.200 and they actually had it attached
00:24:51.400 to the continuing resolution
00:24:52.980 at the end of the year,
00:24:54.100 and then it dropped out
00:24:55.180 at the end of the day.
00:24:57.660 And so here's how this happens.
00:25:00.300 When the First Lady wanted to come,
00:25:02.520 she came,
00:25:03.520 and we invited multiple victims
00:25:05.040 to tell their stories,
00:25:06.080 and it was very powerful.
00:25:07.740 But we also invited
00:25:09.100 the Speaker of the House
00:25:10.100 and the majority leader in the House.
00:25:14.640 And so both Speaker Johnson
00:25:16.120 and Leader Scalise came,
00:25:18.440 and both Mike and Steve
00:25:19.500 are good friends.
00:25:20.960 But look,
00:25:21.560 one of the challenges
00:25:22.380 of getting any legislation
00:25:24.040 to move in either body
00:25:25.800 is getting leadership to prioritize it.
00:25:27.740 There are lots of priorities.
00:25:28.840 There are lots of people
00:25:29.540 pulling in all sorts
00:25:30.780 of different directions.
00:25:31.500 And so you're always battling
00:25:32.840 to say, okay,
00:25:34.380 this should be high enough
00:25:36.660 up on the priority list to move.
00:25:38.240 And the fact that
00:25:39.340 the First Lady leaned in
00:25:40.740 now makes it a certainty.
00:25:42.820 Both the Speaker
00:25:43.520 and the majority leader committed
00:25:45.600 the House will take it up
00:25:47.360 and they will pass it.
00:25:48.300 And I think they're going to do so quickly.
00:25:51.320 And Elliston Berry,
00:25:52.560 so Elliston was there,
00:25:53.960 and she is,
00:25:55.180 she's from Texas.
00:25:56.560 She is a 15-year-old girl.
00:25:59.060 And what happened to her,
00:25:59.980 she's from Aledo, Texas,
00:26:01.000 up in North Texas.
00:26:02.500 And what happened to her
00:26:03.640 is she woke up one morning,
00:26:05.620 and she was in ninth grade,
00:26:06.760 and she was getting all these texts
00:26:08.400 and calls from her friends.
00:26:10.240 And it turns out
00:26:11.320 a classmate of hers,
00:26:12.920 a boy in her class,
00:26:14.600 took a perfectly innocent picture
00:26:17.020 of her from social media
00:26:18.240 and used an app,
00:26:21.200 an AI app,
00:26:22.140 to create a deep fake
00:26:23.680 that turned her picture
00:26:26.760 into naked pictures.
00:26:27.880 Now, it wasn't real,
00:26:29.140 but anyone looking at it
00:26:30.380 would think it was real.
00:26:31.200 It appeared to be real.
00:26:32.600 And then this ninth grader
00:26:35.760 emailed it,
00:26:36.960 or not emailed it,
00:26:37.900 but sent it on Snapchat
00:26:38.820 to all of her classmates.
00:26:40.800 And so she woke up,
00:26:42.740 you know,
00:26:43.040 just in tears
00:26:43.900 because all of her classmates,
00:26:45.640 I mean, look,
00:26:46.160 remember how hard freshman year is?
00:26:47.560 It's hard to be a teenager.
00:26:49.340 Yeah.
00:26:49.680 And the nightmare,
00:26:51.420 you're a teenage girl,
00:26:52.600 and suddenly all your friends
00:26:54.160 think they're looking
00:26:54.880 at naked pictures of you.
00:26:56.760 And there was nothing
00:26:58.420 she could do about it.
00:26:59.360 The boy,
00:26:59.740 they found out who did it,
00:27:00.880 and he did not get
00:27:03.820 in significant trouble.
00:27:05.800 And she was frustrated
00:27:08.720 out of her mind.
00:27:09.480 Now, it's kind of a cool story
00:27:11.200 how the Take It Down
00:27:13.700 legislation happened,
00:27:14.900 which is she's a Texan,
00:27:16.760 she's a constituent,
00:27:18.360 and so her mother
00:27:19.260 called my office
00:27:20.200 and described what had happened
00:27:21.880 to her daughter
00:27:23.200 and said,
00:27:23.720 look, can y'all help us with this?
00:27:26.680 And my team brought it
00:27:27.980 to my attention.
00:27:28.760 And I said,
00:27:29.180 look, this is horrible.
00:27:30.140 Let's do something about it.
00:27:31.440 And so Elliston was actually
00:27:34.000 the inspiration for this legislation
00:27:36.000 because I heard
00:27:36.860 what happened to her,
00:27:38.400 and I said,
00:27:38.940 this isn't right.
00:27:40.500 And so we drafted the bill,
00:27:42.880 and we invited Elliston
00:27:44.840 and her mom,
00:27:45.820 Anna,
00:27:46.100 to come up to D.C.,
00:27:47.140 and they were at the press conference
00:27:48.600 where we introduced the bill.
00:27:50.640 And Bennett was striking.
00:27:52.040 We were meeting in my office
00:27:53.020 before the press conference,
00:27:54.100 and I was talking.
00:27:54.960 It was the first time
00:27:55.380 I'd met them in person.
00:27:57.360 And I was talking,
00:27:58.560 and I asked in the middle
00:27:59.740 of the conversation,
00:28:00.540 I said,
00:28:00.860 okay,
00:28:01.220 so what happened
00:28:02.320 to the pictures?
00:28:03.860 And they both looked at me
00:28:05.420 in enormous frustration,
00:28:07.240 and they said,
00:28:07.740 they're still up.
00:28:08.840 It had been nine months
00:28:09.880 since this had happened.
00:28:11.700 And Elliston's mom said
00:28:13.240 she had called Snapchat repeatedly.
00:28:15.500 She'd emailed them,
00:28:16.900 and she just got the stiff arm.
00:28:18.460 She said it was,
00:28:18.940 they were just stonewalling.
00:28:20.100 They would get no response
00:28:21.400 whatsoever.
00:28:22.480 And so I turned to my staff,
00:28:24.680 and I said,
00:28:25.440 I want you to get the CEO
00:28:26.620 of Snapchat on the phone today.
00:28:29.800 And I said,
00:28:30.560 I want this garbage down today.
00:28:34.000 Within two hours,
00:28:35.140 they pulled him down.
00:28:36.840 Incredible.
00:28:37.720 Now, look,
00:28:38.200 it's maddening,
00:28:39.220 but it shouldn't take
00:28:41.000 a sitting U.S. senator
00:28:42.500 making a phone call
00:28:44.300 to the CEO
00:28:44.980 to get it down.
00:28:46.040 The victims
00:28:47.020 ought to have the right
00:28:48.000 to get it down.
00:28:48.680 So what we wrote
00:28:49.360 into the Take It Down Act
00:28:50.340 is, number one,
00:28:51.180 we make it a felony
00:28:52.660 to post non-consensual
00:28:55.000 intimate images,
00:28:55.800 either real pictures.
00:28:57.000 Let's say you have,
00:28:58.800 and real pictures
00:28:59.600 can come from
00:29:00.220 a number of places.
00:29:02.300 They can come from,
00:29:03.160 number one,
00:29:04.340 people who are
00:29:05.400 in a romantic relationship,
00:29:06.600 and they take a picture,
00:29:07.640 they take a video,
00:29:08.320 and then they have a breakup,
00:29:09.580 and somebody's pissed
00:29:11.000 and decide to post it
00:29:11.960 to the world.
00:29:12.620 And that's a grotesque
00:29:13.900 violation of privacy.
00:29:14.940 You don't have a right
00:29:15.580 to do that to somebody else.
00:29:18.020 Or they can come
00:29:19.340 from deep fakes,
00:29:23.320 and we're seeing
00:29:24.100 the numbers,
00:29:24.640 the numbers have increased
00:29:25.520 3,000%
00:29:27.020 of deep fakes
00:29:29.260 that are being put out.
00:29:30.180 They're real pictures,
00:29:31.900 but they're real people,
00:29:34.260 but fake,
00:29:35.120 either explicit pictures,
00:29:37.480 or in some cases,
00:29:38.380 explicit videos
00:29:39.460 that appear to be
00:29:40.260 sexual videos,
00:29:41.280 and they're generated
00:29:42.300 by AI,
00:29:43.020 but nobody watching
00:29:43.780 can tell.
00:29:44.500 And this is exploding,
00:29:46.520 and one of the reasons
00:29:47.220 you need the legislation
00:29:48.260 is a number of states
00:29:49.680 have passed laws
00:29:50.560 criminalizing revenge porn,
00:29:52.720 but the laws often
00:29:54.680 don't cover deep fakes.
00:29:56.400 They only cover real pictures,
00:29:57.980 and so deep fakes
00:29:58.760 fall into a hole
00:29:59.680 in the law.
00:30:00.880 And I'll tell you, Ben,
00:30:01.660 there's another instance
00:30:02.460 where this happens,
00:30:03.380 which is kids
00:30:05.480 are subject
00:30:06.760 to human trafficking
00:30:08.480 and are sexually abused
00:30:11.240 and violated,
00:30:12.520 and you have the predators
00:30:13.600 will put those images
00:30:14.560 out online.
00:30:16.300 And the second component
00:30:19.600 of this bill
00:30:20.440 is a requirement
00:30:21.480 that any tech platform
00:30:23.040 take down these images
00:30:25.820 or these videos
00:30:26.820 once they're notified
00:30:28.520 by the victim,
00:30:29.240 a legal requirement
00:30:30.440 that once you're notified,
00:30:31.940 you've got 48 hours
00:30:33.800 to take it down,
00:30:34.740 or else they face
00:30:36.860 serious penalties.
00:30:38.740 And that,
00:30:40.100 the number of victims
00:30:41.940 I've heard
00:30:42.520 who have been so frustrated
00:30:44.080 getting big tech
00:30:44.880 to act,
00:30:45.800 in many ways
00:30:46.840 that's the most important
00:30:47.820 part of this bill
00:30:48.500 is getting this garbage
00:30:49.480 taken down
00:30:50.140 and creating a legal right
00:30:51.820 for any victim
00:30:52.860 to remove the content.
00:30:55.620 One of the things
00:30:56.420 that I also love seeing now,
00:30:58.620 and I want you to expand
00:31:00.060 on this just for a moment,
00:31:01.240 was the fact that
00:31:02.080 when you guys
00:31:02.660 had this roundtable,
00:31:04.360 you mentioned
00:31:04.980 Speaker Johnson was there.
00:31:06.200 How important is it
00:31:07.260 to get legislation done
00:31:08.780 that Republicans
00:31:09.960 in the Senate
00:31:10.640 are working
00:31:11.240 with the Republicans
00:31:12.120 in the House?
00:31:12.680 Because this is that type
00:31:13.780 of, I call it harmony,
00:31:15.440 that I know
00:31:16.080 makes a huge difference
00:31:17.180 in getting an idea
00:31:19.140 to become a reality.
00:31:20.720 Oh, look,
00:31:21.060 it's very important,
00:31:22.380 and personal relationships
00:31:23.680 make a difference.
00:31:24.840 I mean,
00:31:25.000 I had dinner
00:31:25.460 with Steve Scalise
00:31:26.180 last week.
00:31:27.240 Steve is a good friend.
00:31:28.780 Mike Johnson
00:31:29.360 is a good friend.
00:31:30.180 Mike and I
00:31:30.580 have had dinner
00:31:31.180 multiple times.
00:31:32.840 We spent a lot
00:31:33.320 of time together,
00:31:34.240 and that's how
00:31:36.060 you move legislation
00:31:37.300 is through
00:31:37.820 personal relationships,
00:31:39.140 through strategizing,
00:31:40.060 through working together.
00:31:41.920 And so when
00:31:42.700 the First Lady
00:31:43.440 said she was coming,
00:31:44.400 I reached out
00:31:45.100 and invited both of them
00:31:46.460 and invited Brett Guthrie,
00:31:47.820 who is the committee chairman
00:31:49.000 of the Energy
00:31:51.200 and Commerce Committee,
00:31:52.020 which is the committee
00:31:52.640 that has jurisdiction
00:31:53.460 over this.
00:31:54.200 It's the equivalent
00:31:55.040 of the Senate Commerce Committee
00:31:56.660 that I'm the chairman of.
00:31:58.200 And Brett's a friend as well.
00:31:59.440 He and I have had dinner.
00:32:00.220 I mean,
00:32:00.340 a lot of what,
00:32:01.060 if you want to actually
00:32:02.360 move things through Congress,
00:32:04.440 the personal relationships
00:32:05.720 really matter.
00:32:07.560 And I got to say,
00:32:08.320 I was really excited
00:32:09.280 because at the State
00:32:10.080 of the Union address,
00:32:11.920 Elliston Berry
00:32:12.680 was sitting right next
00:32:15.160 to Melania Trump.
00:32:16.140 She was her guest,
00:32:17.780 was right there
00:32:18.380 in the box.
00:32:19.480 And actually,
00:32:20.260 President Trump
00:32:21.020 explicitly called on Congress
00:32:24.600 to pass the Take It Down Act.
00:32:25.960 I want you to listen.
00:32:26.580 This is the president
00:32:27.260 at the State of the Union
00:32:28.640 calling on Congress to act.
00:32:29.780 And Elliston Berry,
00:32:31.420 who became a victim
00:32:32.760 of an illicit,
00:32:34.180 deepfake image
00:32:35.240 produced by a peer.
00:32:38.320 With Elliston's help,
00:32:40.540 the Senate just passed
00:32:41.720 the Take It Down Act.
00:32:44.460 And this is so important.
00:32:46.680 Thank you very much,
00:32:47.560 John.
00:32:47.800 John Thune.
00:32:48.440 Thank you.
00:32:49.000 Stand up, John.
00:32:50.840 Thank you, John.
00:32:56.560 Thank you all very much.
00:32:58.260 And thank you to John Thune
00:33:07.900 and the Senate.
00:33:09.580 Great job.
00:33:10.620 To criminalize the publication
00:33:12.420 of such images online
00:33:15.060 is a terrible, terrible thing.
00:33:17.340 And once it passes the House,
00:33:19.000 I look forward to signing
00:33:20.800 that bill into law.
00:33:23.180 Thank you.
00:33:23.660 And I'm going to use that bill
00:33:25.120 for myself, too,
00:33:25.940 if you don't mind.
00:33:27.220 Because nobody gets treated
00:33:28.640 worse than I do online.
00:33:30.000 Nobody.
00:33:31.920 That's great.
00:33:32.700 Thank you very much
00:33:33.380 to the Senate.
00:33:34.020 Thank you.
00:33:36.440 I mean, I love how
00:33:38.380 there's just enthusiasm,
00:33:40.140 there's excitement,
00:33:41.380 there's momentum.
00:33:42.960 Yeah.
00:33:43.520 And it makes the chances.
00:33:45.800 I think it's a certainty now
00:33:47.200 the House will take it up.
00:33:48.080 As I said,
00:33:48.520 the Speaker and the Majority Leader
00:33:49.940 both committed to doing that
00:33:51.180 and doing so quickly.
00:33:52.920 And the President and First Lady
00:33:54.200 engaging just raises it
00:33:56.380 on the priority list.
00:33:57.240 So that's really good.
00:33:58.640 Elliston was there.
00:33:59.800 Another teenage girl,
00:34:01.040 Francesca Mani,
00:34:01.940 who's from New Jersey.
00:34:03.180 She's the same age, 15.
00:34:04.900 She had the same month
00:34:06.720 this happened to Elliston
00:34:07.760 in Texas,
00:34:08.460 the identical thing
00:34:09.400 happened to Francesca
00:34:10.400 in New Jersey.
00:34:11.480 They had the exact same experience.
00:34:13.320 And both Elliston and Francesca,
00:34:15.480 I've had testify
00:34:16.720 at a field hearing I did
00:34:18.180 on the Take It Down Act
00:34:19.240 that I held in Dallas.
00:34:21.560 And they both testified there.
00:34:22.960 And these are two young ladies
00:34:24.380 who were really,
00:34:26.220 really effective.
00:34:27.760 Francesca was featured
00:34:28.680 in 60 Minutes.
00:34:29.460 She's really powerful.
00:34:31.160 Elliston and I did
00:34:32.180 Good Morning America together
00:34:33.740 and she told her story there.
00:34:35.140 And I got to tell you,
00:34:36.400 she's so articulate
00:34:38.200 that the Good Morning America
00:34:39.360 hosts were laughing
00:34:40.580 and saying that Elliston
00:34:42.120 was coming for their jobs.
00:34:43.620 And I think that's right.
00:34:46.500 Here, listen to Elliston
00:34:48.200 telling a little bit of her story
00:34:49.640 in her own voice.
00:34:51.620 I'm Elliston Berry.
00:34:52.760 I'm 15 years old.
00:34:53.740 I'm from Fort Worth, Texas.
00:34:55.520 I was a survivor of AI deepfakes.
00:34:58.200 A classmate of mine
00:34:59.340 targeted me
00:35:00.240 and ate other of my friends
00:35:01.460 and put an innocent picture
00:35:03.600 off Instagram
00:35:04.040 through an AI editing app
00:35:05.540 that stripped our clothing off.
00:35:07.000 And since around my whole school,
00:35:09.080 I was able to get in touch
00:35:10.340 with Ted Cruz's office
00:35:11.440 and we were able to write up
00:35:13.060 the Take It Down Act,
00:35:14.000 which protects America's children
00:35:17.120 from these heinous acts.
00:35:19.520 Thankfully,
00:35:20.380 the First Lady's office
00:35:21.460 was able to reach out
00:35:22.400 and it's really just been
00:35:23.100 such an amazing experience
00:35:24.460 knowing that she has the heart
00:35:26.520 for my situation
00:35:27.340 and that she cares
00:35:28.240 and that the overall support
00:35:30.520 behind this act
00:35:32.080 and this situation
00:35:32.780 is so amazing
00:35:34.520 and we are protecting
00:35:35.660 the future generation.
00:35:36.980 It's sad that this story
00:35:42.080 has to even be a story
00:35:43.460 but what an incredible young lady
00:35:45.100 at 15 to be this articulate
00:35:46.820 and to be able to understand
00:35:49.360 that she can help
00:35:50.260 so many others
00:35:51.020 and to contact your office
00:35:52.220 and that you were able
00:35:52.900 to help her
00:35:53.460 and so many others this way
00:35:55.140 is just truly incredible.
00:35:56.940 It is really powerful
00:35:58.440 and I'll tell you
00:35:59.100 we had multiple victims testify
00:36:00.820 and sometimes the consequences
00:36:03.140 of this are even worse
00:36:05.740 and so I want you to give a listen
00:36:07.300 to the testimony
00:36:08.080 of Brandon Guffey
00:36:09.540 at the round table
00:36:10.680 describing what happened
00:36:12.360 with his son.
00:36:14.700 Although the vast majority
00:36:16.240 of the targets of this abuse
00:36:17.800 are women and young girls,
00:36:19.940 young boys can be targeted as well
00:36:21.720 and the FBI has warned
00:36:24.100 that there's a growing threat
00:36:25.400 of sextortion
00:36:26.520 deliberately targeting
00:36:28.700 minors online
00:36:30.000 where evil people use
00:36:32.460 either real or fake
00:36:33.940 explicit images
00:36:34.940 to extort their victims
00:36:36.620 both sexually
00:36:37.480 and financially
00:36:39.160 and in some instances
00:36:41.880 the results can be
00:36:43.860 even more devastating
00:36:45.360 and catastrophic
00:36:46.720 and that was the tragic situation
00:36:50.640 that South Carolina
00:36:52.140 State Representative
00:36:53.060 Brandon Guffey
00:36:53.920 and his family
00:36:54.680 experienced in 2022.
00:36:57.520 Representative Guffey,
00:36:58.380 would you please share
00:36:59.980 what happened with your son?
00:37:02.220 Thank you, Senator Cruz.
00:37:03.820 It was July 27, 2022.
00:37:08.640 I lost my oldest son
00:37:10.160 Gavin Guffey
00:37:10.760 to suicide.
00:37:13.180 We quickly found out
00:37:14.680 that he was being
00:37:15.340 extorted online,
00:37:16.500 that someone pretending
00:37:18.220 to be a young female
00:37:19.480 at another college
00:37:20.800 requested images
00:37:23.820 to be shared
00:37:24.540 back and forth
00:37:25.280 and as soon as he shared
00:37:26.400 those images,
00:37:27.300 he took his life.
00:37:28.600 it was an hour
00:37:30.700 and 40 minutes
00:37:31.560 from the time
00:37:32.160 that he was contacted
00:37:33.120 until the time
00:37:34.280 that he took his life.
00:37:35.920 At that time,
00:37:37.400 I had never heard
00:37:38.300 of the crime
00:37:39.140 of sextortion.
00:37:41.280 I was always
00:37:42.540 a more liberty-minded
00:37:45.280 politician,
00:37:48.540 even though I hate
00:37:49.100 to say that word
00:37:49.940 and, you know,
00:37:52.400 I wanted freedom
00:37:53.460 as much as possible
00:37:54.620 but as I started
00:37:55.900 looking into this,
00:37:57.100 I started to see
00:37:58.060 that big tech
00:37:59.040 operates
00:37:59.640 and they are
00:38:00.200 the equivalent
00:38:00.900 of big tobacco
00:38:02.440 of today's generation.
00:38:05.280 The account
00:38:06.440 that targeted my son
00:38:07.720 that caused him
00:38:08.280 to take his life
00:38:09.120 was taken down online
00:38:11.240 once Homeland Security
00:38:12.500 reached out.
00:38:13.840 However,
00:38:14.540 they left
00:38:15.120 the additional
00:38:15.940 accounts up.
00:38:18.440 If I send
00:38:19.280 a friend request,
00:38:20.180 I can choose
00:38:20.820 remove this account
00:38:21.800 and any other accounts
00:38:23.000 associated,
00:38:24.120 yet they left
00:38:25.000 these other accounts
00:38:26.020 up and those
00:38:27.180 other accounts
00:38:27.940 began to extort
00:38:28.900 my 14-year-old cousin,
00:38:30.820 my 16-year-old son
00:38:32.260 who had just
00:38:32.840 lost his brother
00:38:33.600 and myself as well,
00:38:36.400 going as far
00:38:37.160 as sending a message
00:38:38.060 saying,
00:38:38.700 did I tell you
00:38:39.620 that your son
00:38:40.240 begged for his life?
00:38:42.140 From that day forward,
00:38:44.020 I have made it
00:38:45.080 my life's mission,
00:38:46.780 politics or not,
00:38:48.120 to fight
00:38:48.800 to protect
00:38:49.420 children online.
00:38:50.440 Since
00:38:52.040 December of
00:38:53.880 2022,
00:38:55.540 whenever I
00:38:56.120 took office,
00:38:57.940 within four months
00:38:58.880 we were able to
00:38:59.520 pass Gavin's Law
00:39:00.520 in South Carolina,
00:39:01.680 which criminalized
00:39:03.260 digital sextortion.
00:39:05.300 And the first person
00:39:06.380 that we were able
00:39:07.260 to convict
00:39:08.560 under Gavin's Law
00:39:09.280 was actually
00:39:09.960 under an AI
00:39:11.200 photograph.
00:39:13.020 I have helped
00:39:14.300 thousands of children
00:39:15.620 since then.
00:39:17.420 Matter of fact,
00:39:17.940 I have dealt
00:39:18.340 with three
00:39:18.920 within the past
00:39:19.640 48 hours
00:39:20.540 of families
00:39:21.100 that are reaching
00:39:21.620 out,
00:39:22.020 that are being
00:39:22.480 extorted
00:39:23.060 in these situations.
00:39:25.100 I have worked
00:39:25.760 with groups
00:39:26.420 such as
00:39:26.880 NCOSI
00:39:27.440 and NCMEC
00:39:28.220 here on the Hill.
00:39:29.700 I have showed
00:39:30.340 up with parents
00:39:31.400 and unfortunately
00:39:32.560 the amount
00:39:33.640 of parents
00:39:34.200 that are losing
00:39:34.740 children
00:39:35.240 are growing
00:39:36.380 daily.
00:39:38.020 Since my son
00:39:38.920 took his life,
00:39:41.080 there have been
00:39:41.520 40 other teams
00:39:42.740 that are public
00:39:43.840 about this.
00:39:45.100 I can tell you
00:39:45.600 there are more
00:39:46.000 than a dozen
00:39:46.560 that I know
00:39:47.080 of that just
00:39:48.340 do not feel
00:39:49.200 comfortable sharing
00:39:50.020 their stories.
00:39:51.180 But I'm witnessing
00:39:51.980 teens constantly
00:39:53.260 take their life.
00:39:54.760 And as you said,
00:39:55.460 Senator Cruz,
00:39:56.120 trying to get
00:39:56.620 an image down.
00:39:58.080 Now, granted,
00:39:58.900 I'm just a state
00:39:59.680 representative,
00:40:00.800 but I have a little
00:40:01.580 bit more pull
00:40:02.380 than the average
00:40:03.080 citizen and I'm able
00:40:04.140 to get some of
00:40:04.880 these taken down
00:40:05.720 occasionally.
00:40:07.560 But that's
00:40:08.320 generally not the
00:40:09.380 case.
00:40:10.280 And with something
00:40:10.940 such as take it
00:40:11.840 down, it would
00:40:12.800 allow families to
00:40:13.900 be able to have
00:40:14.760 those images
00:40:15.280 taken down,
00:40:16.000 and to have
00:40:18.420 the voice that
00:40:20.560 my son did
00:40:21.320 not have.
00:40:23.840 There was no
00:40:24.700 recourse of being
00:40:25.700 able to know,
00:40:26.680 to be able to get
00:40:27.320 these images down.
00:40:28.760 And in his mind,
00:40:30.480 no one had his
00:40:31.200 back.
00:40:32.140 And this wasn't
00:40:32.800 talked about.
00:40:33.920 So since then,
00:40:35.740 it's been my
00:40:36.360 mission to speak
00:40:37.640 up, scream it
00:40:38.420 from the
00:40:38.740 mountaintops on
00:40:40.260 how we have to
00:40:41.520 hold big tech
00:40:43.040 accountable and
00:40:44.560 take it down,
00:40:45.240 does that.
00:40:46.000 So for everyone
00:40:47.080 involved, I
00:40:48.300 really thank you
00:40:49.460 for your
00:40:50.360 involvement and
00:40:51.720 urge for passage
00:40:52.740 within the
00:40:53.200 House.
00:40:53.840 Senator, you
00:40:54.420 hear that part
00:40:55.060 of the story
00:40:55.540 and it's
00:40:55.840 heartbreaking.
00:40:56.560 It's also
00:40:57.020 incredible to
00:40:57.700 listen to a
00:40:58.480 father making
00:40:59.180 his life's work
00:41:00.040 to help others
00:41:00.780 afterwards.
00:41:01.780 You know, what a
00:41:02.440 friggin' nightmare.
00:41:03.320 You and I are
00:41:03.880 both dads.
00:41:04.900 I mean, it's
00:41:06.020 terrifying.
00:41:07.520 And, you know,
00:41:10.140 young people,
00:41:11.080 anyone, but
00:41:11.620 especially teenagers
00:41:12.620 are targeted and
00:41:13.820 victimized by this.
00:41:14.960 And that's why the
00:41:15.740 bill is really
00:41:16.580 important and it's
00:41:17.520 a huge problem.
00:41:19.060 So, listen, I'm
00:41:19.980 grateful to the
00:41:20.540 First Lady and I'm
00:41:21.300 grateful to the
00:41:21.820 President for
00:41:22.560 leading on this.
00:41:23.860 And we're going to
00:41:24.340 get it done.
00:41:24.820 And I'll tell you,
00:41:25.460 I told Brandon and
00:41:27.380 I told Elliston and
00:41:28.720 Francesca and all of
00:41:31.120 the victim advocates
00:41:31.820 there that they're
00:41:34.880 going to be in the
00:41:35.540 Oval Office for the
00:41:36.760 bill signing.
00:41:37.460 The President's
00:41:38.020 going to sign the
00:41:38.620 bill and each one
00:41:39.440 of them is going to
00:41:40.580 get a signing pen that
00:41:41.680 they're going to get
00:41:42.100 to take home.
00:41:42.840 And then that's, you
00:41:43.840 know, that's really
00:41:45.080 who we're fighting
00:41:45.640 for are the victims
00:41:46.680 who are targeted
00:41:47.220 here.
00:41:48.080 Yeah, it's incredible.
00:41:49.220 Make sure you share
00:41:49.960 this podcast with your
00:41:51.260 family and friends.
00:41:51.860 It's a really
00:41:52.280 important one.
00:41:53.260 We do this Monday,
00:41:54.080 Wednesday, and Friday.
00:41:54.940 You can grab my
00:41:55.580 podcast, The Ben
00:41:56.360 Ferguson Show, on
00:41:57.300 those in-between days
00:41:58.220 and we'll keep you
00:41:58.840 updated on the
00:41:59.160 latest breaking
00:41:59.700 news.
00:42:00.620 And the Senator and
00:42:01.260 I will see you
00:42:01.800 back here for the
00:42:02.820 Week in Review, the
00:42:04.340 Top Stories of the
00:42:05.020 Week, on Saturday
00:42:05.740 morning as well.
00:42:07.360 This is an iHeart
00:42:08.420 podcast.
00:42:10.240 Guaranteed human.