Verdict with Ted Cruz - The Future of Verdict

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.560 Guaranteed human.

00:00:04.620 We are 32 days out from the midterm elections.

00:00:08.260 We are in the middle of a 17-state,

00:00:11.180 month-long campaign bus tour.

00:00:13.940 And we are coming to you from sunny Las Vegas.

00:00:16.960 This is Verdict with Ted Cruz.

00:00:24.760 This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz

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00:01:31.920 Welcome back to Verdict with Ted Cruz.

00:01:33.940 I'm Michael Knowles.

00:01:34.860 Senator, excellent to see you in person.

00:01:37.180 You are looking very good and awake and energetic

00:01:40.520 for having been on a 17-state bus tour.

00:01:43.180 Well, I'm having a blast.

00:01:46.020 So we're on day seven of the bus tour.

00:01:48.360 We started in Texas, Tomball, Texas, which is just north of Houston.

00:01:52.700 Did a big rally with Wesley Hunt,

00:01:54.820 who's going to be a new congressman,

00:01:56.180 a Republican elected from there,

00:01:58.160 West Point graduate, African-American,

00:02:00.560 football player at West Point, great guy.

00:02:03.160 We went from there down to the Rio Grande Valley.

00:02:05.600 We did three rallies down in the Rio Grande Valley

00:02:07.900 with three congressional candidates.

00:02:09.660 We did rallies in McAllen, Harlingen, and Laredo.

00:02:13.280 All three congressional candidates,

00:02:15.040 all Republicans, all Hispanic women.

00:02:17.440 I think all three are going to win.

00:02:19.280 Huge packed out rallies down in South Texas.

00:02:21.720 We went from there to New Mexico,

00:02:23.860 did a big rally in New Mexico.

00:02:25.720 We went from New Mexico to Arizona,

00:02:27.760 did two rallies in Arizona.

00:02:29.420 Seemed to sort of light up the internet.

00:02:31.600 You know, I've seen bits and pieces from the tour,

00:02:33.760 but your appearance in Arizona really seemed to explode.

00:02:37.280 Very exciting candidates in Arizona.

00:02:38.840 It was fantastic.

00:02:40.460 So we did, in New Mexico,

00:02:41.700 we were with Yvette Harrell,

00:02:42.900 who's running for re-election.

00:02:44.000 She's fantastic in New Mexico.

00:02:45.940 In Arizona, we were with Eli Crane,

00:02:48.860 who's a Navy SEAL.

00:02:50.180 The guy's a badass, smart, principled.

00:02:53.320 He's a warrior.

00:02:54.420 He's going to win, defeat a Democrat.

00:02:56.020 And then we did a rally with both Blake Masters

00:02:57.940 and Carrie Lake. 0.96

00:02:59.740 And I got to say, that lit it up.

00:03:01.660 She's going to be the next governor. 1.00

00:03:03.280 And I think Masters has a real shot

00:03:05.160 at winning that Senate race.

00:03:06.180 And it was, those events were packed.

00:03:09.180 And now we're here in Las Vegas.

00:03:11.120 We're doing a rally here tonight

00:03:12.440 with Mark Robertson and Sam Peters,

00:03:16.840 both running for the House here.

00:03:18.320 Both have a real shot to beat Democrats

00:03:20.400 and get elected.

00:03:22.100 After Nevada, we go to Utah.

00:03:24.420 Then we go to Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio,

00:03:30.380 Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina,

00:03:34.100 Tennessee, Georgia, Florida,

00:03:37.180 back up to Michigan, back up to Wisconsin.

00:03:39.500 And we close it out in Texas

00:03:41.340 the day before the election.

00:03:42.520 I'm exhausted just hearing that schedule.

00:03:44.580 That's outrageous.

00:03:45.200 And I do know we've been on the road together

00:03:46.800 many, many times.

00:03:47.760 I do know whatever stop you're at,

00:03:51.100 whatever the event is,

00:03:51.920 whether it's a verdict live tour, wherever,

00:03:53.220 you are never the one to say,

00:03:55.320 okay, we've all got to go home.

00:03:56.440 I'm too tired, guys.

00:03:57.400 You stay up very, very late.

00:03:59.380 You keep on going.

00:04:01.060 Well, as long as you feed me

00:04:02.440 with scotch and cigars,

00:04:03.440 I'm happy to go as long as you like.

00:04:05.320 And I have to note a couple of milestones.

00:04:07.740 Number one, this is your first time in Vegas.

00:04:10.380 This is my, shockingly,

00:04:11.880 I love gambling.

00:04:13.640 I love, you know,

00:04:14.740 staying out late and getting up to no good.

00:04:17.000 This is my very first time.

00:04:18.240 And I didn't realize they have slot machines

00:04:19.720 in the airport.

00:04:20.600 Oh, yeah.

00:04:21.320 And by the way,

00:04:22.240 we are filming,

00:04:23.160 this studio is unique,

00:04:24.380 that we are filming in a studio

00:04:25.740 where I guess they train showgirls. 1.00

00:04:27.980 Like, I know I went to the restroom.

00:04:29.360 That's why it looks familiar.

00:04:30.440 Yeah.

00:04:30.660 Okay.

00:04:31.040 But like, there's, you know,

00:04:32.520 there's mirrors all along the walls.

00:04:34.660 And, you know,

00:04:35.480 I kind of feel like

00:04:36.160 we ought to be wearing sparklies or something.

00:04:37.860 Well, that could be,

00:04:39.020 I guess that's a thought

00:04:40.140 for the next stage of verdict.

00:04:42.820 And actually,

00:04:43.640 speaking of the next phase of verdict,

00:04:46.060 there is huge news that's come in.

00:04:50.340 And it's come in very, very recently.

00:04:52.200 And it's part of the reason

00:04:53.260 that I wanted to fly out here.

00:04:55.680 It's really, really good news.

00:04:57.680 And it's a little bit of bad news.

00:04:59.420 But I think we should let the audience in on it.

00:05:01.140 So here's the really, really good news

00:05:02.880 about verdict has been a bootstrapped operation

00:05:06.500 from the very beginning,

00:05:08.340 starting in a basement in D.C.,

00:05:10.600 you know,

00:05:11.340 not on one of the major outlets

00:05:13.860 or a major podcast or radio network

00:05:15.880 and just really bootstrapped and fun

00:05:18.180 and largely independent.

00:05:20.000 So an offer has come in

00:05:21.360 from iHeartRadio

00:05:22.720 to take this show

00:05:24.680 to a huge national audience.

00:05:28.320 It's already, obviously,

00:05:29.160 at a national audience on podcast,

00:05:31.000 but on radio stations,

00:05:33.160 on terrestrial radio,

00:05:34.100 iHeart has a gigantic network.

00:05:36.520 iHeart can fund the whole thing,

00:05:38.580 fund production,

00:05:39.840 dump a whole bunch of money into marketing.

00:05:41.920 This is incredible.

00:05:42.800 It will make this show sustainable,

00:05:44.860 not just for the next few months

00:05:46.820 going into the midterms,

00:05:48.480 but for the next years.

00:05:51.380 The only bad news is

00:05:52.880 from the very beginning,

00:05:55.540 as much as I, you know,

00:05:57.760 love this show,

00:05:59.120 it's been my moonlighting job

00:06:00.580 because my day job is over there

00:06:02.100 at The Daily Wire

00:06:02.820 and I've been very graciously

00:06:04.560 loaned out by The Daily Wire

00:06:06.580 to do this show.

00:06:08.180 And because The Daily Wire

00:06:09.140 is a different podcast network

00:06:11.320 and because I have a radio show

00:06:13.680 on a different radio network,

00:06:15.220 if Verdict is to move

00:06:16.740 into this next very sustainable,

00:06:19.500 exciting, energetic phase,

00:06:21.080 it will have to be

00:06:22.360 without me as part of it.

00:06:24.620 I certainly will be coming back around,

00:06:27.360 maybe coming to a live event,

00:06:28.880 coming around as a guest,

00:06:29.820 but I think it is very,

00:06:32.060 very important

00:06:32.560 that this show remain sustainable.

00:06:35.160 This show has never been about me.

00:06:36.920 It is Verdict with Ted Cruz.

00:06:38.640 It's been an amazing ride.

00:06:40.720 We took it to number one

00:06:42.000 of all the podcasts.

00:06:43.440 Ted Cruz became a bigger podcaster

00:06:45.020 than Joe Rogan

00:06:45.940 and stayed there

00:06:47.020 for a actually pretty decent period of time.

00:06:49.860 And so I am really very excited

00:06:52.520 for this next phase with iHeart.

00:06:55.000 And there's a great broadcaster

00:06:56.840 from iHeart

00:06:57.500 who's been in the business forever,

00:06:59.720 who's been a friend of mine

00:07:00.680 for many, many years,

00:07:01.740 who is going to come on

00:07:02.760 and fill this seat,

00:07:04.120 and that would be Ben Ferguson.

00:07:06.340 Should we bring Ben on?

00:07:07.700 Ben, can you come out here?

00:07:09.120 All right.

00:07:11.740 How are you, sir?

00:07:12.460 Welcome.

00:07:13.120 Good to see you, Mr. Ferguson.

00:07:14.460 How are you?

00:07:15.060 Two guys that usually get to hang out

00:07:16.680 in Tennessee all the way in Vegas.

00:07:18.480 Welcome to your maiden voyage,

00:07:20.220 as they say.

00:07:20.660 It is a little strange, you know,

00:07:22.240 to have a senator from Texas,

00:07:24.500 a broadcaster from Texas,

00:07:26.240 a broadcaster from Tennessee,

00:07:28.360 who only ever sees you in Tennessee.

00:07:30.140 In Tennessee.

00:07:30.340 And for some reason,

00:07:31.080 we're in Nevada.

00:07:33.140 It's a strange world of politics

00:07:34.740 and bus tours.

00:07:35.680 That's right.

00:07:36.200 So, now, the last time, Ben,

00:07:37.540 that I saw you,

00:07:38.780 it's a little blurry, actually.

00:07:41.180 It was about one in the morning.

00:07:42.960 There were cigars involved.

00:07:44.020 There were cigars.

00:07:45.080 Angry liberals.

00:07:46.020 Maybe a few Coca-Colas.

00:07:46.800 Angry liberals and Politicon,

00:07:48.720 if I remember correctly.

00:07:49.540 Yes.

00:07:49.660 We were at some honky-tonk

00:07:51.260 down there in Nashville.

00:07:53.200 But since then,

00:07:54.540 and for the handful of people out there

00:07:56.500 who might not know who you are,

00:07:57.940 what have you been up to?

00:07:59.080 So, I've been hosting my radio show,

00:08:01.820 syndicated show, podcast,

00:08:03.500 and raising three boys.

00:08:05.720 That's what I say.

00:08:07.040 I shouldn't say it that way.

00:08:07.920 I'll get in trouble with the wife. 1.00

00:08:09.120 She's doing the majority of it,

00:08:10.560 and I'm paying some bills.

00:08:11.780 Is that a better way of putting it?

00:08:12.820 That's good.

00:08:13.320 And, yeah, so, I mean,

00:08:14.560 Ben, I don't know why that's the case.

00:08:16.120 I raise my daughters all on my own.

00:08:17.800 He has nothing to do with it.

00:08:19.760 That's a man that has decades right there

00:08:21.600 of experience.

00:08:22.480 He knows how to pull that off.

00:08:23.260 You've got to understand,

00:08:24.280 I'm in real trouble

00:08:25.200 because Heidi listens to this podcast. 0.95

00:08:27.520 So, that statement,

00:08:29.380 my phone is going to ring

00:08:30.940 while she's listening to it.

00:08:33.140 I already know how much

00:08:33.980 that bill's going to cost

00:08:34.880 and where you're going to end up

00:08:35.720 taking it here in Houston.

00:08:36.800 That's just, that's going to hurt.

00:08:38.600 Yeah.

00:08:38.920 That's going to be worse

00:08:39.580 than losing at the roulette table this week.

00:08:41.500 I can promise you that.

00:08:43.280 So, yeah, so I've just been doing that

00:08:44.820 and doing a little more TV

00:08:46.140 and getting to hang out with this guy.

00:08:47.320 So, it's been good.

00:08:48.200 This is very exciting news

00:08:49.260 also because you guys both live

00:08:51.280 in the same town.

00:08:52.100 Yeah.

00:08:52.400 You live in Houston.

00:08:53.640 So, you know, I mean,

00:08:55.280 obviously this deal came up

00:08:56.900 relatively quickly.

00:08:58.000 We're heading right

00:08:59.040 into the midterm elections.

00:09:00.200 So, we wanted to make sure

00:09:01.300 that this kind of,

00:09:02.600 the ink could dry,

00:09:03.880 you know, as quickly as possible.

00:09:05.100 Well, this thing for the podcast

00:09:06.540 is just a big damn deal. 0.91

00:09:09.300 Yeah. 0.99

00:09:09.920 iHeart Radio is a monster.

00:09:11.460 It's got 850 stations

00:09:13.140 across the country.

00:09:14.660 And so, this was something,

00:09:16.120 this was not something

00:09:16.940 we were out looking for,

00:09:18.540 but they came

00:09:19.600 and they saw

00:09:20.960 what was happening

00:09:21.540 on this podcast.

00:09:22.440 They saw the work

00:09:23.360 and the incredible viewers

00:09:25.180 and fans

00:09:25.800 and engaged viewers

00:09:28.500 we have all over the country.

00:09:29.540 And they said,

00:09:30.240 listen, we want to take

00:09:31.220 this podcast

00:09:31.880 to the next level.

00:09:33.320 We want to reach,

00:09:34.860 we want to promote it

00:09:35.640 across our 850 stations.

00:09:38.820 We want to promote it

00:09:39.440 across our podcasts.

00:09:40.640 And listen, iHeart

00:09:41.360 is the network

00:09:42.480 that work and built

00:09:44.500 with Rush Limbaugh

00:09:46.100 and helped him build

00:09:47.940 into the greatest ever

00:09:49.260 and that works with folks

00:09:51.560 like Hannity and Glenn Beck

00:09:53.820 and Clay and Buck

00:09:55.340 and Jesse Kelly.

00:09:56.500 You know, there's a coincidence,

00:09:58.020 actually,

00:09:58.640 right before my show

00:10:00.680 became syndicated

00:10:01.600 to Terrestrial Radio

00:10:02.760 Nationwide.

00:10:03.940 I got one last

00:10:05.280 little opportunity

00:10:06.360 to be on a different

00:10:07.540 radio network

00:10:08.120 and it was when

00:10:09.080 the president of iHeart

00:10:10.080 called me,

00:10:10.960 it was in the last days

00:10:11.940 of Rush Limbaugh's show,

00:10:13.320 said, Michael,

00:10:13.920 would you like to host

00:10:14.780 Rush's show?

00:10:15.520 I said, oh my gosh,

00:10:16.560 this is a dream come true.

00:10:17.880 I would love to.

00:10:19.100 I said, I've got this

00:10:19.820 other radio contract

00:10:20.740 that's about to be inked

00:10:21.780 in like three days,

00:10:22.640 but yes, that would be

00:10:23.300 just the greatest thing

00:10:24.580 in the world.

00:10:25.040 And so I note

00:10:25.540 the reach of iHeart

00:10:26.520 is just phenomenal.

00:10:29.440 It's going to be fun

00:10:30.540 and I think you talked

00:10:31.720 about it being a big deal.

00:10:33.260 I think getting to expand

00:10:34.720 it to three days a week,

00:10:36.040 getting to talk

00:10:37.040 more breaking news

00:10:38.060 and having people

00:10:39.920 not have to wait

00:10:40.740 once a week to get it

00:10:42.100 and you wonder

00:10:42.780 if it's, you know,

00:10:43.440 was it dated

00:10:44.040 and when was it done?

00:10:44.820 I mean, we're going

00:10:45.180 to be able to break news,

00:10:46.680 talk about breaking news

00:10:47.960 and give people

00:10:49.260 your point of view

00:10:50.720 instantly.

00:10:52.280 And I think

00:10:52.800 that's so important.

00:10:53.680 Now, people are hungry

00:10:54.380 for that.

00:10:54.860 I mean, you've seen it,

00:10:55.560 whether it's your podcast

00:10:56.580 or mine or radio.

00:10:58.320 I mean, people want

00:10:59.140 to go around

00:10:59.840 the mainstream media

00:11:00.780 to the people they trust.

00:11:02.640 And there's a lot

00:11:03.580 of Americans

00:11:04.140 that are going

00:11:04.740 to be introduced,

00:11:05.420 I think,

00:11:05.780 because they're going

00:11:06.200 to hear this promotion.

00:11:07.980 Oh, Ted's got this podcast.

00:11:09.480 I'm in.

00:11:10.080 I want to hear this

00:11:11.000 on a regular basis

00:11:11.600 and make it a part

00:11:13.020 of their day.

00:11:13.700 And I'm excited

00:11:14.880 to get to expand

00:11:16.360 that with you

00:11:16.820 and reach more people.

00:11:18.600 And hopefully,

00:11:19.740 ultimately,

00:11:20.300 which is what you and I,

00:11:21.480 we started.

00:11:22.020 We talked about this

00:11:22.620 in Nashville.

00:11:23.620 You and I do this

00:11:24.420 because we want

00:11:24.840 to change hearts and minds.

00:11:25.860 You do what you do

00:11:27.440 for the same exact reason.

00:11:29.580 And the more people

00:11:30.480 we can have listened

00:11:31.280 to what we believe in,

00:11:32.320 why we believe in it,

00:11:33.540 why it makes sense logically,

00:11:35.360 it's been my life goal.

00:11:36.460 My mission field

00:11:37.060 is politics.

00:11:37.920 I've said that for years.

00:11:38.900 I started when I was 12,

00:11:39.880 as you know,

00:11:40.900 and started in TV,

00:11:42.660 Bill O'Reilly,

00:11:43.240 when I was 17.

00:11:44.580 And that's my mission field.

00:11:46.280 And I look at

00:11:47.500 where we're going

00:11:48.000 as a country.

00:11:48.780 I mentioned earlier,

00:11:49.480 I've got twin boys

00:11:50.240 that are three

00:11:50.640 and I've got a six-year-old.

00:11:51.960 And I'm terrified

00:11:52.640 of where we're headed.

00:11:53.760 And that's kind of

00:11:54.700 given me my second wind

00:11:55.900 in my career,

00:11:56.500 I think,

00:11:56.800 to say,

00:11:57.180 okay,

00:11:58.040 are we going to leave

00:11:59.380 this place better

00:12:00.120 than it was

00:12:00.760 when I got to grow up?

00:12:01.880 And right now,

00:12:02.360 it's not, right?

00:12:03.160 If you looked at the clock

00:12:04.280 and you look at the issues

00:12:05.340 and you look at what's happening,

00:12:06.720 but there's also things

00:12:07.420 that are exciting

00:12:07.940 that's happening.

00:12:08.560 And that is,

00:12:08.980 you're seeing parents

00:12:10.500 that are getting involved

00:12:11.060 in their school boards.

00:12:12.160 You see police officers

00:12:13.980 are now getting

00:12:14.600 the backing again

00:12:15.640 from society

00:12:16.420 with crime

00:12:17.360 that's out of control.

00:12:18.140 You have people

00:12:19.020 that are starting

00:12:19.560 to understand

00:12:20.360 like this deficit

00:12:21.580 that we have right now

00:12:22.380 is a massive problem.

00:12:24.740 And you see people

00:12:25.860 dealing with inflation,

00:12:26.860 the highest in our lifetime.

00:12:28.160 And so these are,

00:12:29.380 I think,

00:12:29.520 a pallet of issues

00:12:30.540 that if we can hear

00:12:31.660 from the senator

00:12:32.260 more often,

00:12:34.080 it's going to change

00:12:34.920 more hearts and minds.

00:12:35.980 And so that's why

00:12:36.500 I'm super excited

00:12:37.260 to get to partner

00:12:38.820 with you and do this

00:12:39.580 and to keep the torch going

00:12:41.120 that you guys started.

00:12:42.380 Because when you started

00:12:43.100 during impeachment,

00:12:43.840 it was unbelievable.

00:12:44.980 And you guys,

00:12:45.880 I don't know

00:12:46.280 if everyone knows this,

00:12:47.480 but the story

00:12:48.120 of how y'all started this

00:12:49.040 and at what time of night

00:12:50.600 you started it.

00:12:51.560 Like when you said

00:12:52.140 you were moonlighting,

00:12:52.880 you weren't lying earlier.

00:12:54.740 During the first impeachment,

00:12:56.340 right?

00:12:56.520 We got to clarify

00:12:57.780 which impeachment

00:12:58.660 we're talking about.

00:12:59.980 But when you guys

00:13:00.860 started this

00:13:01.540 and I remember listening

00:13:02.760 and thinking,

00:13:04.500 this is something

00:13:05.840 that's missing

00:13:06.440 from the market.

00:13:07.260 And that was a conversation

00:13:08.760 that was missing.

00:13:10.020 And being obviously

00:13:11.360 a fan of yours,

00:13:12.200 I remember the first time

00:13:13.220 I ever had you on my show

00:13:14.140 when I was hosting in Dallas

00:13:15.280 when you were running

00:13:16.400 the impossible campaign

00:13:17.800 against the richest guy,

00:13:20.200 the do-hurt.

00:13:20.760 You can't touch him.

00:13:22.380 You can't, you know,

00:13:23.000 this is an election

00:13:24.200 that's already tied up.

00:13:25.200 It's done.

00:13:25.800 And you came out of nowhere

00:13:27.160 and proved all the experts wrong.

00:13:31.740 And that's, you know,

00:13:32.740 from that moment on

00:13:33.500 I was hooked.

00:13:35.200 Well, I will say this,

00:13:37.160 it's interesting

00:13:37.760 that you use the phrase

00:13:38.860 hearts and minds.

00:13:39.900 As both of you guys know,

00:13:41.320 I'm obsessed

00:13:42.260 with what we got to do

00:13:43.780 as conservatives

00:13:44.360 is we have to connect

00:13:45.420 with people's hearts

00:13:46.080 and minds.

00:13:46.980 We've got to reach

00:13:47.960 beyond the people

00:13:49.160 watching Fox News.

00:13:50.340 We've got to reach young people.

00:13:51.380 We've got to reach Hispanics

00:13:52.380 and African Americans

00:13:53.240 and suburban moms. 1.00

00:13:54.940 And it has been amazing.

00:13:57.320 You know, looking back,

00:13:58.200 it's been two and a half years

00:13:59.180 since we started this podcast.

00:14:00.960 We started it,

00:14:01.980 as you just noted, Ben,

00:14:02.980 it was on the very first day

00:14:04.260 of the first impeachment trial.

00:14:06.440 We're on the Senate floor

00:14:07.960 till midnight,

00:14:09.320 one in the morning,

00:14:10.040 jumped in a truck

00:14:10.700 and headed over

00:14:11.260 to a basement studio.

00:14:13.320 It was dingy.

00:14:14.500 I think we had

00:14:15.080 this same crappy carpet.

00:14:17.360 That's right.

00:14:18.580 And it just started

00:14:20.280 like walking off

00:14:21.200 the Senate floor.

00:14:21.980 Let's talk about it.

00:14:22.920 And it went

00:14:24.060 from a standing start

00:14:26.340 with zero viewers,

00:14:27.700 zero downloads

00:14:28.660 to within days,

00:14:32.220 we shot to the top

00:14:33.700 of the charts.

00:14:34.360 And I remember

00:14:34.920 that first night.

00:14:36.500 We're sitting down there.

00:14:37.680 I've never done a podcast.

00:14:38.920 We didn't know how to do this.

00:14:39.880 And we're talking about it.

00:14:40.880 And we were talking about

00:14:41.980 what would success look like?

00:14:44.300 And we talked about,

00:14:45.180 OK, if we could break

00:14:46.100 into the top hundred.

00:14:47.260 Yeah, that's spectacular.

00:14:49.240 By the way,

00:14:50.060 to this day,

00:14:50.740 still an amazing accomplishment

00:14:52.120 if you even get there.

00:14:53.520 Yeah, yeah,

00:14:53.980 that that would have

00:14:54.740 I think we were speaking

00:14:55.740 not even realistically.

00:14:57.340 We were thinking

00:14:58.400 that's actually

00:14:59.360 that would be

00:14:59.760 an ambitious goal.

00:15:01.000 Yep.

00:15:01.620 And then what was it?

00:15:02.300 Four days later.

00:15:03.100 And then we like boom

00:15:04.300 into the top hundred

00:15:05.100 and then we're in the top ten

00:15:06.320 and then we climb ten,

00:15:07.460 nine, eight, four, three.

00:15:09.480 We're sitting there going, 0.98

00:15:10.000 holy crap, 0.96

00:15:10.560 could you imagine 0.96

00:15:11.200 if we get

00:15:11.800 and then boom,

00:15:13.060 number one 0.76

00:15:13.620 as we kick Joe Rogan

00:15:14.620 out of the out of the spot.

00:15:15.700 I mean, it was

00:15:16.240 it was crazy.

00:15:18.260 Yeah.

00:15:18.920 And we've done now

00:15:19.940 we've done 145 shows.

00:15:22.420 We've had over 50 million downloads

00:15:25.220 of this podcast.

00:15:26.740 And every single week

00:15:28.760 we beat CNN's morning show.

00:15:30.780 Right.

00:15:31.220 And so that has been

00:15:32.400 that's always been the mission

00:15:33.520 of a bonus structure, right?

00:15:34.560 That's what you get

00:15:35.100 is your bonus structure.

00:15:35.920 You get to meet CNN every week.

00:15:38.280 That'll make you wake up

00:15:39.400 and do the show.

00:15:40.120 That's right.

00:15:40.800 But but now with with

00:15:42.660 with I heart stepping in

00:15:44.280 to distribute and promote.

00:15:45.880 Yeah.

00:15:46.220 The reach is going to be

00:15:47.520 that much broader.

00:15:48.560 And I think that's really exciting

00:15:49.800 because this was always about

00:15:51.020 really equipping our listeners.

00:15:53.540 If you're going to battle

00:15:55.020 to save the country,

00:15:56.180 if you're going to take on

00:15:57.580 the cultural Marxist,

00:15:59.580 if you're going to take on

00:16:00.480 the socialist and the people

00:16:01.800 coming at everything

00:16:04.960 that built America,

00:16:05.800 you need the tools,

00:16:06.840 you need the information,

00:16:07.800 you need to know

00:16:08.340 what's going on.

00:16:09.880 And the vision of this podcast

00:16:11.540 was always we're going to give you

00:16:13.620 as much of those tools as possible

00:16:15.780 so that you're prepared

00:16:17.480 and you know the inside story.

00:16:20.260 And and so I couldn't be more excited

00:16:22.120 about this next step.

00:16:23.220 It is sad.

00:16:25.080 You know, Michael,

00:16:25.840 you and I didn't know each other

00:16:26.640 very well when we started.

00:16:27.580 That's right.

00:16:28.800 We have become very close friends.

00:16:31.620 We are remaining very close friends.

00:16:34.380 You know, I will note,

00:16:35.340 you know, when you started,

00:16:36.340 you were, you know, 0.85

00:16:37.120 an uptight young whippersnapper.

00:16:39.720 Yeah.

00:16:40.600 And for the 145th podcast,

00:16:43.020 I'll just say right now.

00:16:44.420 You're in Vegas.

00:16:45.380 We're in Vegas.

00:16:46.960 And for the first time ever,

00:16:49.020 Michael Knowles is not wearing socks.

00:16:50.680 So he's loosened up.

00:16:52.320 You got some skin.

00:16:54.340 Yeah.

00:16:54.620 And I will tell you,

00:16:55.980 so when we cut,

00:16:56.860 when Ben was walking out of here,

00:16:58.040 we cut the camera scene.

00:16:59.020 And I will tell you,

00:16:59.960 Michael was adjusting his,

00:17:01.220 adjusting his microphone.

00:17:04.000 And he proceeded to undo his belt.

00:17:05.860 And I'm like,

00:17:06.320 Michael, Ben's coming.

00:17:07.340 Do not drop your pants

00:17:08.700 when Ben,

00:17:09.280 the first time he walks

00:17:10.180 onto the podcast set.

00:17:11.360 I was told this is Las Vegas.

00:17:12.980 I was told what happens in Vegas.

00:17:15.400 I know that was okay.

00:17:17.100 You're right.

00:17:18.020 No, it's true.

00:17:18.900 I have now loosened up,

00:17:20.200 apparently to the point

00:17:21.260 of political scandal.

00:17:22.200 But it has been really,

00:17:24.140 I mean,

00:17:24.520 the show,

00:17:25.420 to your point,

00:17:26.400 has really grown

00:17:27.520 and it's loosened

00:17:29.220 and it's changed

00:17:30.320 and we've gone on the road

00:17:31.600 and we've done

00:17:32.040 all these great things.

00:17:33.020 And it's so important, too,

00:17:34.640 to continue to hit

00:17:36.020 new and new audiences.

00:17:37.860 And so,

00:17:38.400 you know,

00:17:38.800 we've cultivated this

00:17:39.940 really, really large,

00:17:41.140 wonderful group of listeners

00:17:42.580 and now moving over to,

00:17:44.760 with the show moving over

00:17:45.480 to a different platform,

00:17:46.640 that's going to give us

00:17:47.280 new listeners.

00:17:47.960 With the show moving

00:17:48.800 to terrestrial radio,

00:17:50.080 in some cases,

00:17:51.060 that's going to give you

00:17:51.640 an entirely new demographic.

00:17:52.780 And Michael,

00:17:53.660 I'll make a promise

00:17:54.580 to you right now

00:17:55.600 that even though

00:17:57.040 neither Ben nor I went there,

00:17:58.660 we will continue

00:17:59.500 to make fun of Yale.

00:18:00.400 I'm really pleased.

00:18:01.620 That's not going to end.

00:18:02.960 That's going to be

00:18:03.540 a consistency.

00:18:04.900 That's part of my bonus structure

00:18:06.780 they gave me,

00:18:07.420 was that I get to make fun

00:18:08.500 of Yale on a regular basis.

00:18:10.420 The first time I ever went,

00:18:11.500 I went to Harvard Kennedy School

00:18:12.720 right after the 04 election

00:18:14.160 and I walked up,

00:18:15.660 they asked me to speak

00:18:16.360 and I worked on the Bush campaign

00:18:17.720 and they were doing

00:18:18.580 a retrospective of that campaign.

00:18:20.080 I walked up there.

00:18:21.240 It's a big room of people

00:18:22.700 and I walked up.

00:18:23.560 I was younger

00:18:23.980 and I just didn't say anything.

00:18:25.860 And the room was just

00:18:26.740 kind of quiet

00:18:27.400 and I didn't say anything,

00:18:29.300 just kind of looked around

00:18:30.100 and got to the point

00:18:31.220 where on purpose

00:18:31.880 it was a little awkward

00:18:32.740 and I leaned down

00:18:33.380 and I was like,

00:18:33.940 just want to savor the moment.

00:18:35.160 There's no chance in hell

00:18:36.160 I could have gotten

00:18:36.740 into this place

00:18:37.460 and now you're paying me to speak.

00:18:39.420 And the room died laughing.

00:18:41.500 I was like,

00:18:42.180 I may never get to come back,

00:18:43.640 but I'm going to enjoy

00:18:44.340 this moment right here,

00:18:45.760 right now,

00:18:46.860 where the Ivy Leaguers,

00:18:48.060 joke's on you

00:18:49.080 and I got paid.

00:18:50.700 That is magnificent.

00:18:53.160 It was fun.

00:18:53.840 Well, you know,

00:18:54.880 to this point,

00:18:55.460 before we go,

00:18:56.200 I mean,

00:18:56.400 before we sort of

00:18:57.200 let people go

00:18:57.720 and there will be

00:18:58.040 a whole new phase of verdict,

00:18:59.360 I do have to ask you guys,

00:19:01.260 we've got a United States senator here

00:19:02.840 been on the campaign trail constantly.

00:19:04.480 We've got a lecturer

00:19:05.320 at Harvard Kennedy School,

00:19:06.500 for goodness sakes.

00:19:07.260 Put it on the resume, right?

00:19:08.260 That's right.

00:19:09.540 Where do we stand

00:19:10.820 32 days out

00:19:12.120 from the elections?

00:19:14.300 I still think

00:19:15.460 it's going to be

00:19:15.880 an historic election.

00:19:16.760 I think we're going

00:19:17.100 to retake the Senate.

00:19:17.960 I think we're going

00:19:18.280 to retake the House.

00:19:19.500 But you still think

00:19:20.320 we're going to retake the Senate?

00:19:22.400 I put the odds

00:19:23.460 of the House

00:19:23.920 at north of 90%,

00:19:25.100 and I think there's

00:19:25.680 a real chance

00:19:26.280 we have a big majority

00:19:27.220 in the House,

00:19:27.820 30, 40, 50 seats.

00:19:30.500 The Senate,

00:19:31.500 I'd put the odds

00:19:32.300 at about 65, 35.

00:19:34.760 It's not a great map,

00:19:35.940 and if I were to predict

00:19:37.440 my prediction right now

00:19:38.680 is we end up

00:19:39.160 with 53 Republicans.

00:19:40.780 Okay.

00:19:41.420 Because previously

00:19:42.220 you had said 60, 40.

00:19:43.820 I've gone back and forth

00:19:44.920 between 60, 40 and 65, 35.

00:19:47.140 A month ago,

00:19:48.380 two months ago

00:19:49.060 I was at 65, 35.

00:19:50.540 A month ago

00:19:50.960 I was at 60, 40

00:19:51.900 and I'm back to 65, 35.

00:19:53.760 So it did turn

00:19:55.900 a little bit south

00:19:57.120 about a month ago

00:19:58.160 and I think

00:19:58.640 the momentum

00:19:59.280 has turned again.

00:20:02.040 I think we're going

00:20:03.040 to win a bunch of seats

00:20:05.560 this bus tour

00:20:06.300 is designed

00:20:07.040 to do that.

00:20:08.860 Ben, what do you think?

00:20:09.920 I tend to agree

00:20:10.980 with you on this.

00:20:11.980 I think that you're seeing

00:20:13.200 a really last-minute shift

00:20:14.860 and I've noticed it

00:20:16.260 on my show

00:20:16.820 with callers.

00:20:18.160 There is a real

00:20:19.580 level of stress

00:20:20.740 with the American people

00:20:21.500 right now

00:20:21.860 with the economy.

00:20:22.740 I just was in California.

00:20:24.500 You're seeing $6,

00:20:25.760 $7 gallon gas.

00:20:27.280 And new records.

00:20:28.060 And new records.

00:20:28.800 You see a present

00:20:29.580 that is just draining

00:20:30.540 our strategic oil reserves

00:20:31.740 and there's no way

00:20:32.600 to not talk about now

00:20:33.880 how low they're going to be.

00:20:34.840 Come Election Day,

00:20:36.040 you see what OPEC

00:20:37.000 has just done

00:20:37.800 and you're starting

00:20:38.840 to see the housing market

00:20:39.960 switching very quickly.

00:20:41.540 We just sold a house,

00:20:42.880 for example,

00:20:43.460 and the real estate agent

00:20:44.400 said,

00:20:44.740 you're lucky you got out

00:20:45.780 when you did.

00:20:46.520 Because he goes,

00:20:47.240 I think if this fell through

00:20:48.700 and we went right back

00:20:49.460 on tomorrow,

00:20:50.400 it's a desert.

00:20:51.580 He said,

00:20:52.140 we've not seen anything

00:20:53.360 like this,

00:20:53.860 he said,

00:20:54.300 since 08.

00:20:55.620 And I think people

00:20:56.980 are feeling that stress

00:20:58.200 and I think the closer,

00:20:59.700 unfortunately,

00:21:00.520 and I hate this,

00:21:01.580 but the closer

00:21:02.980 we get to Election Day,

00:21:03.820 it's getting worse,

00:21:05.240 not better.

00:21:06.440 And I don't think

00:21:07.280 the president

00:21:07.700 can do anything

00:21:08.720 at this point

00:21:09.280 or the Democrats

00:21:10.100 can somehow convince you,

00:21:11.080 oh, no, really,

00:21:11.640 it's going to be okay.

00:21:12.740 Oh, it's going to be fine.

00:21:14.280 Don't believe you're lying.

00:21:14.860 Yeah, I really think

00:21:16.100 people are feeling it now.

00:21:18.000 Small businesses are feeling it.

00:21:19.120 I'm a small business owner.

00:21:20.080 We're seeing it.

00:21:21.120 We lost money

00:21:21.940 for the first time ever

00:21:23.160 last month

00:21:23.960 in our restaurant.

00:21:25.120 Food costs skyrocketed.

00:21:27.000 Labor costs are up.

00:21:28.540 And people are feeling it.

00:21:30.080 And we'd never experienced

00:21:31.140 that before.

00:21:31.540 The accountant called

00:21:32.040 and they're like,

00:21:32.380 hey,

00:21:32.980 you guys lost $6,600.

00:21:35.600 Wow.

00:21:36.540 And when you hear that

00:21:37.800 and you see it

00:21:38.860 and then you start saying,

00:21:39.860 what do we do to fix it?

00:21:41.120 I think that's the conversation

00:21:42.760 America's having. 0.77

00:21:43.360 So I agree with you.

00:21:43.920 I think the Senate

00:21:44.780 is definitely,

00:21:45.680 in my opinion,

00:21:46.180 I think it's more than,

00:21:47.460 I think it's probably

00:21:47.980 even more optimistic

00:21:49.140 than you are on that

00:21:49.820 because I think people

00:21:50.980 are having these conversations

00:21:52.160 right now.

00:21:52.900 And I think that's going to be

00:21:54.060 the only blessing in disguise

00:21:55.100 is we're going to get

00:21:55.720 a change in leadership

00:21:56.620 and we're going to get

00:21:57.700 to go back

00:21:58.240 to fiscal responsibility

00:21:59.740 and go back

00:22:01.460 to what was working

00:22:02.420 and people are willing

00:22:03.500 to listen to that idea now.

00:22:05.520 Well, and when you talk

00:22:06.280 to candidates,

00:22:06.900 so we're here in Nevada,

00:22:08.440 I think Nevada presents

00:22:10.160 the number one

00:22:11.640 best pickup opportunity

00:22:12.740 for Republicans in the Senate.

00:22:13.920 Adam Laxalt.

00:22:14.720 Adam is a terrific guy.

00:22:16.000 He's a close friend.

00:22:17.200 He was attorney general

00:22:18.220 here in Nevada.

00:22:19.500 His grandfather

00:22:20.380 was Paul Laxalt,

00:22:21.940 who was the governor

00:22:22.640 and senator

00:22:23.280 from Nevada.

00:22:24.780 He's a legend

00:22:25.440 in this state.

00:22:26.360 He was Reagan's best friend

00:22:27.580 in the Senate.

00:22:28.180 His grandfather was.

00:22:29.080 And Adam is pretty consistently

00:22:32.020 running three,

00:22:33.200 four points ahead

00:22:33.920 in the polls.

00:22:34.800 That's been for about a month

00:22:35.700 he's been there.

00:22:37.420 And it's interesting

00:22:38.540 whether you talk to him

00:22:39.760 or congressional candidates

00:22:41.180 all across the country,

00:22:42.500 the Democrats everywhere

00:22:43.700 have just gone

00:22:45.000 all in on abortion.

00:22:46.080 Every ad they're running

00:22:46.960 is abortion, abortion, 0.81

00:22:47.800 abortion, abortion. 1.00

00:22:48.420 And I've been pointing out,

00:22:51.440 I said, look,

00:22:52.040 of course they are.

00:22:53.600 What else do they have

00:22:54.760 to talk about?

00:22:55.500 Imagine for a second,

00:22:56.740 God forbid,

00:22:57.420 all right, Ben,

00:22:57.760 you wake up tomorrow,

00:22:58.960 you're Catherine Cortez Mastos

00:23:00.380 campaign manager.

00:23:02.740 Yeah.

00:23:02.920 Now she's the incumbent 0.73

00:23:03.820 Democrat from Nevada.

00:23:05.080 What are you going

00:23:05.740 to talk about?

00:23:06.300 You can't talk about

00:23:06.880 the economy

00:23:07.360 because the economy 0.99

00:23:07.940 has gone to crap 0.99

00:23:08.600 under Biden. 1.00

00:23:09.780 Inflation is horrible.

00:23:10.740 By the way,

00:23:11.100 Nevada has the second

00:23:12.080 worst inflation

00:23:12.840 of any state in the union.

00:23:15.020 Gas prices are

00:23:16.020 through the roof.

00:23:17.380 Mortgages have tripled.

00:23:19.380 You certainly can't

00:23:20.460 talk crime,

00:23:21.200 murder rates,

00:23:22.060 carjacking rates,

00:23:22.940 all the crime rates

00:23:23.720 have skyrocketed

00:23:24.460 under the Democrats.

00:23:25.100 And you sure as hell

00:23:26.160 can't talk about immigration

00:23:27.900 because the southern border

00:23:28.920 is at the worst spot

00:23:30.020 in 62 years.

00:23:31.860 What you're going to talk

00:23:32.480 about foreign policy,

00:23:33.280 isn't it great

00:23:33.680 we surrender to the Taliban?

00:23:35.180 Isn't it great

00:23:35.920 that all of our enemies

00:23:36.740 are going well?

00:23:37.360 Isn't it great

00:23:37.760 that we have the first

00:23:38.520 major war in Europe

00:23:39.960 since World War frigging II?

00:23:41.500 All of this happened

00:23:42.340 under Joe Biden.

00:23:44.180 So if you're a Democrat,

00:23:46.340 what do you talk about

00:23:47.700 other than fear monger

00:23:49.620 on abortion

00:23:50.100 and scream abortion, 1.00

00:23:50.960 abortion, abortion? 1.00

00:23:51.560 But look,

00:23:52.480 I think people care

00:23:53.760 about kitchen table issues

00:23:55.480 and what affects

00:23:56.120 their family,

00:23:56.960 what affects literally

00:23:58.260 putting the food

00:23:59.040 on their family

00:23:59.680 as people are having

00:24:00.320 a hard time

00:24:00.820 paying the grocery bills.

00:24:01.560 CNN admitted this yesterday.

00:24:03.200 They said, you know,

00:24:03.860 I forget which commentator

00:24:05.060 it was on CNN said,

00:24:06.340 you know,

00:24:06.760 I'm really surprised

00:24:07.940 that abortion consistently

00:24:09.280 ranks so low

00:24:11.060 in people's priorities.

00:24:12.260 And if you've been

00:24:13.560 paying attention

00:24:14.160 to public opinion polls

00:24:15.260 for the last 30 years,

00:24:17.900 you would know

00:24:18.440 that that is the case,

00:24:19.460 both pro-abortion

00:24:20.580 and pro-life.

00:24:21.560 How does a watch show

00:24:22.480 30 years play?

00:24:23.140 It's an amazing complication

00:24:24.520 that's an impressive

00:24:26.640 timepiece you have there.

00:24:29.520 But, you know,

00:24:30.380 it's just not,

00:24:31.980 even if you're,

00:24:32.820 we're all very pro-life,

00:24:33.820 obviously,

00:24:35.520 we've maybe

00:24:36.220 do vote on abortion.

00:24:37.840 We are kind of

00:24:38.800 outside the norm,

00:24:40.200 you know,

00:24:40.740 and the same is true

00:24:41.700 for people who support abortion.

00:24:43.520 It's just people vote

00:24:44.800 on the economy.

00:24:45.860 They vote on safety,

00:24:46.640 they vote on crime,

00:24:47.300 they vote on education.

00:24:48.200 They vote on all these things

00:24:49.360 that, as you say,

00:24:50.000 Senator,

00:24:50.220 the Democrats are just

00:24:51.320 completely dead in the water on.

00:24:52.960 And so,

00:24:53.420 there is just a limit

00:24:54.400 to what they can message.

00:24:55.740 There was a joke

00:24:56.460 that happened,

00:24:57.080 and you may remember

00:24:57.940 after Donald Trump

00:24:58.760 left office,

00:24:59.460 it was like,

00:24:59.880 I could really use

00:25:00.920 250-gallon gas

00:25:02.740 and a mean tweet

00:25:03.480 right about now.

00:25:05.340 There is,

00:25:06.120 when that came out,

00:25:07.240 that first one kind of hit

00:25:08.560 and it turned into

00:25:09.200 all the issues.

00:25:10.020 Like, you know,

00:25:10.480 I really wish I could,

00:25:11.360 I could use some police officers

00:25:12.560 right now

00:25:13.180 and a mean tweet.

00:25:15.000 It is so all-encompassing

00:25:16.860 of this election right now.

00:25:18.120 And there's ideology

00:25:19.260 and then there's reality.

00:25:21.040 And it's easy to be a liberal

00:25:22.660 and to seeing these

00:25:24.660 kumbaya moments

00:25:25.900 and, you know,

00:25:27.340 defund the police

00:25:28.300 and what do we want, 0.98

00:25:29.000 dead cops

00:25:29.520 and when do we want them now

00:25:30.460 until you see the crime come back,

00:25:32.660 until you see the interest rate skyrocket,

00:25:35.160 until you see the unemployment numbers.

00:25:37.140 And when these things start to happen,

00:25:40.300 it goes back to that mentality, right?

00:25:42.920 I could really use

00:25:44.220 some of what we used to have.

00:25:45.960 And I think that's the opportunity here.

00:25:48.300 And you've seen them on the road.

00:25:51.260 I think the Republicans are focused now.

00:25:53.820 Conservatives are focused on these issues

00:25:55.680 and talking about them.

00:25:57.220 And that's going to be a huge difference

00:25:58.460 on election day.

00:25:59.400 So I was in Arizona yesterday.

00:26:01.700 We're in Nevada today, Las Vegas.

00:26:05.060 Driving over to the studio,

00:26:06.820 I pulled up Drudge on my phone.

00:26:09.740 Two stories on Drudge right now.

00:26:11.700 A professor at University of Arizona

00:26:16.840 shot and killed on campus. 0.99

00:26:19.500 I'm like, crap, we were there yesterday. 0.99

00:26:21.880 And today, Thursday morning, 0.97

00:26:23.900 it's Thursday afternoon right now,

00:26:25.300 Thursday morning,

00:26:26.400 there was a mass stabbing

00:26:28.760 in front of the Wynn Casino

00:26:30.920 here in Las Vegas.

00:26:32.440 Not at two in the morning,

00:26:34.080 Thursday frigging morning.

00:26:35.660 Yeah. 0.80

00:26:36.460 Like, you want to talk about... 0.99

00:26:38.700 You want to talk about real crap? 0.99

00:26:41.200 Like, people... 0.99

00:26:43.380 You know, what was it?

00:26:44.660 Northern California, 0.99

00:26:45.860 you had some lunatic with a samurai sword 1.00

00:26:47.880 cut a woman's head off. 1.00

00:26:49.020 Yeah, right, right. 0.99

00:26:51.580 That is a real threat to people

00:26:55.660 when they look around their towns

00:26:56.740 and their cities.

00:26:57.220 They say, you know, crime is up.

00:26:58.940 Police protection is down.

00:27:00.440 There's been defunding of the police.

00:27:02.580 Abroad, as you mentioned,

00:27:03.660 the first major war in Europe

00:27:04.640 since World War II.

00:27:05.600 There was a lot of uncertainty out there,

00:27:07.760 I think personal security,

00:27:10.760 national security

00:27:11.320 is really going to be

00:27:12.380 at the forefront of people's minds.

00:27:13.240 If you're ranking things

00:27:14.220 to be worried about in America,

00:27:16.380 it used to be beheading

00:27:17.740 didn't make the list.

00:27:18.880 Yeah.

00:27:19.980 And now...

00:27:21.360 Or mass stabbings.

00:27:22.960 Yeah.

00:27:23.320 And now you have these things

00:27:24.720 that are starting to happen

00:27:25.420 in broad daylight

00:27:26.460 in this country,

00:27:28.020 but where were they saying

00:27:29.300 defund the police?

00:27:30.500 Las Vegas?

00:27:31.440 Yep, yep.

00:27:31.900 You had people campaigning off of it.

00:27:34.300 I mean, you look at California

00:27:35.720 and look at the crime there.

00:27:37.460 You look at even in Memphis, Tennessee,

00:27:39.000 a place that is a...

00:27:40.400 was defund the police

00:27:41.600 and you saw this horrific murder

00:27:44.040 of this runner,

00:27:45.040 Liza Fletcher there.

00:27:46.140 Yeah.

00:27:46.460 And you see that happen

00:27:48.060 and now you see what the change is.

00:27:50.060 You had the governor

00:27:50.700 that had to come down

00:27:51.660 to step in

00:27:52.520 just to talk to the people

00:27:53.980 because you had

00:27:54.420 a liberal Democratic mayor there.

00:27:56.220 You have a liberal city council

00:27:57.360 that still is refusing

00:27:58.460 to fund the police.

00:27:59.460 They are literally

00:28:00.980 1,200 police officers

00:28:02.700 down from where

00:28:03.420 they're supposed to be.

00:28:03.900 And a town like Memphis,

00:28:05.600 which is the second

00:28:06.300 most dangerous city in America,

00:28:07.880 and they are refusing

00:28:09.440 to even change things

00:28:11.620 as simple as saying,

00:28:12.500 okay, to get more cops,

00:28:14.140 you can live outside

00:28:15.060 of the county.

00:28:15.980 You can live right across

00:28:17.820 in Mississippi or Arkansas.

00:28:19.440 You know where Memphis is.

00:28:20.720 And the Democrats

00:28:21.640 on the city council

00:28:22.460 are saying,

00:28:22.860 no, you have to live here.

00:28:24.180 And they're saying,

00:28:24.580 we can't recruit

00:28:25.760 enough police officers 0.99

00:28:26.620 with these ridiculous, 0.98

00:28:28.220 arbitrary ideas 0.97

00:28:29.180 that you guys have put on us.

00:28:30.260 And people are starting

00:28:31.580 to realize

00:28:32.080 this is now life and death.

00:28:33.560 Yep.

00:28:33.680 And, you know,

00:28:34.220 Michael, Ben insists

00:28:35.620 that they know

00:28:36.360 how to make barbecue

00:28:37.080 in Memphis.

00:28:37.860 I just...

00:28:39.240 It's true.

00:28:40.660 Believe it when I see it.

00:28:41.780 Come on down. 0.94

00:28:42.260 Yeah.

00:28:43.000 Well, speaking of

00:28:44.580 all these places

00:28:45.540 around the country,

00:28:46.440 the tour is going

00:28:47.180 to continue on.

00:28:48.360 The show is going

00:28:49.080 to continue on.

00:28:50.020 I think there's going

00:28:50.840 to be a ton of energy

00:28:51.740 behind it.

00:28:52.760 I cannot wait

00:28:53.500 to see this next phase.

00:28:55.280 It's going to be amazing.

00:28:56.580 I cannot wait

00:28:57.540 to come back

00:28:58.300 and visit wherever,

00:28:59.240 somewhere around the country,

00:29:00.200 here or there.

00:29:00.640 It's going to be wonderful.

00:29:01.880 It's in excellent hands

00:29:02.880 with Mr. Ben Ferguson.

00:29:04.820 It's in pretty good hands

00:29:05.780 with Senator Ted Cruz.

00:29:06.760 I'll try not to screw it up.

00:29:07.660 That's good.

00:29:08.180 That's good.

00:29:08.560 It's going to be wonderful, guys.

00:29:09.460 I can't wait.

00:29:10.340 And so for the last time

00:29:11.380 from this chair,

00:29:12.520 it has been truly

00:29:13.560 one of the great pleasures

00:29:15.260 and honors

00:29:15.820 and privileges of my life

00:29:17.160 to start this show

00:29:18.120 with you, Senator.

00:29:19.320 I'm getting choked up.

00:29:20.160 I'm getting mushy.

00:29:21.040 Michael,

00:29:21.320 you're a gentleman

00:29:22.260 and a scholar

00:29:23.180 and the kindest thing

00:29:24.880 I know how to say about you

00:29:26.180 is Yale did not 0.57

00:29:27.200 fully screw you up.

00:29:29.240 That's,

00:29:29.980 how sweet.

00:29:32.280 Put that on a t-shirt.

00:29:33.700 That's my time

00:29:34.920 with the verdict.

00:29:36.140 That's right.

00:29:36.780 It's really wonderful.

00:29:38.180 Cannot wait to see

00:29:38.960 the next steps.

00:29:40.740 For the last time

00:29:41.600 from this chair,

00:29:42.740 I'm Michael Knowles.

00:29:43.760 This is Verdict

00:29:44.500 with Ted Cruz.

00:29:45.420 This episode of Verdict

00:29:55.660 with Ted Cruz

00:29:56.560 is being brought to you

00:29:57.580 by Jobs Freedom

00:29:58.600 and Security Pack,

00:29:59.940 a political action committee

00:30:01.320 dedicated to supporting

00:30:02.500 conservative causes,

00:30:03.920 organizations,

00:30:04.780 and candidates

00:30:05.460 across the country.

00:30:06.820 In 2022,

00:30:08.060 Jobs Freedom

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Verdict with Ted Cruz - October 08, 2022

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