We're sunsetting PodQuest on 2025-07-28. Thank you for your support!
Export Podcast Subscriptions
cover of episode Alito & Thomas Dissent, Tesla Terror gets a Pass & Democratic Disarray Week In Review

Alito & Thomas Dissent, Tesla Terror gets a Pass & Democratic Disarray Week In Review

2025/4/26
logo of podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz

Verdict with Ted Cruz

AI Deep Dive Transcript
People
B
Ben Ferguson
Topics
Ben Ferguson: 最高法院阻止驱逐委内瑞拉非法移民的裁决,Alito和Thomas法官对此表示强烈反对,认为该裁决仓促且有法律问题。该裁决对特朗普政府的驱逐非法移民计划构成重大障碍,民主党可能试图激怒最高法院法官,以影响未来对特朗普政府不利的裁决。 最高法院的裁决在管辖权和程序上存在问题,下级法院甚至没有实际驳回申请人的临时限制令请求。该裁决是在午夜发布的,没有给下级法院裁决的机会,也没有听取对方当事人的意见。 该裁决可能部分由于申请人要求快速裁决,这与死刑案件中的紧急上诉类似,可能会导致仓促的决定。 民主党可能试图激怒最高法院法官,以影响未来对特朗普政府不利的裁决,这是一种危险的策略。 Ted Cruz: 明尼苏达州一名州政府雇员恶意破坏多辆特斯拉汽车,但地方检察官却决定不提起诉讼,这引发了执法部门和公众的愤怒,反映了对执法中政治偏见的担忧。民主党地方检察官拒绝起诉恶意破坏特斯拉汽车的行为,反映了民主党对政治暴力和违法的纵容态度。 民主党内部出现严重分裂,民调显示民主党人对党内领导人越来越不信任,这反映了党内存在的深层问题。资深民主党人选择退休,反映了党内对未来发展方向的迷茫和内部矛盾。Dick Durbin参议员选择退休,这对于民主党来说是一个真正的损失,因为他善于掩盖其极端政策。

Deep Dive

Shownotes Transcript

I was in Whole Foods the other day looking for a fun little bevy to go with my lunch, and I found my new obsession. SunSip is a gut-healthy soda from HealthAid, and they just dropped two new flavors. Dr. Bubbles is a fresh take on the doctor's signature blend of sweet fruit and subtle spices, while Cream Soda serves up velvety vanilla and sweet caramel. And the best part?

SunSip has gut-healthy prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals, all with 40 calories or less. Grab these new SunSip flavors only at Whole Foods in the beverage cooler near HealthAid Kombucha.

Ryan Seacrest here. When you have a busy schedule, it's important to maximize your downtime. One of the best ways to do that is by going to ChumbaCasino.com. Chumba Casino has all your favorite social casino games like Spin Slots, Bingo, and Solitaire that you can play for free for a chance to redeem some serious prizes. So hop on to ChumbaCasino.com now and live the Chumba life. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW group void where prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply.

For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbours, the communities we call home and the causes we hold in our hearts.

At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com.

Time is precious, and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24-7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow-ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments, and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year-round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran-Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome, it is Verdict with Ted Cruz, The Weekend Review, Ben Ferguson with you. And here are the big stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, SCOTUS getting involved in the deportation of Venezuelan illegals. It's interesting to see what Alito and Thomas had to say about it. We're going to break that down. Also, you know the Tesla terrorists. Well, some radical judges are saying, yeah, let's just let them go.

Where's it happening and how are they getting away with it? That as well. And finally, yes, it's real. CNN sounding the alarm that the Democratic Party is in total disarray. So is the Democratic Party over with and are they just going to admit they're socialists and communists and Marxists? We'll break that down as well. It's the Week in Review and it starts right now.

I want to move also to the second big story. And there's some people that are confused. I also think very frustrated by the Supreme Court halting the deportations.

of illegal immigrants in some cases. Can you break down what this ruling is? Alito was in the dissent here and the headlines over Easter weekend that people are like, wait, what? How? Why is this happening? I don't understand how we're protecting people that are illegal immigrants yet again at the level of the Supreme Court. Break this down so it makes sense.

Well, the Supreme Court early Saturday morning issued an order blocking the deportation of Venezuelan illegal immigrants under an 18th century law. And what it said is that they had to halt the deportations until, quote, further order of this court. And I got to say, Justice Alito, joined by Justice Thomas...

wrote a very fiery dissent, really disagreeing with it. I'm going to read you part of the dissent. Here's what Justice Alito and Justice Thomas wrote. Quote, Shortly after midnight yesterday, the court hastily and prematurely granted unprecedented emergency relief. Proceeding under the All Writs Act, the court ordered the, quote, government not to remove a, quote, putative class of detainees until this court issues a superseding order.

Although the order does not define the, quote, putative class, it appears that the court means all members of the class that the habeas petitioner sought to have certified, namely, quote, all non-citizens in custody in the Northern District of Texas who were, are, and will be subject to the March 2025 presidential proclamation entitled Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of the United States by Trendararagua and or its Implementation.

It also appears that applicants have recently moved to amend their class petition for habeas corpus and their motion for class certification. So it is not clear if the applicants will continue to defend this specific definition or will argue for a new one. And although the court does not specify what it means by, quote, the government, it appears that term is intended to embrace all the named defendants, including the president. The court did all of this, even though it is not clear that the court had jurisdiction.

The All Writs Act does not provide an independent grant of jurisdiction. Therefore, the court had jurisdiction only if the Court of Appeals had jurisdiction of the applicant's appeal. And the Court of Appeals had jurisdiction only if the supposed order that the applicants appealed amounted to a denial of a preliminary injunction. But here, the order that applicants appealed was what they viewed as the district court's constructive denial of their request for a temporary restraining order.

That is, the district court did not actually deny their most recent request for a TRO, but they inferred that it was constructively denied because the district court failed to rule on that request before the expiration of a truncated, council-imposed deadline. The denial of a true TRO is not appealable, and here it is not clear that the applicant's TRO request was actually denied.

Indeed, in an order issued last night, the Fifth Circuit held that it lacked jurisdiction for this reason. It is questionable whether the applicant complied with the general obligation to seek emergency injunctive relief in the district court before asking for such relief from an appellate court. When applicants requested such relief in the district court, they insisted on a ruling within 45 minutes on Good Friday afternoon.

And when the district court did not act within 133 minutes, they filed a notice of appeal, which the district court held deprived it of its jurisdiction. Now, a lot of that jurisdictional language seems confusing, but understand what happened. They went to the district court and they said, we want an answer within 45 minutes. And the court did not respond one way or another in 45 minutes. They immediately appealed and said, oh, they haven't answered. That means you've denied it. And

The Court of Appeals ruled that, well, we're not going to act on this. And unfortunately, 7-2, the Supreme Court jumped in. And in fact, here's how Justice Alito and Justice Thomas end their dissent. Quote, in sum, literally in the middle of the night, the court issued unprecedented, legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party,

within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order. I refused to join the court's order because we had no good reason to think that, under the circumstances, issuing the order at midnight was necessary or appropriate. Both the executive and the judiciary have an obligation to follow the law. The executive must proceed under the terms of our order, and this court should follow established procedures.

So you look at this and what is this going to mean moving forward and how big of a roadblock is this going to be for the Trump administration to do what they've said and promised the American people? And by the way, the American people voted for, which was we want to secure the border and we want to get rid of all the illegal immigrants that came into this country, especially those that are violent.

Well, look, it's not clear how big a challenge it's going to be. The most distressing thing about this order was that it was 7-2. 7-2 is not good.

It means everybody, Bartolito and Thomas, voted to stay, to halt the deportations of Venezuelans. It's not clear. Presumably they're going to write a more extended opinion at some point, so we'll find out more of their reasoning. But I've got to say, look, these two stories, this story and the first one, are connected, because I will say the Democrats' strategy in doing the full Ginsburg campaign

In some ways, I think their audience is not the American people. They've got to know somebody on the Democrat side of the aisle has got to know, hey, this is not earning us votes when we say we're the party of illegal aliens and criminals and gang members and wife beaters. That's us.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist when it comes to reading public opinion to know that's not the most popular of issues to stake your entire party platform on. But in many ways, they're aiming at a much smaller audience. They're aiming at five. They're hoping to get five justices pissed off and to get them pissed off enough that

that we see a series of Supreme Court orders against the Trump administration trying to halt these deportations. Now, I don't think that's going to happen, but this ruling is troubling, that it was 7-2. Alito's dissent, look, Alito was very concerned about this, and the procedural minutia that he recounts is very unusual. And so...

That dynamic, it is a dangerous process. It is right now. There's a little bit of a game of chicken. And I think what the Democrats are trying to do is piss off a couple of Supreme Court justices and get them to rule decisively against the president. That would be very unfortunate if that starts to happen.

Simply another question real quick before we move on is part of this. Could it just be the quickness that they were asking for the the ruling from the court? Is that something that you could change moving forward? Could that be part of that issue?

Yeah, look, it was done as an emergency appeal. And there are times, you know, there's another context where this happens a lot, which is dealing with death penalty appeals. And when you have death penalty appeals, you have someone who's been convicted of a capital offense and they're set to be executed. And very frequently you have last minute appeals that are filed. And I'll tell you, when I was a law clerk, I was a law clerk myself.

for Chief Justice Rehnquist in 1996 and 1997. And at the time, so this gives you a sense, you can now make a crack about how old I am. At the time, the way we would get these emergency appeals is they would be faxed in. So they weren't emailed at the time, they'd be faxed in.

And you'd get it off the fax, and you would get, say, if the execution was scheduled to happen at midnight. And by the way, if it was midnight on the West Coast, that meant it was 3 a.m. in D.C. But if the execution was scheduled at midnight, you would get sometimes a 100-page appeal faxed in at 10.30 p.m.

And what would happen, so what plays out when that gets faxed in is the justice who is the lead justice for that circuit. So each circuit, each region of the country has a lead justice who is the justice to whom emergency appeals go initially. Chief Justice Rehnquist was the lead justice for the Fourth Circuit as concerned death penalty appeals. And so that was Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia. And

Virginia in particular, there were a fair number of capital cases. So you would get it faxed to you. You as the law clerk would read through it. You'd have to read through it very quickly. You'd have to prepare a memo, write a memo. You then send it to your justice. And a lot of times, if this was at midnight or one or two or three in the morning,

you'd have to call home and wake your justice up. Your justice would be asleep. You'd call home. You'd say, Chief, we had an emergency appeal. Now, the justice would know there was an execution set that night and so would know that there is likely to be a call. But you'd call, wake your justice up and ask, OK, here's the arguments. Here's what I think about it. And you would write a memo from your justice saying, OK,

summarizing the arguments in the appeal and making the recommendation. So for Chief Justice Rehnquist, in virtually every circumstance, if someone was seeking to halt an execution at the last minute, he would recommend that that be denied. You would then forward it to the other eight chambers, to the other eight chambers, and there was a law clerk. So on the night of execution, at least nine of us were there until midnight or one or two or three in the morning,

And so when you would forward your memo, and a memo in a case like this would be anywhere from two to maybe eight pages, depending on how complicated the issues were. They would then get your memo, and they've gotten the appeal as well, so they're reading the appeal at the same time. They would then call their justice, wake him or her up at home, and they would cast votes at midnight or one or two or three in the morning. And a strategy that is still quite frequent when it comes to death penalty appeals is

is just throw so much crap at the wall that they're hoping the justices say, I don't know, I can't figure this out this quickly. All right, just stay the execution, halt the execution so we can figure this all out. And unfortunately, that strategy can work. There may have been some of that, that this was being done over Easter weekend very quickly, and it may be that the justices...

wanted to say, hold on a second, we want to understand what's going on here. That's possible. But I do think the Democrats' entire strategy is try to see if they can get a majority of the Supreme Court ticked off. And I don't think that's happened. But I do think

That would be very dangerous and harmful if it did happen. Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week. I was in Whole Foods the other day looking for a fun little bevy to go with my lunch, and I found my new obsession. SunSip is a gut-healthy soda from HealthAid.

And they just dropped two new flavors. Dr. Bubbles is a fresh take on the doctor's signature blend of sweet fruit and subtle spices. While Cream Soda serves up velvety vanilla and sweet caramel. And the best part? SunSip has gut-healthy prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals, all with 40 calories or less. Grab these new SunSip flavors only at Whole Foods in the beverage cooler near HealthAid Kombucha.

Hey, Matt Gaetz here. Listen, after everything we've been through the last few years, saying we have trust issues is an understatement. They pushed a questionable vaccine, and when we asked for alternatives like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, they shut us down. They used pressure, lies, and red tape to block access to medications that were once easy to get.

That cannot happen again. And with all-family pharmacy, it won't. All-family pharmacy is redefining healthcare. No waiting rooms, no delays, no insurance games, just direct access to over 200 trusted medications, including ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, menbendazole, antibiotics, emergency kits, and so much more.

You can customize your order and have it shipped straight to your door. They believe in medical freedom. You decide what works for your health, not some bloated system. Over 100,000 Americans already trust them, and maybe it's time you do too. Go to allfamilypharmacy.com forward slash USA, and use code USA10 for 10% off your first order. Again, that's allfamilypharmacy.com slash USA with code USA10 for 10% off.

Time is precious, and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24-7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow-ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments, and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year-round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

The best way to understand all sides of an issue is to know all sides of an issue. Can't get that in the mainstream media, which is why you've got to listen to some Clay and Buck for another point of view. Buck, why are you going third person? Because, Clay, I think this ad is running in places that might not exactly align with all of our politics or even know who we are. It's impossible. But...

Maybe if it's true, I bet if they did listen, they'd end up agreeing with us on at least one issue, even if they secretly won't admit it. Well, the only way they're going to find out is if they download the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever they get their pods. We're easy to find, unlike your wife at Costco.

And come hang.

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask... I'm Leon Nafok, co-creator of Slow Burn.

In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now on to story number two, which by the way, also brings us to another issue real quick. And that is, I still can't believe this. There's a guy that went viral, a Minnesota state employee.

who apparently caused about 20,000 or over 20,000 damages to Tesla's. I'm going to say that, make it clear, plural, not one, but multiple. It has now led to a woke liberal district attorney saying, nah, we don't really want to hold this guy accountable. Let's keep the lawlessness up as long as it's against conservatives and Elon Musk and Tesla owners. We're fine with that. No big deal. You're good, man. We're going to let you basically go on home.

Well, there is a suspected vandal. He's 33 years old. He is a government employee. His name is Dylan Brian Adams. And he was allegedly spotted keying multiple Tesla vehicles, stripping their paint off while walking his dog around the city. And he caused over $20,000 in damage, vandalizing half a dozen Tesla. So he was doing this over and over and over again. And by the way,

If this guy did this, he's dumb as a stump because Tesla's all have cameras on them that video the person, any person who walks up to them. So he's doing it on camera because leftists, number one, they're utter hypocrites. So their claim to care about the Green New Deal are complete lies because they've decided now to attack electric cars. Why? Because they hate Elon Musk. And understand, they hate Elon Musk, not just because he's now supporting Trump.

not just because he's now cutting the government. They hate Elon Musk because he's a heretic. This is religion, and the woke leftist cultural Marxist religion

Five years ago, lionized Elon Musk, and they view him as someone who has betrayed the faith. And so this angry government employee, who as far as I know has not lost his job despite being a brazen criminal, was caught keying and vandalizing six different Teslas. And unfortunately, the government

Henneman County District Attorney is a woman named Mary Moriarty, who is a left-wing George Soros DA. And she decided that they're not going to go after her, that they're not going to charge him. And it is unfortunate. So the chief of police, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara,

said that the damage in each case is the equivalent of a felony. And the chief said in a scathing statement on Monday, this is from the New York Post, that Moriarty's decision not to bring charges is frustrating for his officers and the public. And here's what the police chief said, quote, the Minneapolis Police Department did its job. It identified and investigated a crime trend, identified and arrested a suspect, and presented the case file to the Henneman County District Police

The Henneman County Attorney's Office for consideration of charges. The case impacted at least six different victims and totaled over $20,000 in damage. Any frustration related to the charging decision of the Henneman County Attorney should be directed solely at her office. Our investigators are always frustrated when the cases they pour their hearts into are declined.

In my experience, the victims in these cases often feel the same. That's the chief of police. And the sad reality is that for leftists today, for elected Democrats, they are now openly embracing domestic terrorism. They are now openly, we played on this podcast before, Chuck Schumer refused to condemn the

firebombing Tesla dealerships, people throwing Molotov cocktails at Tesla dealerships, people firing...

into Tesla dealerships. Somebody's going to be killed. I don't want that to happen. I pray it does not happen. But this escalating violence is going to lead to a loss of life. And the Democrats are celebrating it. And now the left-wing DAs are saying, hey, you vandalized cars and we decide we don't like the person who owns the company that built the car. Well,

Well, tough luck. Sorry, Ben, we're going to scratch up your car. We're going to key it. We're going to do thousand dollars of damage and nothing you can do about it because we, the Democrats, support domestic terrorism.

Yeah, you're absolutely right. And there's also that just scary psychological aspect of it. If you know your D.A. won't go after people that are going after your car, is it going to make you more or less likely to buy a Tesla? That's part of the the financial warfare against Elon Musk. And by the way, what's the D.A. going to do if they commit violence against you? What's the D.A. going to do if they commit violence against you?

Yeah. Like if this radical leftist is able to vandalize a Tesla, how about if he walks up and punches the owner of the Tesla in the face? Yeah. Do you have any confidence that this left wing nutcase DA is going to charge the radical with punching someone in the face? Their view is, hey, if you're punching a Tesla owner in the face, that's that's an admirable act of resistance. It is lawless. And let me be clear. I disagree with the political views of

of Marxists and communists and leftists, but I passionately oppose violence against them. And if anyone engaged in violence against a leftist, I would support prosecuting them and sending them to jail. Violence is never acceptable. And you know what? The Democrats can't say that because they support, they refuse to condemn the violence against their political opponents because it is part of their ideology. And we saw that

tragically during the Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots across the country, where Kamala Harris most strikingly raised money to bail out of jail radical Antifa terrorists who committed crimes of violence in Minneapolis, same city,

because the Democrat Party is a party that supports violence in pursuit of their remaining in power. As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing.

I was in Whole Foods the other day looking for a fun little bevy to go with my lunch, and I found my new obsession. SunSip is a gut-healthy soda from HealthAid, and they just dropped two new flavors. Dr. Bubbles is a fresh take on the doctor's signature blend of sweet fruit and subtle spices, while Cream Soda serves up velvety vanilla and sweet caramel. And the best part?

SunSip has gut-healthy prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals, all with 40 calories or less. Grab these new SunSip flavors only at Whole Foods in the beverage cooler near HealthAid Kombucha. This is Lisa Booth from The Truth with Lisa Booth. Let's face it.

Healthcare has gotten complicated. Delayed appointments, insurance hassles, out-of-stock pharmacies. That's why more and more families are switching to all-family pharmacy. Your go-to pharmacy for everyday meds, emergency kits, and essentials like ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, antibiotics, and over 200 other meds.

They handle everything. You order online, a licensed doctor writes the prescription. Your medications ship right to your door. No waiting rooms, no chasing down doctors, no insurance roadblocks. They've helped over 100,000 families already, and now they're here to help you. It's simple, reliable, and built for people who are tired of the system making things harder than they need to be. Visit allfamilypharmacy.com slash USA and use the code USA10 for 10% off.

Again, go to allfamilypharmacy.com slash USA and use code USA10 for 10% off. All Family Pharmacy, your family's new favorite pharmacy. ♪

Time is precious, and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24-7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow-ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments, and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year-round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

The best way to understand all sides of an issue is to know all sides of an issue. Can't get that in the mainstream media, which is why you've got to listen to some Clay and Buck for another point of view. Buck, why are you going third person? Because, Clay, I think this ad is running in places that might not exactly align with all of our politics or even know who we are. It's impossible. But...

Maybe if it's true, I bet if they did listen, they'd end up agreeing with us on at least one issue, even if they secretly won't admit it. Well, the only way they're going to find out is if they download the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever they get their pods. We're easy to find, unlike your wife at Costco.

Clay, you speak the truth, but we're already losing people. I think I gained one or two just now. In case you haven't noticed, we like to have a lot of fun as well as talk about what's going on in the world. Come hang with us today and every day at Clay and Buck. Download the iHeartRadio app, search out those names, Clay Travis, Buck Sexton, and come hang.

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask... I'm Leon Nafok, co-creator of Slow Burn.

In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I want to get back to the big story, number three of the week you may have missed. All right, let's turn to the Democratic Party in disarray. And it's a real thing right now. And CNN is saying it. So don't trust us. CNN having a freak out moment on TV with new polling data. And here is what they said.

Yeah, this, I think, is a revolt, a revolt that is going on within the Democratic Party right now, Democrats and their leaders. I mean, take a look nationally. Hello, Democrats and Dem leaders in Congress. The belief that they will do the right thing when it comes to the economy. Last year at this time, 80 percent believed that the Democratic leaders in Congress would do the right thing when it comes to the economy. Keep in mind, this is Democrats. Look at where we are now. That number has been slashed in half to just

Holy Toledo, that is the lowest number by far in Gallup polling. The lowest previous was just 60%, which is 21 points higher than this. Democrats hate, hate, hate

Hate, hate, hate what their congressional leaders in Washington are doing right now on the key issue of the day, the economy. And their confidence has fallen through the floor, Mr. Berman. All right, Chuck Schumer is the Senate Democratic leader right now. How are feelings about him, particularly in New York? Yeah, let's go to the state of New York. It's...

What's always on my mind, right? We're in the state of New York right now. New York Democrats on Chuck Schumer view him favorably. In December of 2024, that was just a few months ago, it was 73%. Look at where that number has fallen to in just a few months. It is now down to just 3%.

52%! That is the lowest I could ever find in Siena College on how Democrats in Chuck Schumer's home state view him. And keep in mind, if you're thinking about a primary challenge, it would be a few years away. But Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's favorable rating among Democrats is considerably higher in the 60s, so he is doing quite poorly in his own home state of New York. I never thought I'd see the day in which just 52% of New York Democrats would view Chuck Schumer favorably. It's almost unfathomable.

It's almost unfathomable. Now, here's the takeaway for me, Senator. The fact that AOC has a higher approval rating than Chuck Schumer means the Democratic Party is dead. The socialists, Marxists and communists have taken it over. And now they're out with these old guys. We also saw one of your colleagues, Dick Durbin, hanging it up, saying, I'm out of here. I'm not running for reelection.

Well, what is stunning about that is a couple of things. Number one, as they're relaying poll numbers that show Democrats unhappy with the Democrat leadership in Congress, the reason they're unhappy is they think Chuck Schumer is not crazy enough. They think Akeem Jeffries is not crazy enough.

The problem, and listen, we're in a very polarized society. Both sides are pulling further and further apart. But people that identify as partisan Democrats, they hate Donald Trump.

And I'm not quite sure what they want Chuck Schumer to be doing. Maybe lighting himself on fire on the Senate floor, running around naked, screaming at the top of his lungs. I don't know. You know, maybe they just want him to join AOC and Bernie Sanders on their Fight the Oligarchy tour. All to be clear, they're flying around in private jets to fight the oligarchy, which actually...

may symbolize today's Democrat Party more than anything else they could do to get off their private jet and stand up and say, fight the oligarchy. And by the way, George Soros, thanks for the money. But the Democrats want their elected leaders to be even more crazy than, and this is after four years of absolute shambles of the Obama administration. And what's striking also about that clip you played is,

is CNN, which is a propaganda outlet for the Democrat Party, is panicking. They can't believe it. They are terrified. The media is in disarray. You mentioned Dick Durbin.

Democrat senator from Illinois announced he was not running for reelection. Look, Dick Durbin is the number two Democrat in the entire Senate. He is number two only to Schumer, and he's calling it quits. He is also the top, the ranking member, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He used to be the chairman.

of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And so they've got senior Democrats that are saying, get me out of this place. Well, and by the way, he said something that was really interesting, how low the bar has fallen. So Dick Durbin's excuse for why he's not running for reelection was in essence, well, I don't want to become Joe Biden. And he put it this way in the interview. Listen,

Senator, yesterday after you made your announcement that you would not be seeking reelection, there were a number of Democrats who privately really applauded your choice, saying that it was something, the right thing to do, to step aside and perhaps let a younger generation of politicians step to the forefront. We know the idea of Democrat elected officials and age has been a hot topic in recent years. Do you hope, do you agree with that thinking? Do you think it is time now for younger politicians, the next generation, to come forward?

Well, I think it's more complex. It is not just a question of a number, what your age is. Look at Bernie Sanders, for God's sake, still drawing thousands and thousands of people out for rallies, and he's a few years older than I am. The bottom line is, are you competent? Can you still do the job? That's the question the voters should ask. But should a new generation be interested in public service? You bet. I've spent my time in office trying to encourage younger people to get involved.

Senator Durbin, it's Ali Vitale. I wonder if I can pick up on something you just said, this idea of are you competent? Are you able to do this job in the Senate? As you see this push from the grassroots that Lamir is talking about here, do you think enough of your colleagues are asking themselves those fundamental questions about if they can continue to serve?

I think so. I think if you're honest about yourself and your reputation, you want to leave when you can still walk out the front door and not be carried out the back door. I mean, you hear that and it's basically saying, well, I'm not going to pull a Joe Biden and other people need to look at this as well. He was, I think, clearly knocking Joe Biden in that and what he just said as well.

Well, and nobody in that discussion acknowledged that Dick Durbin spent four years lying to the American people, saying that Joe Biden was not senile, that he was mentally capable to do the job. By the way, CNN spent four years lying to the American people, screaming that it was a conspiracy theory to point out what is obviously true and was obviously true then, that Biden's mental capacity was severely diminished. I will say this, and actually it might surprise you. I'm going to say something nice about Durbin.

So I've served with Durbin for 13 years on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I'll tell you what I tell any nominees that are coming before judiciary. I tell them Durbin is the single most dangerous Democrat on the Judiciary Committee because I think he's the smartest Democrat ever.

And he is radical and extreme, but he's very good at sounding reasonable. There are other Democrats that are radical and extreme, as Sheldon Whitehouse and Adam Schiff, but they sound like lunatics. When they're ranting, everyone knows they're lunatics. Part of what makes Durbin such a dangerous questioner for Republican nominees or Republican witnesses...

is he's very good at masking his extreme policies in ways that sound much more reasonable than his colleagues. And so I will say for Democrats, seeing Durbin hang it up is a real loss to them. As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day you're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards.

I'd love to have you as a listener to, again, the Ben Ferguson podcast. And we will see you back here on Monday morning. I was in Whole Foods the other day looking for a fun little bevy to go with my lunch. And I found my new obsession. SunSip is a gut-healthy soda from HealthAid. And they just dropped two new flavors. Dr. Bubbles is a fresh take on the doctor's signature blend of sweet fruit and subtle spices. While Cream Soda serves up velvety vanilla and sweet caramel. And the best part?

SunSip has gut-healthy prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals, all with 40 calories or less. Grab these new SunSip flavors only at Whole Foods in the beverage cooler near HealthAid Kombucha. For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. ♪

At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com.

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24/7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow-ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year-round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

Hey Clay, if there was a summer camp for critical thinking, we'd be the chief counselors. Those jellyheads in June would be intellectual warriors by August. Be a lot of fun too, some Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure references thrown in. This podcast, like a daily dose of that, minus the campfire's archery and pranking the girls.

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. Please do.

To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.