The Human Trafficking Maryland Man, 'Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes' watching Cars Burn & Behind the Israel Strike on Iran Week In Review
28:03 Share

This is an iHeart Podcast. It is Ryan here, and I have a question for you. What do you do when you win? Like, are you a fist pumper, a woohooer, a hand clapper, a high fiver? If you want to hone in on those winning moves, check out Chumba Casino. Choose from hundreds of social casino-style games for your chance to redeem serious cash prizes. There are new game releases weekly, plus free daily bonuses. So don't wait. Start having the most fun ever.

at ShumbaCasino.com. No purchase necessary. VGW group void where prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply. We've all tried protein drinks on the go, but why don't they taste more like the ones we make at home or from the juice bar? They're too chalky and too sweet from sugar or artificial sweeteners. We love the health benefits, but hate the taste. Now you can finally get both with Don't Quit Protein Drinks. Loaded with 33 grams of proteins,

And here we have a specimen from the early 2000s, a legacy investing platform. Please don't touch the exhibit, folks.

It could crash. Ready to step out of the financial history museum? At public.com, you can invest in almost everything. Stocks, bonds, options, and more. You could even put your cash to work at an industry-leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind. Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less. Paid for by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA, and SIPC. Full disclosures at public.com slash disclosures.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage.

Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copper head is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable.

The Unexpected, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves. This medal is for the men who went down that day. On Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage, you'll hear about these heroes and what their stories tell us about the nature of bravery. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome, it is Verdict with Ted Cruz, Week in Review, Ben Ferguson with you. We had some major stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, remember the famous Maryland man, the Maryland father that the Dems demanded be brought back to America? Well, he's coming back to America to face human trafficking charges. We'll have those details on that in just a moment.

Also, the media is trying to convince you that what you're watching on TV is not rioting. No, it's just peaceful. Don't believe your lying eyes. We call them out and we've got the proof of exactly what they're saying and how it's wrong. And finally, Senator Cruz talked to the ambassador from Israel moments after the attack on Iran. What did he have to say? We'll break all that down for you. It's The Weekend Review and it starts right now.

Democrats have been obsessed with the Maryland father, the Maryland man, who just happened to get deported, who was an illegal immigrant, who was caught human smuggling through my home state of Tennessee, and they act like it never happened. And now all of a sudden, we're like, they were demanding you bring him home, bring him back to America. Well, guess what? The dude's coming home. He is indeed, and he has been brought to be prosecuted.

He has been indicted. He has been indicted for human trafficking. Wait, I thought he was just a Maryland dad, not a human trafficker. Well, I will tell you, I'm holding the indictment in my hand. And it is stunning. So how long was he a human trafficker? Well, according to the indictment, from in or around 2016 through in or around 2025. So for nine years. That's a pretty good career. Kilmar Armando Abrego-Garcia.

and others known and unknown to the grand jury conspired to bring undocumented aliens to the United States from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, and elsewhere, ultimately passing through Mexico before crossing into Texas. Very nice, they came into Texas. The co-conspirators knew the undocumented aliens did not possess authorization to enter the United States. They used cell phones, they used social media applications. The indictment also alleges that

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was a citizen of El Salvador, was not a United States citizen, was living in the United States, and was also a member and associate of the transnational criminal organization MS-13.

No, he's a dad. Hold on a second. You can't say that. This is just a Maryland dude. Maryland dad. Maryland man. And by the way, they accurately describe MS-13. MS-13 was a criminal enterprise engaged in, among other activities, acts and threats involving murder.

extortion, narcotics trafficking, firearms trafficking, alien smuggling, and money laundering. MS-13 operated throughout North and Central America, including in El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, including in Texas, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, and elsewhere. Now, how many

Illegal aliens. Do you think he's charged with smuggling? I'm assuming zero because he's just a Maryland man. He's just a Maryland dad. He's a Maryland dad. I want to read this paragraph. Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, as detailed further below, used his status in MS-13 to further his criminal activity. Right, not his status as a father or dad, as a MS-13 gang member. Over the course of the conspiracy...

The co-conspirators knowingly and unlawfully transported, wait for it, thousands of undocumented aliens, many of whom were MS-13 members and associates. So you're bringing in people that are now a member of a terrorist organization.

into the country, so not just random people paying. He was smuggling in members of the terrorist organization in the United States of America for not one year, not two, not three, not four, not five years, but nine years. Yes, and look, the fact that DOJ brought this indictment

means presumably they have the evidence to prove this indictment. They're going to put on that evidence. They're going to put on that evidence that this guy was a gang member for nine years, that he was part of a conspiracy that smuggled thousands of people illegally, including other gang members. So, yeah.

You think the media is going to apologize for any of their stories? We're attacking Trump and saying that he just sent a Maryland dad, a Maryland man. And understand this is the same the same illegal immigrant that my colleague Chris Van Hollen, Democrat from Maryland, said.

flew down and had really what was a very sweet margarita with. I mean, it was a bromance. They were hand-holding. It was a moment. It was a bro moment. You know, as I tweeted out at the time, you know, find somebody who looks at you the way Democrats look at illegal alien MS-13 gang members. Like, the sweet nothings in his eyes. Yeah.

As he looked on, and by the way, you saw Democrat House members, you know, all on a parade to go down there. They wanted to use your tax dollars to go see the Maryland man. This is the face of the Democrat Party. This is who they stand for. So look, you ought to ask yourself at home.

Am I an MS-13 gang member who's a human trafficker who smuggles in thousands of aliens, who smuggles in gang members? If so, the Democrats are the party for me. If you're not, if you kind of think we don't want human traffickers and gang members in America, well, then I don't know what the Democrats have to say. Is this like the ultimate FAFO-like moment? Because for Democrats, and I want people to understand the funniest part of the story, Democrats demanded we bring him back.

He's coming back, going to go to jail for a long time. And then after he serves his time, apparently we're going to send him right back to the country where he just came from. It didn't just go from bad to worse. Like he would have been better off just staying where he was. Look, Democrats actually are putting this man in jail. And these facts, the facts that prove he was a human trafficker, the facts and evidence that DOJ is going to put on.

I hope and believe the American people need to know those facts because they need to know. Look, we've already in this podcast cover how the guy is allegedly a wife beater, that he has a long history of criminality. We played the audio of him being caught human trafficking.

But but at the time, we didn't know that there was a decade worth of thousands of people being trafficked, including other gang members. Cal for what you wish for. Right. And by the way, to understand. Look, I don't know specifically what this gang member did, but I'll tell you, MS-13.

When they are human trafficking, they are raping women. They are raping children. They are abusing women and children. They are abusing little boys, little girls. They're soulless. They do not care about human life or using human life. MS-13 is evil. And in Texas, we see the atrocities they carry out. I fully expect the evidence that comes out in this trial to be nothing short of horrifying.

And I got to say, if you're a Democrat and you've decided the entire future of your party is defending this guy. Yeah. You know what's weird, Ben? I'm not sure the Democrats are worried right now. I don't think they are. I mean, that's the strangest thing.

is in the face of this. There used to be in politics moments where you knew you screwed up, where even your party. They're all in on California and still on defending this guy. Their position is that one Democrat congresswoman said, law enforcement, get the F out. That's their message. No cops, no ICE, no border patrol. We don't defend. We don't defend California. We don't defend America. We don't arrest bad guys.

But gang members and murderers, you're a peeps. Amazing. 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.

Whether you're hitting the gym, powering through your workday, or tackling your seemingly endless to-do list, Don't Quit is your go-to drink for peak performance and recovery. With 33 grams of protein, only 1 gram of sugar, and no artificial flavors or sweeteners, Don't Quit provides the fast, easy, on-the-go nutrition you need to power through your busiest days. It also features a smooth, creamy, next-level taste.

Don't let the wrong ingredients knock you down. Fuel your perseverance with Don't Quit Clean Protein Drinks. Get yours now at Jewel Osco. And here we have a specimen from the early 2000s, a legacy investing platform. Please don't touch the exhibit, folks.

It could crash. Ready to step out of the financial history museum? At public.com, you can invest in almost everything. Stocks, bonds, options, and more. You could even put your cash to work at an industry-leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind. Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less. Paid for by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA, and SIPC. Full disclosures at public.com slash disclosures.

You know, in the book of Genesis, God makes a promise to your offspring. I promise this land. Now, that promise is the foundation of Israel, a land the Jewish people have returned to after centuries of exile and bondage and even the horrors of the Holocaust. But that promise is still under threat, especially after October 7th.

Now, Israel's safety today depends on the very brave men and women of the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces. Every citizen is required to serve. Your gift of $45 will help provide aid to soldiers and their families by helping to provide food and other bare necessities for these families and emergency supplies for soldiers

Now you can help secure their future, honor those who are defending the Holy Land. Call now, 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-IFCJ. But just go to their website. It's ifcj.org, and you can give today. They are in desperate need of help.

Step into the world of power, loyalty, and luck. I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. With family, cannolis, and spins mean everything. Now, you want to get mixed up in the family business. Introducing the Godfather at ChapaCasino.com.

Test your luck in the shadowy world of The Godfather Slots. Someday, I will call upon you to do a service for me. Play The Godfather, now at Chumbacasino.com. Welcome to the family. No purchase necessary. VGW group void where prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply. Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer.

Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's pocket pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage. Plus, your super light and ultra-durable pocket hose Copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what.

An exciting exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free Pocket Pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size Copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000. By texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethose.com slash terms.

Now on to story number two. None of what you said can be true because I have a montage of the media saying that what you just described is a lie. It's not writing. It's not looting. It's not burning of police cars. Here's the media saying you're just wrong. The L.A. County police say that they have it under control. Carrying a flag is is not.

illegal, as you know. What did happen in 1992 was so different from what we're seeing now. I mean, that was a real riot. Video after video has shown that these agents are the ones provoking protesters and also making up, you know, aggression by these protesters that later video shows

People were not aggressive. We are having an administration that's targeting peaceful protests, people that are there to protest. The president is sending the National Guard because

Because he doesn't like the scenes. He doesn't like the scenes of people peacefully protesting. Unrest is isolated. LA is home to millions of people, most of whom are having a normal day here on Sunday. You know, you've heard reports that there are riots on the streets of Los Angeles. That is not what's happening across the city of Los Angeles. Governor Newsom's right. There wasn't anything like a riot happening on Friday, Saturday. We just witnessed a protester thanking a National Guardsman for his service here in California.

LAPD, by most estimates, had this under control last night. No, I don't think the National Guard is needed now. Things in L.A. are calm. There was a protest that got a little unruly late at night. There's been no violence where...

Anybody that was protesting hit anybody, shot anybody, threatened anybody. Nothing happened. What is just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn. Most of those demonstrations were very peaceful. They were chanting, they were shouting. People were driving by honking their horns.

I mean, that's just normal life out there. You know, they were just having fun watching cars burn. You know, that's just good old-fashioned entertainment. Like, get out your popcorn, you know, light some police cars on fire, you know. T.C., next time you and I are just hanging out, you know, we should just maybe just, I don't know, find a car and just set it on fire and watch it burn. We're not doing anything illegal. Everything's fine.

So to give you a sense of just how much propaganda the media is desperately trying to spin, I'm going to read you four headlines. All right. So this is a headline from The New York Times. Quote, The Mexican flag becomes a potent L.A. protest symbol. Trump officials have cast demonstrators waving the Mexican flag as insurrectionist. But for many protesters who are Mexican-American, the flag represents pride in their heritage.

Now, mind you, they're waving the flag saying, Dear God, whatever you do, do not send me back to Mexico. That is their message. But apparently it's pride in their heritage simultaneously. Here's CNN. Quote, Trump is acting like an authoritarian. California's crisis now rests on what he does next. That's CNN. Nice and objective. All right. How about the Washington Post? Quote,

He's waging a war on us. As Trump escalates, Angelenos defend their city. Across this vast metropolis, residents denounce what they consider an attack on the very fabric of their city, on their neighbors, coworkers, family members. That's the Washington Post. And finally, NPR. NPR, which, by the way, you and I are paying for. Every one of us who listens is paying for it through our tax dollars. Here's what NPR says. Quote,

Trump using National Guard in L.A. is an abuse of power, says national security expert. That's the media.

Well, and with the media doing everything they can to deny the truth, to lie, to obfuscate, to pretend that this is all peaceful, that there's no violence, never mind the violence that is unfolding in front of our eyes. You know, Maxine Waters said, don't believe your lying eyes. I'm telling you there's no violence. What is Gavin Newsom doing? Is he protecting the people of California? No. Instead, he's suing President Trump to stop the president.

from protecting the people of California. Gavin Newsom tweeted out, quote, I have formally requested the Trump administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command. We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty, inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed. Rescind the order. Return control to California. So Gavin Newsom is not upset.

that illegal immigrants have flooded into this country for the last four years across open borders. He's not upset that murderers and rapists and child molesters and gangbangers have been released. He's not upset that Californians are being murdered, are being violently assaulted by illegal immigrants. None of that dismays him. He's not upset at the looting. He's not standing with the poor small business owners and shop owners whose stores were destroyed by the violent crime. None of that upsets him.

Instead, Gavin Newsom's problem is, damn it, number one, Trump is arresting illegals and we're the Democrats, we're the party of illegals. And number two, even worse, Trump is sending in federal officers, sending in the National Guard to keep communities safe, to protect families, to protect homes. That is unacceptable because if there's one thing the Democrats stand for beyond illegal immigrations and crime,

It is preventing the police from doing their job, preventing them from keeping you safe. I think that really sums up

the lunacy of where the left is today. Final question on this one. I don't think there's any near end in sight. I think this is going to continue to grow. Do you agree? I do. And let me say, we started by saying this went where we predicted, that this spreads nationally, that we see these protests and these riots in cities across the country.

and I think we need to follow the money, and that's certainly what I am urging the president, urging the Department of Justice to do, is follow the money, and anyone who is funding this, this is just like the anti-Semitic protests on college campuses. By the way, I suspect it's the same people who funded the anti-Semitic protests, who funded the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots. It is the same radicals who hate America,

Many of them are openly Marxist. Black Lives Matter is openly Marxist. They're rabidly anti-Israel. They're rabidly anti-capitalism. They're rabidly anti-police. They're rabidly anti-law and order. They're rabidly pro-criminal. They're rabidly pro-violence. But

we need to follow the money and prosecute anyone who is funding riots across this country and i hope that's exactly what the trump administration does yeah no doubt about it before we wrap i i gotta just hit pause and you got a really cool letter uh from a kid this inspires me it makes me happy it reminds me when i got into radio when i was 12 years old uh and i want you to just tell us about this letter and i want to read it for everybody listens a verdict it's awesome

Well, listen, I had a member of my staff who was down in Texas this past week and was at Fort Cavazos, which actually just got renamed back to Fort Hood. And so and he was there at Fort Cavazos and there was a major who stationed stationed there who gave him a letter and gave him a letter. It was a letter from from his 10 year old son.

and I'm going to read it. I'm not going to give you his last name, but I'm going to read the letter that I was handed today. Dear Senator Cruz, my name is Justin, and I am a student at Hill Country Christian School of Austin, and I am pro-God, pro-life, and pro-gun Republican who loves America, Jesus, and politics. I want to write to you to say thank you for everything you have done for Texas and America. There's a

Paragraph that's really nice and praising me, which I'm going to skip because that seems a little self-centered to read a paragraph praising me. But here's the paragraph I wanted every verdict listener to hear. I listen to your podcast, Verdict, every week. I have learned so much from you about how government works and all the things you are doing to stop the radical left agenda and help President Trump pass the America First agenda.

You have helped me to want to be a politician when I'm older. Thank you for everything you do. Sincerely, Justin, age 10. 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.

Get yours now at Jewel Osco.

Welcome back to 1999.

It's time for an upgrade. At public.com, you can invest in almost everything. Stocks, bonds, options, and more. You could even put your cash to work at an industry-leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind at public.com. Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less. Paid for by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA, and SIPC. Full disclosures at public.com slash disclosures.

You know, in the book of Genesis, God makes a promise to your offspring. I promise this land. Now, that promise is the foundation of Israel, a land the Jewish people have returned to after centuries of exile and bondage and even the horrors of the Holocaust. But that promise is still under threat, especially after October 7th.

Now, Israel's safety today depends on the very brave men and women of the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces. Every citizen is required to serve. Your gift of $45 will help provide aid to soldiers and their families by helping to provide food and other bare necessities for these families and emergency supplies for soldiers

Now you can help secure their future, honor those who are defending the Holy Land. Call now, 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-IFCJ. Or just go to their website. It's ifcj.org, and you can give today. They are in desperate need of help.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage.

Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copper head is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty On Demand?

We're not boring. A lot of news is boring. And tedious. And depressing. And makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty. We're Armstrong and Getty. We try to bring you the truth. And help you figure out this crazy modern world. How about something about a comedic tone? We have a winner. Yes. Listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand 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. One of the things I love about doing this show, Senator, is moments after this attack took place, Israel on Iran, you were actually on the phone with the ambassador from Israel. What did he tell you about this attack? How long had they been planning this? What was the final decision that made this happen in the last several hours?

Well, understand this show happens real time. It happens real time in real life. You and I are recording this early in the morning, Friday morning. This podcast will come out later in the day on Friday. So some of you will be listening to this on Friday. Others of you will be hearing this on radio on Saturday or Sunday. And so the world may have changed. 48 hours at the time when a war is initiating is a mountain of time. What I can tell you

is late Thursday night as Israel was launching its attacks before Iran has engaged in a counterattack. I was on the phone with the Israeli ambassador to the United States, and he told me that the attack, at least so far, had gone extraordinarily well, that they'd taken out senior leadership of the IRGC. And I got to say, by the way, that's a huge victory for the United States of America. The IRGC

has murdered over 600 American servicemen and women. They are grotesquely hostile to the United States, and for Israel to take them out is an enormous benefit to America. But at the same time, the Israeli ambassador told me that the instruction had gone out in Israel to the people of Israel, go to a bomb shelter.

either be in a bomb shelter or be very near a bomb shelter, because they are anticipating early in the morning, Friday morning, that Iran is going to launch a massive counterattack with ballistic weapons. And Israel has extensive anti-missile defenses, but Iran has sufficient volume that if they launch everything, they have the capacity to overwhelm the defenses. And so there is a very real possibility. The people of Israel are braced. They understand that.

Look, they're not playing games. They are playing with real stakes. They're playing with live rounds. The people of Israel understand right now, as you and I are recording this, that we may see Israelis die right now because Iran has enough missiles that if they launch them all, there will be Israelis murdered in the minutes and hours ahead of us.

But at the same time, Prime Minister Netanyahu made the decision. It's a decision I agree with. It's a decision that I think was right, which is the risk of

of Israelis dying and of Americans dying, if Iran acquires a nuclear weapon, is qualitatively different. That we could face, with an Iranian nuclear weapon, we could face millions murdered. And so, listen, I want to underscore what I said at the beginning of this podcast. Pray for the people of Israel.

And pray for our servicemen and women in harm's way, because this is a very, very dangerous time right now. Well, let's talk about who is targeted and what this looks like moving forward from the standpoint of Israel. I mean, the objective here is clearly to put them back when it comes to their nuclear program. But they also went after people that were involved in that program, which is a really big way to move things backwards.

Yeah, look, this was a decapitation strike. It was targeted at the senior military leaders in Iran. It was targeted at the nuclear facilities in Iran. It was targeted at the anti-air assault facilities in Iran.

It was a very targeted but massively effective strike. Now, Iran is going to strike back. Understand that. That's not a possibility or a probability. It is a certainty that Iran will hit back. Now, what I hope Iran understands is they should not hit back at America. Hitting back at America would escalate this dramatically, and I will say—

The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, he put out a statement Thursday night. Let me read his statement. Quote,

President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear. Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel. Now, look, I'm glad that the Secretary of State was putting out that statement defending our servicemen and women. I wish there had been more in that statement saying we stand with Israel. That was missing from the statement.

And it shouldn't have been. From my perspective, we stand unequivocally with Israel. But I understand why the secretary of state didn't do that, which which is that he's concerned that Iran may strike at U.S. military forces. Now, in my view, the way to prevent that is not to say to Iran, hey, we had nothing to do with that, which was the main theme of the secretary of state's statement.

but rather to say, if you attack U.S. forces, the consequences will be overwhelming. I think Iran responds more to stick than to carrot, but we shall see, and it is, any way you look at it, an unbelievably dangerous time.

Senator, let's talk about some of the people that have been taken out here. There's two aspects of these strikes. One, nuclear scientists are being reported that they were targeted and have been killed, and that is the brains of the nuclear program. If you want to stop Iran from doing this, taking out nuclear scientists is absolutely brilliant. It's the computer system, the nervous system of everything they're trying to accomplish. That's incredible, but we also now know from...

and virtually every news agency is reporting this, that the IRGC terror chief Salami has also been eliminated. That is significant as well. Well, we now know that Hussein Salami is lunch meat, and I feel a little cheesy making fun of him. But then again, the guy is a racist, genocidal, homicidal lunatic.

So I hope after salami, bologna and pastrami both get eliminated as well. And if you look at the head of the IRGC, he has responsibility for murdering over 600 U.S. servicemen and women. So if you love the men and women of the armed services, if you are grateful for friends, family, loved ones who served defending this nation,

then you ought to say tonight to the nation of Israel, thank you. Thank you for taking out the head of the IRGC that is responsible for murdering hundreds of American servicemen and women. President Trump, when he was president the first time, he took out General Soleimani. And now today, the Israelis have taken out Salami,

a successor who is the terror chief of the IRGC, and he is now with his 72 virgins, although I will tell you, much to his dismay, those virgins are all Gomer Pyle, and it's not what he hoped for.

I've got to say, one of the best parts about this story, just side note, if you look up Salami on his pages on Wikipedia, it already says he's like the former guy in charge of the IRGC. I love the Internet when they get it right really quickly, Senator. It is amazing to see this moment in history because this is a moment in history. And I've got to ask you this.

Iran now is going to respond, I'm sure, in some way. I'm sure Israel is expecting that. You made it very clear tonight, America's warning, and from this administration. What happens next, and what is Israel expecting in your mind? Well, it depends on the escalation. I think it is 100% certain that Iran will respond by firing missiles at Israel. Israel gets that. They understand that. They're ready for that.

There is some real possibility that Iran will respond by firing missiles or other weapons at Americans. And I think if they do that, they will dramatically escalate this conflict. I think they will provoke if they murder American servicemen and women. I think you will see President Trump respond with devastating force. And so, again, my message to the Ayatollahs, do not do that.

Their response to Israel, I don't know what it will be. There is a risk that their response is devastating, that it is overwhelming. They have a massive number of ballistic missiles. So if they fire them all, the odds are significant that we will see a very large number of Israelis murdered. What I'm saying, Prime Minister Netanyahu understands. He knows that. He knows that by virtue of engaging in this attack tonight,

There's a real risk of a significant number of Israelis being murdered. But he did this because he knows that if Iran has a nuclear weapon, many, many more Israelis and many, many more Americans are at risk of being murdered. Look, the Ayatollah chants death to America and death to Israel. I believe he believes that.

And so acquiring a nuclear weapon is not just an academic question. If he gets a nuclear weapon, I believe he is trying to acquire one because he wants to carry out his promises of death to Israel and death to America. And that's precisely why Israel has launched this attack to stop him from getting that capability.

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.

Get yours now at Jewel Osco.

Welcome back to 1999.

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable.

The unexpected, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves. This medal is for the men who went down that day. On Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage, you'll hear about these heroes and what their stories tell us about the nature of bravery. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty On Demand? We're not boring. A lot of news is boring. And tedious. And depressing. And makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty. We're Armstrong and Getty. We try to bring you the truth. And help you figure out this crazy modern world. How about something about a comedic tone?

We have a winner. Yes. Listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.