Latest news with #Verdict
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
CNN Panel Recoils At Conservative Guest's Comment To Friend's Undocumented Wife
Right-wing radio host Ben Ferguson caught the panel on CNN's 'NewsNight' off guard on Thursday with an anecdote about what he said to the undocumented wife of one of his best friends. 'One of my best friends married an illegal immigrant,' said Ferguson, who co-hosts the 'Verdict' podcast with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). 'We had this conversation at dinner, and I said to her, 'I'm sorry that you decided to break the law. There are a lot of Americans that break laws, and they go to jail. And there's a consequence for your actions.'' Host Abby Phillip pressed for clarification, calling it a 'very interesting anecdote' amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. 'And you said to her, 'You need to be deported?'' Phillip asked. Ferguson replied: 'I said the same thing my dad said to me if I ever got arrested: 'Don't expect me to bail you out. You're accountable for your actions.'' He claimed he also told the woman, who has children with his close friend: 'I think you're an incredible human being. I love that you have this love with your family and your friends. It doesn't erase your kindness or your love, the fact that you broke the law.' When asked if he had reported the woman to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Ferguson said: 'I'm not going to call ICE on somebody.' Pressed on why not, he explained that she had actually appeared on his radio show to talk about her status. And he added: 'Because they were working through the process with lawyers while this was happening. They already had an interaction with law. They were already going through the process.' Other panelists pointed out that many of the people who have been detained by ICE agents in recent weeks are in a similar legal position. Watch here: Billionaire Reveals Why He Turned Down Kamala Harris' Running Mate Shot U.S. Soccer Star Dishes On 'Weird' Oval Office Moment With Trump Jen Psaki Uses Not 1 — But 2 — Scathing Supercuts To Undermine Trump's Latest Claim
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 takeaways from Tucker Carlson's interview with Ted Cruz
Pundit Tucker Carlson published a nearly two-hour interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday, during which the two conservative firebrands debated President Trump's foreign policy, the future of the Middle East and America's place in the world. The conversation was decidedly contentious, at times deteriorating into shouting and insults, punctuated by a short clip Carlson published Tuesday evening showing him quizzing Cruz on Iran's population, which for hours drove social media buzz around the full interview's release. Cruz went on the offensive Wednesday morning, blasting Carlson over his framing of their back-and-forth and urging listeners of his 'Verdict' podcast to listen to the full interview he granted the former Fox News host. Here are five takeaways from the interview. As he opened the interview, Carlson asked the Republican lawmaker why he has voiced support for regime change in Iran and potential U.S. military action to prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons. The pundit needled Cruz about the benefit of the U.S. sending money to Israel as it fights Iran and suggested lawmakers on Capitol Hill are being influenced by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which raises money for Cruz along with many other lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 'Everyone is obsessed with Israel,' Cruz exclaimed as Carlson drilled down on the money in politics phenomenon, to which Carlson replied, 'I'm not obsessed with Israel,' before saying, 'I've never taken money from Israel, have you?' Cruz conceded AIPAC 'raises a lot of money for me' and lamented the fact the lobbying group 'is not more effective' in Washington. The Texas senator said he came to Congress with the explicit intention of being a staunch defender of Israel and expressed no regret about his posture toward Iran or other Middle Eastern entities that seek to harm the U.S. ally. Carlson countered that AIPAC is effectively a 'foreign lobby' and suggested its influence could lead the U.S. into a costly war. Carlson insisted during his conversation with Cruz that he believes in 'self-defense' and would support military action against a foreign government if it was trying to harm Trump. After Carlson noted Cruz's stated belief that the Iranian government is trying to hurt Trump, Carlson asked him, 'Why don't you support military action right now against Iran?' Cruz told Carlson that 'nobody disputes' the Iranians wish to harm Trump, to which the former cable news host said, 'I'm disputing it.' 'Did we land on the moon?' Cruz shouted back. 'What other conspiracy theories do you not believe, was 9/11 an inside job?' Before moving on, Carlson said Cruz's 'logic train has a massive hole in it,' dismissing the senator's attacking him as a conspiracy theorist and saying he wasn't 'into the slurs, the antisemite stuff; I just don't like that. I'm telling you what I believe.' The conversation took sudden and a tense turn after Carlson peppered Cruz on Iran's population, which the senator dismissed, calling the line of questioning 'snide.' 'You engage in reckless rhetoric with no facts,' Cruz said, admonishing the former cable news host whom he earlier called a 'brave' voice on issues like the coronavirus pandemic and immigration. 'I'm not calling for the overthrow of a government, you are,' Carlson said as Cruz pointed at him. The Republican lawmaker later read a direct quote from Trump criticizing comments from Carlson and others questioning his strategy on the Middle East and advocating against U.S. involvement in Israel's war with Iran. 'I never attacked Donald Trump, I campaigned for Donald Trump,' Carlson shrugged, defending himself. 'I love Trump.' The president criticized Carlson directly earlier this week, calling him 'kooky' over his comments on the Middle East and taking a dig at the former cable host, saying he should share his opinions on 'a television network and say it so that people listen.' The commentator told Cruz he spoke to Trump this week and insisted 'I think we should be very careful about entering into more foreign wars that don't help us when our country is dying.' After their debate about Trump's position on Iran, Carlson accused Cruz of 'presiding over' some of the country's biggest 'foreign policy disasters' in recent years, calling attention to the Republican's support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. 'You've been spending the last three years telling us that Vladimir Putin is evil and we're going to beat him with other people's children,' Carlson said, raising his voice. 'And you've never apologized for that.' A seemingly irritated Cruz sat up in his chair and shot back, 'The number of falsehoods you lay out in one sentence is rather astonishing.' 'The war against Russia was caused by Joe Biden's weakness,' Cruz continued. But Carlson was not satisfied. 'You supported the war,' he again asked him, insisting 'shouldn't you apologize?' 'You should apologize,' Cruz shouted at the pundit, before stopping himself and scoffing, 'I'm not going to engage in the demanding of apologies.' Carlson has for years criticized U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine and stirred controversy with an interview he landed with Russian President Vladimir Putin after launching his media company. Carlson's conversation with Putin came during a reporting trip to Moscow, during which he praised the country's economy and infrastructure. After Carlson published his interview with the Republican lawmaker, Cruz sought to discredit the pundit's framing of their conversation and criticized the former Fox host on a subsequent episode of his 'Verdict' podcast. 'Did a long interview w/ Tucker. He released a snippet playing a 'gotcha' on the population of Iran. I declined to play that silly game,' Cruz wrote on social media late Tuesday. 'WATCH the full 2-hr interview, where Tucker ATTACKS Trump, attacks the 'AIPAC lobby,' & falsely claims Iran is NOT trying to assassinate Trump.' In a subsequent social media post, Cruz asked why Carlson 'refuses to acknowledge' what he called an 'indisputable truth' about the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. 'Facts don't care about your feelings Tucker, and they certainly won't bend to your narrative,' the senator said. Cruz released a new episode of his 'Verdict' podcast after the short clip of their back and forth on the population of Iran was published but before the full interview was released on Carlson's account on the social platform X. 'On foreign policy, Tucker has gone bat-crap crazy. He's gone off the rails,' Cruz said, arguing the pundit is misreading what the American people want from Trump. 'I think the American people want a president who's going to say, 'We will protect ourselves against people who want to kill us,'' he said. 'That's exactly what Donald Trump is doing.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Five takeaways from Tucker Carlson's interview with Ted Cruz
Pundit Tucker Carlon published a nearly two-hour interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday, during which the two conservative firebrands debated President Trump's foreign policy, the future of the Middle East and America's place in the world. The conversation was decidedly contentious, at times deteriorating into shouting and insults, punctuated by a short clip Carlson published on Tuesday evening showing him quizzing Cruz on Iran's population, which for hours drove social media buzz around the full interview's release. Cruz went on the offensive on Wednesday morning, blasting Carlson over his framing of their back and forth and urging listeners of his 'Verdict' podcast to listen to the full interview he granted the former Fox News host. Here are five takeaways from the interview. As he opened the interview, Carlson asked the Republican lawmaker why he has voiced support for regime change in Iran and potential U.S. military action to prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons. The pundit needled Cruz about the benefit of the U.S. sending money to Israel as it fights Iran and suggested lawmakers on Capitol Hill are being influenced by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which raises money for Cruz along with many other lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 'Everyone is obsessed with Israel,' Cruz exclaimed as Carlson drilled down on the money in politics phenomenon, to which Carlson replied, 'I'm not obsessed with Israel,' before saying 'I've never taken money from Israel, have you?' Cruz conceded AIPAC 'raises a lot of money for me' and lamented the fact the lobbying group 'is not more effective' in Washington. The Texas senator said he came to Congress with the explicit intention of being a staunch defender of Israel and expressed no regret about his posture toward Iran or other Middle Eastern entities that seek to harm the U.S. ally. Carlson countered that AIPAC is effectively a 'foreign lobby' and suggested its influence could lead the U.S. into a costly war. Carlson insisted during his conversation with Cruz that he believes in 'self-defense,' and would support military action against a foreign government if it was trying to harm the U.S. president. After Carlson noted Cruz's stated belief that the Iranian government is trying to hurt Trump, he asked him 'why don't you support military action right now against Iran?' Cruz told Carlson that 'nobody disputes' the Iranians wish to harm Trump, to which the former cable news host said, 'I'm disputing it.' 'What other conspiracy theories do you believe, Tucker,' Cruz shouted back. 'Did we land on the moon, was 9/11 an inside job?' Before moving on, Carlson said Cruz's 'logic train has a massive hole in it,' dismissing the senator's attacking him as a conspiracy theorist and saying he 'wasn't into the slurs … antisemite, I just don't like that … I'm telling you what I believe.' The conversation took sudden and a tense turn after Carlson peppered Cruz on Iran's population, which the senator dismissed, calling the line of questioning 'snide.' 'You engage in reckless rhetoric with no facts,' Cruz said, admonishing the former cable news host whom he earlier called a 'brave' voice on issues like the coronavirus pandemic and immigration. 'I'm not calling for the overthrow of a government, you are,' Carlson said as Cruz pointed at him. The Republican lawmaker later read a direct quote from President Trump criticizing comments from Carlson and others questioning his strategy on the Middle East, and advocating against U.S. involvement in Israel's war with Iran. 'I never attacked Donald Trump, I campaigned for Donald Trump,' Carlson shrugged, defending himself. 'I love Trump.' The president criticized Carlson directly earlier this week, calling him 'kooky' over his comments on the Middle East and taking a dig at the former cable host, saying he should share his opinions on 'a television network and say it so that people listen.' The commentator told Cruz he spoke to Trump this week and insisted 'I think we should be very careful about entering into more foreign wars that don't help us when our country is dying.' After their debate about Trump's position on Iran, Carlson accused Cruz of 'presiding over' some of the country's biggest 'foreign policy disasters' in recent years, calling attention to the Republican's support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. 'You've been spending the last three years telling us that Valdimir Putin is evil and we're gonna beat him with other people's children,' Carlson said, raising his voice. 'And you've never apologized for that.' A seemingly irritated Cruz sat up in his chair and shot back, 'the number of falsehoods you lay out in one sentence is rather astonishing.' 'The war against Russia was caused by Joe Biden's weakness,' Cruz continued. But Carlson was not satisfied. 'You supported the war,' he again asked him, insisting 'shouldn't you apologize.' 'You should apologize,' Cruz shouted at the pundit, before stopping himself and scoffing, 'I'm not going to engage in the demanding of apologies.' Carlson has for years criticized U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine and stirred controversy with an interview he landed Russian President Vladimir Putin after launching his own media company. Carlson's conversation with Putin came during a reporting trip to Moscow, during which he praised the country's economy and infrastructure. After Carlson published his interview with the Republican lawmaker, Cruz sought to discredit the pundit's framing of their conversation and criticized the former Fox host on a subsequent episode of his 'Verdict' podcast. 'Did a long interview w/ Tucker. He released a snippet playing a 'gotcha' on the population of Iran. I declined to play that silly game,' Cruz wrote on social media late Tuesday. 'WATCH the full 2-hr interview, where Tucker ATTACKS Trump, attacks the 'AIPAC lobby,' & falsely claims Iran is NOT trying to assassinate Trump.' In a subsequent social media post, Cruz asked why Carlson 'refuses to acknowledge' what he called an 'indisputable truth' about the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. 'Facts don't care about your feelings Tucker, and they certainly won't bend to your narrative,' the senator said. Cruz released a new episode of his Verdict podcast after the short clip of their back and forth on the population of Iran was published but before the full interview was released on Carlson's X account. 'On foreign policy, Tucker has gone bat-crap crazy. He's gone off the rails,' Cruz said, arguing the pundit is misreading what the American people want from Trump. 'I think the American people want a president who's going to say, 'We will protect ourselves against people who want to kill us,' he said. 'That's exactly what Donald Trump is doing.'
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Cruz says Tucker Carlson ‘has gone off the rails' on foreign policy after heated interview
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted conservative pundit Tucker Carlson over his comments on the escalating conflict in the Middle East, and potential involvement in the war between Israel and Iran by the United States. 'On foreign policy, Tucker has gone back-crap crazy. He's gone off the rails. He is suddenly a hardcore isolationist,' Cruz said on the latest episode of his 'Verdict' podcast. 'He went from being an interventionist, far too eager to send in the Marines, to being an isolationist who says we should never, ever use the military, even when we've got a lunatic theocratic zealot who is trying to murder Americans and has murdered hundreds of Americans.' Cruz's comments came just hours after Carlson published a short clip from a recent interview he conducted with Cruz, during which the two sparred over U.S. policy toward the Middle East and how President Trump should react to the escalating crisis. At one point during the contentious online interview, Carlson asked Cruz if he knew what the population of Iran is, and when Cruz said he didn't know, the pundit mocked him. 'No, you don't know anything about the country,' Cruz shot back at the former Fox News host. 'You're the one who claims they're not trying to murder Donald Trump. You're the one who can't figure out if it was a good idea to kill General Soleimani, and you said it was bad.' Carlson has spoken openly against any potential U.S. involvement in Israel's offensive against Tehran and called Trump 'complicit' in the violence playing out in the region. The ex-Fox News personality has a large online following, and remains an influential voice in the larger MAGA movement on foreign policy. Trump and others loyal to the president and Israel have pushed back on Carlson's claims, with Cruz echoing that sentiment on his podcast this week. 'And so I actually think that view is a really fringe view in America,' the senator said. 'It's a fringe view in MAGA, and it's a fringe view across the country.'
New York Post
07-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Ted Cruz was with president when Musk's barrage of attacks started: ‘Trump was pissed'
Sen. Ted Cruz was with a fuming President Trump as Elon Musk viciously attacked his former ally online Thursday — with the Texas Republican saying the spat made him feel like he was a kid in the middle of a divorce. 'I was sitting in the Oval as this unfolded. Trump was pissed. He was venting,' the Republican senator revealed on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz' Friday. 'I was sitting there, and the tweets were coming…. Elon was saying some really harsh things.' The SpaceX and Tesla billionaire went on a multi-day social media offensive against Trump, panning the president's 'big, beautiful' reconciliation bill 'disgusting' and urging Congress to kill it. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk fumed after Trump spoke out about the simmering feud. Cruz, who's friends with both former bros, called their very public break-up this week 'incredibly painful.' 'These are two men whom I know very well, they're both good friends of mine,' he said. 3 President Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk came to blows on social media this week, ending their bromance. AFP via Getty Images 'I feel like the kids of a bitter divorce where you're just saying, 'I really wish mommy and daddy would stop screaming.'' 3 Ted Cruz talked about the break-up this Friday on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz.' Verdict with Ted Cruz/Facebook Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week — with Trump threatening to cancel billions of dollars in government contracts to Musk's companies and Musk claiming Trump was holding out on making the Jeffrey Epstein files public because he's in them. 3 Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week. Getty Images 'It just went from zero to 11 instantaneously,' said Cruz. 'These are two alpha males who are pissed off. And unfortunately, they're unloading on each other … They're angry, it's not complicated.' Cruz and his co-host commented that they thought both men are right — Trump's big beautiful budget bill has to get passed but the government has to tackle the deficit more as Musk argued. 'Unfortunately, Elon is working under the assumption that Congress actually wants to do the job and save our country,' said podcast co-host Ben Ferguson. 'And I think Trump is working under the reality that there's a lot of people in Congress that actually aren't looking out for the American people.' Musk on Saturday deleted his post about the Epstein files in a sign he was ready to throw in the towel. But Trump made it clear he wasn't interested in kissing and making up anytime soon. 'I have no intention of speaking to him,' he told NBC News.
