Welcome. It's Verdict with Ted Cruz Ben Ferguson with you. Senator. Nice to chat with you today. Many people are on the road going to see family for Thanksgiving and listening to this podcast, and I want to start with some good news, and that is we are seeing a lot of pressure on a lot of senators in DC on this gay marriage vote. Before we get into the pressure side of things, I want to go step backwards for people that may have missed this important issue. Explain this vote and explain the mike Le amendment that is so important to protect religious institutions, schools, and private schools especially from being persecuted by our government. That's why this amendment for mike Le is so important. Well, Democrats in Congress are pushing through a bill that embraces and codifies in the federal law gay marriage. Twelve Republicans in the Senate have supported that bill. Now, people, both Republicans and Democrats have different views on gay marriage, and there's no doubt that views on gay marriage have changed and changed a lot with the American people over the last ten years. The biggest danger of this vote is that it will empower the Biden administration and in particular, the Biden irs to target people of faith, and by that I mean churches, I mean universities, I mean K through twelve schools, I mean charities, any organizations that, because of their faith, believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman and do not embrace same sex marriage. And what it will empower the biden Irs to do is to go after those institutions and persecute them, to strip them of their five oh one C three status, to bar them from engaging with the government in providing sir verses to the public. We've seen this happen. For example, the city of Philadelphia did this to Catholic Charities because Catholic Charities in Philadelphia, when it came to adoptions, would not facilitate adoption to a same sex couple. The City of Philadelphia said, Catholic Charities is out of the business of adoption. We won't allow them to assist with adoption. Now, mind you, there are lots of other adoption agencies. So if the same sex couple in Philadelphia wanted to adopt a child, they could do so. They just couldn't conscript Catholic Charities to doing so. In a way, they believed was contrary to their faith that particular policy was challenged when all the way to the Supreme Court was struck down. The real world consequence of this bill before the Senate is the Biden IRS will now have an excuse to target and go after, for example, Liberty University. On the last podcast, I predicted Liberty University would be the very first target of the Biden IRS to try to deny their five O one C three status. So to prevent that, Mike Lee, Senator Mike Lee from Utah is introduced an amendment that is an iron clad amendment that prohibits the IRS and the Biden administration from targeting organizations because of their views on marriage. Now, what's the problem, Well, the Democrats have put fake religious liberty protections into their bill, and particularly they've said nothing in this bill will deny people their five oh one C three status. Here's the problem. The Biden IRS would say, well, no, no no, it's not the bill that's anying them. It's us that's sedying them. It's it's a classic lawyer sleight of hand that leaves a gaping whole. Now, so far, the Democrats have refused to accept Mike Lee's amendment why have they refused to accept Mike Lee's amendment because twelve Republicans are giving them the votes they need, so they don't have to accept Mike Lee's amendment. They got the votes, so they're response to Mike Lee has been pound Sand. On Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, we have a comeback vote Monday at five thirty pm. It is a sixty vote threshold to move this vote forward. That means if just three of the twelve Republicans who voted with the Democrats say we will not vote for cloture. We will not vote to move this bill forward unless you adopt the Micly amendment, one of two things will happen. Either number one, the Democrats say okay, will adopt the Micle amendment, in which case it gets adopted and then the bill passes. Or number two, the Democrats say no, Pound Sand, in which case the bill doesn't pass. But what that takes is three of the twelve to say, damn it, we're not going to be responsible for empowering the Biden irs to persecute people of faith. And I got to say, I think that is just an incredibly important issue that a week ago many people didn't understand. I will say I do think that this podcast has helped increase the number of people who understand what's at stake. It's so important and if you are about to check out for the holidays, we all do it. We all spend time with our families before you check out. You need to be calling your senator. You need to be making sure they fill the pressure over the holidays and tell them that they need to stand up, especially if it's one of these twelve. We talked about this in the last podcast. You can go back and listen and that list is there for you of those senators that you need to be talking to and let them know we need to flip them and make sure that some of them, at least three or more support this Micle Amendment, which is so vitally important for this issue to protect religious liberty and so that the government doesn't have the ability to come out in attack. This is an important issue where we're winning right now. I love this part of the podcast because we get to encourage and inform you on what's really happening in Washington, and this is one of those issues that you need to get involved with. Ben. Let me explain also because It's not hard to see where the puck is going on this. I think you're going to end up with most of those twelves saying, oh, I support the Micaly Amendment. If we had a vote, i'd vote for it. Well, in the Senate, just saying you'd vote for it when it's tied up, say, is a fifty vote threshold with a Democrat majority is not really saying you care about it. That's what's called a show vote. Yeah, oh sure, I'm for that. No, we don't get that. Okay, well, never mind, I don't really care much. I'll let it go. The only leverage the minority has is to use sixty vote thresholds and deny your vote unless the majority gives in. As I said, one of the main Democrat sponsors was in the cloak room last week and was saying, well, sorry, the Democrats just aren't willing to accept this. Well, of course they're not. They'd be idiots if they were, because the Republicans started by saying we'll support you without it. Why would the D's move. The only way they will move is if we get forty one Republicans to say we will block cloture, and for that to happen. Three of the twelve Republicans has to say no Micaly amendments, no bill. It's exactly what you need to ask for. Make sure you reach out to these senators put pressure on them because they're going to come back from Thanksgiving break and this is going to be right up immediately. They're trying to get this through as quick as they can before people even know what even happened. But before I get into that part of the story, I want to tell you a little bit about my good friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you've got a cell phone and nine Americans do, how would you like to know that with every phone call you make, you're supporting conservative causes. Well that's what Patriot Mobile does. And they use the same cell towers that you're on right now, meaning you get the same exact coverage that you're getting right now. Patriot Mobile is America's only Christian conservative mobile phone provider. They are a force for conservative values. Why because they take a portion of every bill that you pay and they find conservative causes, candidates and organizations that believe in the sanctity of life, freedom of speech, and the Second Amendment. And they're winning if you're ready to have your dollars matter when you're paying a bill, switch to Patriot Mobile. They can save you money over what you're paying right now. They can save you and your family money, and they even can save your business or small business money because they have an entire section of the business that's just dedicated to businesses. They offer the same nationwide coverage as all the other major carriers, but the difference is you actually get to stand up for what you believe in every time you pay that bill. So go online to Patriot Mobile dot com slash verdict, Patriot Mobile dot com slash verdict. You'll get free activation and other major offers, and you can call them nine seven to Patriot. That's nine seven to Patriot, use the promo code Verdict. Senator, I want to move to another issue, and my social media is blown up over this. People have been reaching out and this is maybe one of the weirdest headlines I've seen a long time, that China is operating police stations in the United States of America. The FBI chief has now admitted that that is exactly what has happened here. The FBI Director Ray confirmed the bureau is investigating the Chinese government's efforts to set up police stations the United States America, saying he's very concerned about Beijing's outrageous transitional repression schemes. He says there's not only investigations in the US, but also in Europe, in Canada and elsewhere that we're spurred by safeguard defenders. It's a nonp an organization releasing a report on Chinese transitional policing gone wild, as they described it, with this Spain based human rights advocacy group, saying there are fifty four overseas Chinese police service stations operating in thirty countries across five continents that have been uncovered by the group so far, meaning there's probably more. Ray was grilled about the Chinese efforts by Senator Rick Scott during a Senate hearing on Thursday, right before everybody left for the holidays, and the FBI director pointed the finger directly at the Chinese leader. I want to play for everybody this audio. Take a listen to the FBI director admitting this is happening not just around the world, but in the United States of America right now. It's been reported that the Chinese Communist Party are operating police stations in the United States and efforts to surveil Chinese dissidents. It seems obvious the US shouldn't allow its most significant geopolical arrival and oppressive communist regime to establish police stations in the US. What a thor or jurisdiction does the CP have in the US? And I don't know if which one one is testifying. Well, Centator like you, I'm very concerned about this. We are aware of the existence of these stations. I had to be careful about discussing our specific investigative work. But to me, it is outrageous to think that the Chinese police would attempt to set up shop, you know, in New York, let's say, without proper coordination. It violates sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial law enforcement cooperation processes. And the reason the reason this is so important is because we have seen a clear pattern of the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party exporting their transder repression right here into the US. And we've had now a number of indictments that you may have seen of the Chinese engaging in uncoordinated quote unquote law enforcement action right here in the United States harassing, star talking, surveiling, blackmailing people who they just don't like or disagree with the she regime. And so it's a real problem, and it's something that we're talking with our foreign partners about as well, because we're not the only country where this has occurred. Can you do they don't have any right to be here? Right? Well, we're looking into the legal parameters of it, So I want to be a little bit careful to get not to get out over my skis on that, but I suffice to say I can tell you from an FBI director perspective, I'm deeply concerned about this, and I'm not going to just let it lie. Cenator. He says he's not gonna let it lie. Well, if that's the case, and if he's deeply concerned, how do we get the point where either here be they're set up and see they're operating. So the answer too, they don't have any right to be here, should have been hell no. And I got to say this actually underscores what the FBI should be focused on, instead of harassing and targeting the political enemies of the Biden White House, instead of raiding Mara Lago, instead of raiding the homes of pro life activists instead of investigating and persecuting parents who go to school boards. The FBI ought to be going after Chinese spies and ought to be going after these apparently police stations, Chinese police stations operating on US soil. Now the FBI would say we are well, you're not devoting enough resources because you say, well, gosh, I have to look into it. How about take all the folks you're using to play political enforcers and have them targeting the bad guys. Listen, China has been engaged in what they call Operation fox Hunt, and that is a global effort aimed at forcing Chinese dissidents, aimed at forcing wagers to return to China. And when this nonprofit that's based in Spain, when it published this report, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Elkoreo, a newspaper in Spain, quote, I don't see what is wrong with pressuring criminals to face justice with all the guarantees contained in Chinese law. And the Chinese Foreign Ministry continued, quote the sites you mentioned are not police stations or police service centers. They assist overseas Chinese nationals who need help in accessing online service platforms to get their driving licenses renewed and receive physical checkups for that purpose. It is stunning the words that China is saying right there. That's what's known as a lie. It's an obvious lie. I will say one of the things about the Chinese Communist Party they are liars, but they're really bad at it. They don't even really pretend. They're just horrible liars. And this is it's reminiscent of in twenty twenty. You may remember the Trump administration closed the Chinese consulate in Houston, my hometown. Yeah, and closed it because the Chinese consulate, quote was a hub of spying an intellectual property theft. In other words, that had a consulate that was ostensibly doing all that stuff that that the Chinese Foreign Ministry said driver's licenses at assisting people. But what it really was doing is it was the central nerve center of a bunch of Chinese spies who were spying on people all throughout Houston and the region who were engaged in the theft of intellectual property. We're trying to steal intellectual property from from companies, from universities, from medical centers, and and who were also I listened, I talked to individuals who were involved in closing that consulate, and it was by all accounts a hellhole, literally with with with detention cells in there, with rats in there, and the Chinese behave with impunity. They are engaged in going essentially a new Cold War against US, and the Biden administration is not fighting back, which makes the Chinese communists only more aggressive. And I gotta say, Ben, right now, the fact that it was a Spanish nonprofit organization that highlighted this, what the hell is the Biden administration doing? Well, I was going after this, That's what I was going to ask you, because Ray even said this, he said, the reason there is this is so important is because we have seen a clear pattern of the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, exporting their repression right here in the US. And we've had now a number of indictments that you may have seen of the Chinese engaging an uncoordinated quote unquote law enforcement actions right here in the United States of America, harassing, stocking, surveilling, blackmailing people who they just don't like or who disagree with the Ji regime. My question is we clearly have known about this. The only reason why they're now responding is because they're being asked by Senator Scott because of this human rights group that has exposed This is the reason why the Biden administration has allowed them to operate in the US because they're compromised with this deal that we now know about, with Joe Biden being the big guy Hunter Biden and the billions of dollars in loans and the millions of dollars coming into his family with these deals, I mean, how we just gave some our strategic or reserves and a tanker directly to a company that Hunter Biden apparently still has a financial stake in, at least on their corporate documents. The White House claims he sold it, but the corporate documents say no, he didn't. Well there, as you noted, there are serious concerns about corruption with Joe Biden, and corruption involving taking very substantial sums of money directly from the Chinese communists and business dealings with his son that need to be made public that I'm confident the House of Representatives is going to examine and and that need to be investigated in the Department of Justice, but but mind you, DJ is too busy going after Donald Trump to have time to do something like that. Although your question was, is the reason why they're doing it because Biden is compromise And I actually don't think that's the reason they're doing it. The Democrat Party was pro China long before Joe Biden. It's not because of Joe Biden's issues of corruption that the Democrat Party is pro China. The Democrat Party is pro China because it is structurally pro China. If you look at the major funders of today's Democrat Party, they are big business, they are big Hollywood, they are big universities, and they are big tech. All four of those are in bed with communist China. And so the Democrat Party today cannot be vigorous standing up against communist China. Sure they can that, they can give a comment here or there, but they can't actually take action to stand up to communist China because the people writing the checks to them, they're all hunter Biden. That they're all in bed with prostitutes, smoking crack with Chinese communists. Now, to be clear, I mean that metaphorically other than erk Swawa, but that is the reality of today's Democrat Party. And for someone who says, oh, come on, Ted, you're being hyperbolic, I want to point out a vote that I forced last year in the United States Senate. I forced a vote that said that no government funds could be spent to facilitate the acquisition of electric cars or parts for electric cars that were manufactured with slave labor in concentration camps in Communist China. They're over one million weekers currently in concentration camps right Nowaday. We voted on the Senate floor, and every single Democrat except one, Joe Mansion, voted against that amendment. In other words, every Democrat, when given the chance, should the Biden White House be funding Chinese concentration camps with modern day slavery? Every single Democrats said you betcha and voted yes. That's today's Democrat Party. That's the fundamental problem. But I'll tell you this, Ben, I'm a member of the Judiciary Committee. I'm a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. I believe both the Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee should hold hearings on Chinese police stations on US soil. We need to ascertain how widespread this is where they are, what they're doing, and we need to pressure the Biden administration to shut them down. Now, I don't know if that will happen. If we had won an election day, if we had Republican majorities on election day, I could go on this podcast and tell you that will happen. Because with a Republican majority, I have one hundred percent certainty we would have held those hearings and used the ability to pressure the Biden administration into action. With Democrat majorities, it comes down to Dick Durban and Bob Anendez, and maybe they'll hold the hearings, maybe they won't. What I can tell you is I'm going to do everything I can to press them to do that, and I hope they they do the right thing and hold those hearings and let the American people know what on earth is going on here. Lastly, on this subject Center, there's one thing that Race said at the very end of his testimony that was kind of shocking to me. He said the Justice Department might need to pursue quote, remedies, and there may be a State department dimension to this that we're looking into. If we're holding out for the State Department to fix this problem with China, how screwed, are we? Well, Actually, I don't take particular issue with that comment, because when you're dealing with a foreign nation, the State department is your principal mode of communication. And so, for example, one state department remedy is what the Trump administration did in twenty twenty, which is shutting down a consulate. That's a major force of leverage. And so there's no doubt when interacting with China. Let's be clear, I'm not advocating going to war with communist China. No one in the right mind wants two superpowers with nuclear weapons to start shooting at each other. What I am advocating is we protect US sovereignty and we prevent the Chinese military and the Chinese police from engaging an unlawful conduct on United States soil. And that that is primarily a law enforcement action, that is the Department of Justice and the FBI, But the State Department also has an element in terms of exerting pressure and being willing to stand up and fight. But they've got to be willing to stand up. And as I mentioned, at least so far, the Biden administration has rolled over repeatedly for communist China. Yeah, to put it in perspective for everybody listening. The Chinese Police Station reportedly operates in Lower Manhattan. It's run by the American Changley Association in New York, Incorporated, which had its tax exempt status pulled by the RS and May after it failed to submit its taxes for three years in a row. The outlets of the documents show the nonprofit group was founded in twenty thirteen, so it's been around for a while in the US, and paid one point three million three years later for a suite of offices that houses this Chinese police station. So there you have it, Center. I want to move to another issue, and that is you predicted the future. It will go back to a tweet of yours from about a year ago. You said, the chances of the GOP retake the house in twenty twenty two or over ninety percent. That's now happened. And you had a prediction. You said, come twenty twenty three, Eric Squalwell, who likes to sleep with the Chinese enemy, Omar and others are getting ready to have a lot more time on their hands. Fast forward, Kevin McCarthy now says he wants to block three Democrats from committee's the same three that you said a year ago was going to happen. This is obviously very good news for a national security well it is. And so Kevin McCarthy has has announced publicly that that he is going to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee and Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee. And listen that this is an obvious step that McCarthy should take, and it makes sense. Although I will I will pause and say I regret that this is happening. And here's why this was all predicated on a year ago when Nancy Pelosi threw several Republicans off of committees. And I don't think either party's leader should have the authority to throw the other parties members off of committees. This will become an escalating war. And so when Pelosi, and by the way, she did this on the January sixth committee, that kangaroo that kangaroo court, when McCarthy wanted to put Jim Jordan and Jim Banks on the committee, Pelosi said no, no no, no, no, we don't actually want any Republicans who will vigorously question our witnesses. We don't want any Republicans who will take the other side. We don't want any Republicans who will defend Donald Trump, so we won't allow those Republicans on, only the ones that are willing to be useful idiots and say what we the Democrats want it. Really, that's not how Congress should work. Republicans should determine which Republicans are on committees. Democrats should determine which Democrats are on committees. Thankfully, that's the way the Senate works. So Chuck Schumer can't throw me off of any committee, and Mitch McConnell can't throw any Democrat off any committee. And actually the Senate works even better than that because on the Republican side, at least Mitch McConnell can't throw me off any committee, whereas in the House, the Republican leader can remove Republicans from committees. The Speaker of the House has much more authority than the Senate majority leader. But where the House went last year was a truly unprecedented escalation. If Pelosi wanted to strip Swalwell from his committee assignment and say, look, Eric, you know the fact that you were sleeping with a Chinese spy, it's kind of a problem for you. Sitting on the Intelligence Committee, so we're going to remove you. That actually would have made some sense if Nancy Pelosi had said to ilhan Omar, listen, you keep making anti Semitic comments, you keep repeating vicious anti Semitic tropes, We're not going to put you on the Foreigner Affairs Committee. That would have been a reasonable thing for Nancy Pelosi to do in her own party, if she actually cared about not being compromised to the Chinese Communist or standing up against anti Semitism. She didn't do that. Instead, she went after Republicans and engaged in partisan warfare. And I predicted then, I said, the obvious tit for tat is when Republicans take control, they're going to have to remove some of these obvious low hanging fruit. But the problem is this can only escalate. I don't think we should go down this road at all. And what's bizarre, it's actually a very interesting entree into the psyche of today's angry congressional Democrat because at the time Pelosi removed Republicans from committee assignments, they all knew Republicans were getting ready to take over. So this was not a mystery. When I sent my tweet, everyone agreed that Republicans were getting ready to take over. In fact, most of us thought it was going to be a much bigger majority than unfortunately we had. But they all knew, as I said in my tweet a year ago, the odds were ninety percent of greater than Republicans were getting ready to take over. So they did it anyway because they're just so angry burn it all down. They didn't care about where the next escalation would go, and I think that process is only going to continue. You look at Eric Squalwell for example, and one of the points that I think the media has missed Centator is the fact that you know, if there's a reason to have him not be on a committee, it's because if he was in the private sector. Many had pointed out, he wouldn't be able to get security clearance. It's not because he's a Democrat's because he's been compromised. And that's one of the facts that that some have brought up, but so many have also overlooked, is if you want to say that he shouldn't be on a committee, it's from that standpoint it shouldn't be. As you just mentioned it, Republicans attacking Democrats and it's escalating it. All right, we're gonna kick your guys off when we're in control and vice versa. That's not how government's supposed to work well. And I'll point out also so Swallwell and Shift are both on the Intent Eligence Committee and even within Congress. So the Intelligence Committee is special. It gets access to very, very classified materials. There's a whole range of classification within government materials, and you have the highest level of classification that they keep incredibly tight constraints on, and typically the Intel Committee gets access to that information and most other members of Congress don't. So I'm not on the Intel Committee. I'm on Foreign Relations and Judiciary, so I get access to a lot of classified information. But there's stuff Intel has that that I don't ordinarily have access to. And if I wanted to, I could be on Intel. I chose to be on Foreign Relations instead of Intel, which it has a broader jurisdiction. Intel is more specialized, but the Intel Committee in particular, you want to talk about, our most valuable secrets are secrets that implicate American lives, that potentially reveal American covert operatives, that literally can result in CIA officers being murdered by our enemies if they fall into the wrong hands. If there's one committee you want to make sure the members of that committee are not compromised in any way, are not going to share secrets with our enemies. It's the Intel Committee. And it is fairly stunning that both Swallowell and Schiff are on the Intel Committee today in January, They're not going to be yeah, which is obviously good news from that standpoint of a safety and security measure. Want to remind you don't forget share verdict with your family and friends. Hit that subscriber auto download button so you get this show three days a week, and get involved, and make sure you reach out to your senators, especially that list of twelve that we talked about on the gay marriage bill and the Micle Amendment, and make sure it's attached to the bill, it's on up or down vote on its own. Make sure you know what you're asking for. You can go back, can listen to the extended version of that conversation and a prior verdict, So grab that one. And it's the last time we're gonna talk to you before Thanksgiving. So to all your happy Thanksgiving Center. I know you want to say something to everybody listening about Thanksgiving as well. Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy some some turkey and stuffing and uh pie. We're gonna have a great Thanksgiving with our family. We're gonna be with with our extended family. Uh Caroline is gonna make chocolate pies for everyone, and we're gonna have It's a Cuban Thanksgiving, so we'll be sitting around around the table after eating and we'll play some dominoes and be yelling. There's there's an old joke if if if Cubans can't yell, could they talk? And the answers no, that's the only way Cubans can communicate with each other's screaming. Um. But you know, I hope Thanksgiving as a time I'll probably play my nephew some some one on one basketball, which I've been playing him since he was about four years old, and I've been beating him and beating him and beating him. And he just graduated from Baylor, and I will say it's a depressing mark. He's now oh twenty two, twenty three years old you know, big strapping young guy who's the captain of his high school basketball team. And it's gotten to the point I can can still beat him, but he's now beating me, which is which is always a sort of it's actually it's it's both depressing and it's a moment of pride when you when you see someone that you've been been teaching a game and playing with since they were a tiny kid gaining skills. So I'll do that. Hopefully I won't break an ankle, but I hope everyone take time to be with your family. Take time to hug your kids, take time to hug your mom, hug your dad. Look, you don't you don't know if everyone that's that's at the family table tomorrow, if they'll be there for the next Thanksgiving. It's it's one of the great reminders that every day we have is a blessing and a gift from God. And and and I would encourage everyone take time, take rest, but but try to do also, particularly with your kids, try to remember what Thanksgiving is about, about giving thanks to God, giving thanks to the blessings you have. And one of the things we try to do with our girls every Sunday, as we drive to church in the car, we ask each each of our girls, both of our girls, Um, what are three things you're grateful for? And we try to make that a weekly and Heidi and I go around, Um, you know, I would say take Thanksgiving to to at least have a little time of reflection for all the things we have to be thankful for. That that. You know, it's easy to be so angry, it's easy to be frustrated. There's lots to be angry about. There's lots to be frustrated about, but there's also lots to say. Thank you God, thank you for your incredible blessings. Thank you that we live in the United States of America. Thank you that we enjoy freedom. That thank you that that at least right now, these Chinese police stations are not coming to arrest me. That's that. That that that's something to be very grateful for. Thank you that that we enjoy peace and freedom and prosperity. That for almost the entirety of human history has not existed on planet Earth. That there is truly no better time to be alive than right now with all of the challenges and look, everyone, we're fighting against forces that are trying to tear down our country. That's a fight worth fighting. You know what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful that we get to fight that fight. I'm thankful that we get to be in the arena and fight for things that matter. And so love your kids, love your family, rest, eat, eat till your stuffed, watch some football, but spend time also giving thanks because we've got a lot to be thankful for, no doubt about it. I got one last question. It's an important one center fried, smoked or oven baked. How's the turkey going to come out of your house? Oven baked? Ah? There we go? Traditional? Oh yeah, yeah, No, I've never done the I think I've heard lots of good things about the fried thing, but I've never been adventurous enough to try that. Smoked is okay, But I liked oven make better. I just think it tastes better. And my mom makes really good stuffing, and and so we'll do we'll do that, which is fun. I will tell you my sister Miriam years ago when when when I was in college, my sister Miriam, who was nine years older than I am, and she's the sister who passed away from an overdose about a decade ago. But she was living in Philadelphia, and so I was, I don't know, nineteen twenty years old. So she's twenty eight, twenty nine, and her son, Joey, my nephew, was a little boy at the time, and I was going to spend Thanksgiving with Miriam at her apartment. And Miriam I loved her deeply. She was a good person, but she made lots and lots of foolish decisions, and she was a little scatter braid. So she was having her little brother over for Thanksgiving dinner and she'd never done that before, and so she put the turkey of the oven, but she didn't quite understand how long you needed to cook the turkey. So what I got here for Thanksgiving dinner, it wasn't ready, and it wasn't ready, and it wasn't ready, and it was finally ready at two in the morning. So we had Thanksgiving dinner at two in the morning. And Joey and I are just laughing at my sister. It was. It was a wonderful and fun time. But we're cracking up that, like, well done, Miriam at two a Thanksgiving dinner, you know? Not Julia Childs but you know what, it was family in there was love, so that that's what you want and Thanksgiving. Hey, at least she didn't leave the bag of the innards inside the cavity. I've had that experience of going to someone's house. They asked me to carve the turkey at our family friends. My dad looked at me and I looked at him and I was like, what do we do now? He was like, we take it out and we don't say a darn word about it. And that's what we did. Senator. Happy Thanksgiving to you in your family, for everybody listening, Havy Thanksgiving to you guys as well. Don't forget on Friday, we'll have a new episode for you, not a rerun, So on your way home from seeing family and friends, make sure you download Verdict. On Friday, we'll have a new episode for you. Then, Happy Thanksgiving. We'll see you back here on Friday morning.
Welcome. It's Verdict with Ted Cruz Ben Ferguson with you. Senator. Nice to chat with you today. Many people are on the road going to see family for Thanksgiving and listening to this podcast, and I want to start with some good news, and that is we are seeing a lot of pressure on a lot of senators in DC on this gay marriage vote. Before we get into the pressure side of things, I want to go step backwards for people that may have missed this important issue. Explain this vote and explain the mike Le amendment that is so important to protect religious institutions, schools, and private schools especially from being persecuted by our government. That's why this amendment for mike Le is so important. Well, Democrats in Congress are pushing through a bill that embraces and codifies in the federal law gay marriage. Twelve Republicans in the Senate have supported that bill. Now, people, both Republicans and Democrats have different views on gay marriage, and there's no doubt that views on gay marriage have changed and changed a lot with the American people over the last ten years. The biggest danger of this vote is that it will empower the Biden administration and in particular, the Biden irs to target people of faith, and by that I mean churches, I mean universities, I mean K through twelve schools, I mean charities, any organizations that, because of their faith, believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman and do not embrace same sex marriage. And what it will empower the biden Irs to do is to go after those institutions and persecute them, to strip them of their five oh one C three status, to bar them from engaging with the government in providing sir verses to the public. We've seen this happen. For example, the city of Philadelphia did this to Catholic Charities because Catholic Charities in Philadelphia, when it came to adoptions, would not facilitate adoption to a same sex couple. The City of Philadelphia said, Catholic Charities is out of the business of adoption. We won't allow them to assist with adoption. Now, mind you, there are lots of other adoption agencies. So if the same sex couple in Philadelphia wanted to adopt a child, they could do so. They just couldn't conscript Catholic Charities to doing so. In a way, they believed was contrary to their faith that particular policy was challenged when all the way to the Supreme Court was struck down. The real world consequence of this bill before the Senate is the Biden IRS will now have an excuse to target and go after, for example, Liberty University. On the last podcast, I predicted Liberty University would be the very first target of the Biden IRS to try to deny their five O one C three status. So to prevent that, Mike Lee, Senator Mike Lee from Utah is introduced an amendment that is an iron clad amendment that prohibits the IRS and the Biden administration from targeting organizations because of their views on marriage. Now, what's the problem, Well, the Democrats have put fake religious liberty protections into their bill, and particularly they've said nothing in this bill will deny people their five oh one C three status. Here's the problem. The Biden IRS would say, well, no, no no, it's not the bill that's anying them. It's us that's sedying them. It's it's a classic lawyer sleight of hand that leaves a gaping whole. Now, so far, the Democrats have refused to accept Mike Lee's amendment why have they refused to accept Mike Lee's amendment because twelve Republicans are giving them the votes they need, so they don't have to accept Mike Lee's amendment. They got the votes, so they're response to Mike Lee has been pound Sand. On Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, we have a comeback vote Monday at five thirty pm. It is a sixty vote threshold to move this vote forward. That means if just three of the twelve Republicans who voted with the Democrats say we will not vote for cloture. We will not vote to move this bill forward unless you adopt the Micly amendment, one of two things will happen. Either number one, the Democrats say okay, will adopt the Micle amendment, in which case it gets adopted and then the bill passes. Or number two, the Democrats say no, Pound Sand, in which case the bill doesn't pass. But what that takes is three of the twelve to say, damn it, we're not going to be responsible for empowering the Biden irs to persecute people of faith. And I got to say, I think that is just an incredibly important issue that a week ago many people didn't understand. I will say I do think that this podcast has helped increase the number of people who understand what's at stake. It's so important and if you are about to check out for the holidays, we all do it. We all spend time with our families before you check out. You need to be calling your senator. You need to be making sure they fill the pressure over the holidays and tell them that they need to stand up, especially if it's one of these twelve. We talked about this in the last podcast. You can go back and listen and that list is there for you of those senators that you need to be talking to and let them know we need to flip them and make sure that some of them, at least three or more support this Micle Amendment, which is so vitally important for this issue to protect religious liberty and so that the government doesn't have the ability to come out in attack. This is an important issue where we're winning right now. I love this part of the podcast because we get to encourage and inform you on what's really happening in Washington, and this is one of those issues that you need to get involved with. Ben. Let me explain also because It's not hard to see where the puck is going on this. I think you're going to end up with most of those twelves saying, oh, I support the Micaly Amendment. If we had a vote, i'd vote for it. Well, in the Senate, just saying you'd vote for it when it's tied up, say, is a fifty vote threshold with a Democrat majority is not really saying you care about it. That's what's called a show vote. Yeah, oh sure, I'm for that. No, we don't get that. Okay, well, never mind, I don't really care much. I'll let it go. The only leverage the minority has is to use sixty vote thresholds and deny your vote unless the majority gives in. As I said, one of the main Democrat sponsors was in the cloak room last week and was saying, well, sorry, the Democrats just aren't willing to accept this. Well, of course they're not. They'd be idiots if they were, because the Republicans started by saying we'll support you without it. Why would the D's move. The only way they will move is if we get forty one Republicans to say we will block cloture, and for that to happen. Three of the twelve Republicans has to say no Micaly amendments, no bill. It's exactly what you need to ask for. Make sure you reach out to these senators put pressure on them because they're going to come back from Thanksgiving break and this is going to be right up immediately. They're trying to get this through as quick as they can before people even know what even happened. But before I get into that part of the story, I want to tell you a little bit about my good friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you've got a cell phone and nine Americans do, how would you like to know that with every phone call you make, you're supporting conservative causes. Well that's what Patriot Mobile does. And they use the same cell towers that you're on right now, meaning you get the same exact coverage that you're getting right now. Patriot Mobile is America's only Christian conservative mobile phone provider. They are a force for conservative values. Why because they take a portion of every bill that you pay and they find conservative causes, candidates and organizations that believe in the sanctity of life, freedom of speech, and the Second Amendment. And they're winning if you're ready to have your dollars matter when you're paying a bill, switch to Patriot Mobile. They can save you money over what you're paying right now. They can save you and your family money, and they even can save your business or small business money because they have an entire section of the business that's just dedicated to businesses. They offer the same nationwide coverage as all the other major carriers, but the difference is you actually get to stand up for what you believe in every time you pay that bill. So go online to Patriot Mobile dot com slash verdict, Patriot Mobile dot com slash verdict. You'll get free activation and other major offers, and you can call them nine seven to Patriot. That's nine seven to Patriot, use the promo code Verdict. Senator, I want to move to another issue, and my social media is blown up over this. People have been reaching out and this is maybe one of the weirdest headlines I've seen a long time, that China is operating police stations in the United States of America. The FBI chief has now admitted that that is exactly what has happened here. The FBI Director Ray confirmed the bureau is investigating the Chinese government's efforts to set up police stations the United States America, saying he's very concerned about Beijing's outrageous transitional repression schemes. He says there's not only investigations in the US, but also in Europe, in Canada and elsewhere that we're spurred by safeguard defenders. It's a nonp an organization releasing a report on Chinese transitional policing gone wild, as they described it, with this Spain based human rights advocacy group, saying there are fifty four overseas Chinese police service stations operating in thirty countries across five continents that have been uncovered by the group so far, meaning there's probably more. Ray was grilled about the Chinese efforts by Senator Rick Scott during a Senate hearing on Thursday, right before everybody left for the holidays, and the FBI director pointed the finger directly at the Chinese leader. I want to play for everybody this audio. Take a listen to the FBI director admitting this is happening not just around the world, but in the United States of America right now. It's been reported that the Chinese Communist Party are operating police stations in the United States and efforts to surveil Chinese dissidents. It seems obvious the US shouldn't allow its most significant geopolical arrival and oppressive communist regime to establish police stations in the US. What a thor or jurisdiction does the CP have in the US? And I don't know if which one one is testifying. Well, Centator like you, I'm very concerned about this. We are aware of the existence of these stations. I had to be careful about discussing our specific investigative work. But to me, it is outrageous to think that the Chinese police would attempt to set up shop, you know, in New York, let's say, without proper coordination. It violates sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial law enforcement cooperation processes. And the reason the reason this is so important is because we have seen a clear pattern of the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party exporting their transder repression right here into the US. And we've had now a number of indictments that you may have seen of the Chinese engaging in uncoordinated quote unquote law enforcement action right here in the United States harassing, star talking, surveiling, blackmailing people who they just don't like or disagree with the she regime. And so it's a real problem, and it's something that we're talking with our foreign partners about as well, because we're not the only country where this has occurred. Can you do they don't have any right to be here? Right? Well, we're looking into the legal parameters of it, So I want to be a little bit careful to get not to get out over my skis on that, but I suffice to say I can tell you from an FBI director perspective, I'm deeply concerned about this, and I'm not going to just let it lie. Cenator. He says he's not gonna let it lie. Well, if that's the case, and if he's deeply concerned, how do we get the point where either here be they're set up and see they're operating. So the answer too, they don't have any right to be here, should have been hell no. And I got to say this actually underscores what the FBI should be focused on, instead of harassing and targeting the political enemies of the Biden White House, instead of raiding Mara Lago, instead of raiding the homes of pro life activists instead of investigating and persecuting parents who go to school boards. The FBI ought to be going after Chinese spies and ought to be going after these apparently police stations, Chinese police stations operating on US soil. Now the FBI would say we are well, you're not devoting enough resources because you say, well, gosh, I have to look into it. How about take all the folks you're using to play political enforcers and have them targeting the bad guys. Listen, China has been engaged in what they call Operation fox Hunt, and that is a global effort aimed at forcing Chinese dissidents, aimed at forcing wagers to return to China. And when this nonprofit that's based in Spain, when it published this report, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Elkoreo, a newspaper in Spain, quote, I don't see what is wrong with pressuring criminals to face justice with all the guarantees contained in Chinese law. And the Chinese Foreign Ministry continued, quote the sites you mentioned are not police stations or police service centers. They assist overseas Chinese nationals who need help in accessing online service platforms to get their driving licenses renewed and receive physical checkups for that purpose. It is stunning the words that China is saying right there. That's what's known as a lie. It's an obvious lie. I will say one of the things about the Chinese Communist Party they are liars, but they're really bad at it. They don't even really pretend. They're just horrible liars. And this is it's reminiscent of in twenty twenty. You may remember the Trump administration closed the Chinese consulate in Houston, my hometown. Yeah, and closed it because the Chinese consulate, quote was a hub of spying an intellectual property theft. In other words, that had a consulate that was ostensibly doing all that stuff that that the Chinese Foreign Ministry said driver's licenses at assisting people. But what it really was doing is it was the central nerve center of a bunch of Chinese spies who were spying on people all throughout Houston and the region who were engaged in the theft of intellectual property. We're trying to steal intellectual property from from companies, from universities, from medical centers, and and who were also I listened, I talked to individuals who were involved in closing that consulate, and it was by all accounts a hellhole, literally with with with detention cells in there, with rats in there, and the Chinese behave with impunity. They are engaged in going essentially a new Cold War against US, and the Biden administration is not fighting back, which makes the Chinese communists only more aggressive. And I gotta say, Ben, right now, the fact that it was a Spanish nonprofit organization that highlighted this, what the hell is the Biden administration doing? Well, I was going after this, That's what I was going to ask you, because Ray even said this, he said, the reason there is this is so important is because we have seen a clear pattern of the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, exporting their repression right here in the US. And we've had now a number of indictments that you may have seen of the Chinese engaging an uncoordinated quote unquote law enforcement actions right here in the United States of America, harassing, stocking, surveilling, blackmailing people who they just don't like or who disagree with the Ji regime. My question is we clearly have known about this. The only reason why they're now responding is because they're being asked by Senator Scott because of this human rights group that has exposed This is the reason why the Biden administration has allowed them to operate in the US because they're compromised with this deal that we now know about, with Joe Biden being the big guy Hunter Biden and the billions of dollars in loans and the millions of dollars coming into his family with these deals, I mean, how we just gave some our strategic or reserves and a tanker directly to a company that Hunter Biden apparently still has a financial stake in, at least on their corporate documents. The White House claims he sold it, but the corporate documents say no, he didn't. Well there, as you noted, there are serious concerns about corruption with Joe Biden, and corruption involving taking very substantial sums of money directly from the Chinese communists and business dealings with his son that need to be made public that I'm confident the House of Representatives is going to examine and and that need to be investigated in the Department of Justice, but but mind you, DJ is too busy going after Donald Trump to have time to do something like that. Although your question was, is the reason why they're doing it because Biden is compromise And I actually don't think that's the reason they're doing it. The Democrat Party was pro China long before Joe Biden. It's not because of Joe Biden's issues of corruption that the Democrat Party is pro China. The Democrat Party is pro China because it is structurally pro China. If you look at the major funders of today's Democrat Party, they are big business, they are big Hollywood, they are big universities, and they are big tech. All four of those are in bed with communist China. And so the Democrat Party today cannot be vigorous standing up against communist China. Sure they can that, they can give a comment here or there, but they can't actually take action to stand up to communist China because the people writing the checks to them, they're all hunter Biden. That they're all in bed with prostitutes, smoking crack with Chinese communists. Now, to be clear, I mean that metaphorically other than erk Swawa, but that is the reality of today's Democrat Party. And for someone who says, oh, come on, Ted, you're being hyperbolic, I want to point out a vote that I forced last year in the United States Senate. I forced a vote that said that no government funds could be spent to facilitate the acquisition of electric cars or parts for electric cars that were manufactured with slave labor in concentration camps in Communist China. They're over one million weekers currently in concentration camps right Nowaday. We voted on the Senate floor, and every single Democrat except one, Joe Mansion, voted against that amendment. In other words, every Democrat, when given the chance, should the Biden White House be funding Chinese concentration camps with modern day slavery? Every single Democrats said you betcha and voted yes. That's today's Democrat Party. That's the fundamental problem. But I'll tell you this, Ben, I'm a member of the Judiciary Committee. I'm a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. I believe both the Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee should hold hearings on Chinese police stations on US soil. We need to ascertain how widespread this is where they are, what they're doing, and we need to pressure the Biden administration to shut them down. Now, I don't know if that will happen. If we had won an election day, if we had Republican majorities on election day, I could go on this podcast and tell you that will happen. Because with a Republican majority, I have one hundred percent certainty we would have held those hearings and used the ability to pressure the Biden administration into action. With Democrat majorities, it comes down to Dick Durban and Bob Anendez, and maybe they'll hold the hearings, maybe they won't. What I can tell you is I'm going to do everything I can to press them to do that, and I hope they they do the right thing and hold those hearings and let the American people know what on earth is going on here. Lastly, on this subject Center, there's one thing that Race said at the very end of his testimony that was kind of shocking to me. He said the Justice Department might need to pursue quote, remedies, and there may be a State department dimension to this that we're looking into. If we're holding out for the State Department to fix this problem with China, how screwed, are we? Well, Actually, I don't take particular issue with that comment, because when you're dealing with a foreign nation, the State department is your principal mode of communication. And so, for example, one state department remedy is what the Trump administration did in twenty twenty, which is shutting down a consulate. That's a major force of leverage. And so there's no doubt when interacting with China. Let's be clear, I'm not advocating going to war with communist China. No one in the right mind wants two superpowers with nuclear weapons to start shooting at each other. What I am advocating is we protect US sovereignty and we prevent the Chinese military and the Chinese police from engaging an unlawful conduct on United States soil. And that that is primarily a law enforcement action, that is the Department of Justice and the FBI, But the State Department also has an element in terms of exerting pressure and being willing to stand up and fight. But they've got to be willing to stand up. And as I mentioned, at least so far, the Biden administration has rolled over repeatedly for communist China. Yeah, to put it in perspective for everybody listening. The Chinese Police Station reportedly operates in Lower Manhattan. It's run by the American Changley Association in New York, Incorporated, which had its tax exempt status pulled by the RS and May after it failed to submit its taxes for three years in a row. The outlets of the documents show the nonprofit group was founded in twenty thirteen, so it's been around for a while in the US, and paid one point three million three years later for a suite of offices that houses this Chinese police station. So there you have it, Center. I want to move to another issue, and that is you predicted the future. It will go back to a tweet of yours from about a year ago. You said, the chances of the GOP retake the house in twenty twenty two or over ninety percent. That's now happened. And you had a prediction. You said, come twenty twenty three, Eric Squalwell, who likes to sleep with the Chinese enemy, Omar and others are getting ready to have a lot more time on their hands. Fast forward, Kevin McCarthy now says he wants to block three Democrats from committee's the same three that you said a year ago was going to happen. This is obviously very good news for a national security well it is. And so Kevin McCarthy has has announced publicly that that he is going to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee and Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee. And listen that this is an obvious step that McCarthy should take, and it makes sense. Although I will I will pause and say I regret that this is happening. And here's why this was all predicated on a year ago when Nancy Pelosi threw several Republicans off of committees. And I don't think either party's leader should have the authority to throw the other parties members off of committees. This will become an escalating war. And so when Pelosi, and by the way, she did this on the January sixth committee, that kangaroo that kangaroo court, when McCarthy wanted to put Jim Jordan and Jim Banks on the committee, Pelosi said no, no no, no, no, we don't actually want any Republicans who will vigorously question our witnesses. We don't want any Republicans who will take the other side. We don't want any Republicans who will defend Donald Trump, so we won't allow those Republicans on, only the ones that are willing to be useful idiots and say what we the Democrats want it. Really, that's not how Congress should work. Republicans should determine which Republicans are on committees. Democrats should determine which Democrats are on committees. Thankfully, that's the way the Senate works. So Chuck Schumer can't throw me off of any committee, and Mitch McConnell can't throw any Democrat off any committee. And actually the Senate works even better than that because on the Republican side, at least Mitch McConnell can't throw me off any committee, whereas in the House, the Republican leader can remove Republicans from committees. The Speaker of the House has much more authority than the Senate majority leader. But where the House went last year was a truly unprecedented escalation. If Pelosi wanted to strip Swalwell from his committee assignment and say, look, Eric, you know the fact that you were sleeping with a Chinese spy, it's kind of a problem for you. Sitting on the Intelligence Committee, so we're going to remove you. That actually would have made some sense if Nancy Pelosi had said to ilhan Omar, listen, you keep making anti Semitic comments, you keep repeating vicious anti Semitic tropes, We're not going to put you on the Foreigner Affairs Committee. That would have been a reasonable thing for Nancy Pelosi to do in her own party, if she actually cared about not being compromised to the Chinese Communist or standing up against anti Semitism. She didn't do that. Instead, she went after Republicans and engaged in partisan warfare. And I predicted then, I said, the obvious tit for tat is when Republicans take control, they're going to have to remove some of these obvious low hanging fruit. But the problem is this can only escalate. I don't think we should go down this road at all. And what's bizarre, it's actually a very interesting entree into the psyche of today's angry congressional Democrat because at the time Pelosi removed Republicans from committee assignments, they all knew Republicans were getting ready to take over. So this was not a mystery. When I sent my tweet, everyone agreed that Republicans were getting ready to take over. In fact, most of us thought it was going to be a much bigger majority than unfortunately we had. But they all knew, as I said in my tweet a year ago, the odds were ninety percent of greater than Republicans were getting ready to take over. So they did it anyway because they're just so angry burn it all down. They didn't care about where the next escalation would go, and I think that process is only going to continue. You look at Eric Squalwell for example, and one of the points that I think the media has missed Centator is the fact that you know, if there's a reason to have him not be on a committee, it's because if he was in the private sector. Many had pointed out, he wouldn't be able to get security clearance. It's not because he's a Democrat's because he's been compromised. And that's one of the facts that that some have brought up, but so many have also overlooked, is if you want to say that he shouldn't be on a committee, it's from that standpoint it shouldn't be. As you just mentioned it, Republicans attacking Democrats and it's escalating it. All right, we're gonna kick your guys off when we're in control and vice versa. That's not how government's supposed to work well. And I'll point out also so Swallwell and Shift are both on the Intent Eligence Committee and even within Congress. So the Intelligence Committee is special. It gets access to very, very classified materials. There's a whole range of classification within government materials, and you have the highest level of classification that they keep incredibly tight constraints on, and typically the Intel Committee gets access to that information and most other members of Congress don't. So I'm not on the Intel Committee. I'm on Foreign Relations and Judiciary, so I get access to a lot of classified information. But there's stuff Intel has that that I don't ordinarily have access to. And if I wanted to, I could be on Intel. I chose to be on Foreign Relations instead of Intel, which it has a broader jurisdiction. Intel is more specialized, but the Intel Committee in particular, you want to talk about, our most valuable secrets are secrets that implicate American lives, that potentially reveal American covert operatives, that literally can result in CIA officers being murdered by our enemies if they fall into the wrong hands. If there's one committee you want to make sure the members of that committee are not compromised in any way, are not going to share secrets with our enemies. It's the Intel Committee. And it is fairly stunning that both Swallowell and Schiff are on the Intel Committee today in January, They're not going to be yeah, which is obviously good news from that standpoint of a safety and security measure. Want to remind you don't forget share verdict with your family and friends. Hit that subscriber auto download button so you get this show three days a week, and get involved, and make sure you reach out to your senators, especially that list of twelve that we talked about on the gay marriage bill and the Micle Amendment, and make sure it's attached to the bill, it's on up or down vote on its own. Make sure you know what you're asking for. You can go back, can listen to the extended version of that conversation and a prior verdict, So grab that one. And it's the last time we're gonna talk to you before Thanksgiving. So to all your happy Thanksgiving Center. I know you want to say something to everybody listening about Thanksgiving as well. Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy some some turkey and stuffing and uh pie. We're gonna have a great Thanksgiving with our family. We're gonna be with with our extended family. Uh Caroline is gonna make chocolate pies for everyone, and we're gonna have It's a Cuban Thanksgiving, so we'll be sitting around around the table after eating and we'll play some dominoes and be yelling. There's there's an old joke if if if Cubans can't yell, could they talk? And the answers no, that's the only way Cubans can communicate with each other's screaming. Um. But you know, I hope Thanksgiving as a time I'll probably play my nephew some some one on one basketball, which I've been playing him since he was about four years old, and I've been beating him and beating him and beating him. And he just graduated from Baylor, and I will say it's a depressing mark. He's now oh twenty two, twenty three years old you know, big strapping young guy who's the captain of his high school basketball team. And it's gotten to the point I can can still beat him, but he's now beating me, which is which is always a sort of it's actually it's it's both depressing and it's a moment of pride when you when you see someone that you've been been teaching a game and playing with since they were a tiny kid gaining skills. So I'll do that. Hopefully I won't break an ankle, but I hope everyone take time to be with your family. Take time to hug your kids, take time to hug your mom, hug your dad. Look, you don't you don't know if everyone that's that's at the family table tomorrow, if they'll be there for the next Thanksgiving. It's it's one of the great reminders that every day we have is a blessing and a gift from God. And and and I would encourage everyone take time, take rest, but but try to do also, particularly with your kids, try to remember what Thanksgiving is about, about giving thanks to God, giving thanks to the blessings you have. And one of the things we try to do with our girls every Sunday, as we drive to church in the car, we ask each each of our girls, both of our girls, Um, what are three things you're grateful for? And we try to make that a weekly and Heidi and I go around, Um, you know, I would say take Thanksgiving to to at least have a little time of reflection for all the things we have to be thankful for. That that. You know, it's easy to be so angry, it's easy to be frustrated. There's lots to be angry about. There's lots to be frustrated about, but there's also lots to say. Thank you God, thank you for your incredible blessings. Thank you that we live in the United States of America. Thank you that we enjoy freedom. That thank you that that at least right now, these Chinese police stations are not coming to arrest me. That's that. That that that's something to be very grateful for. Thank you that that we enjoy peace and freedom and prosperity. That for almost the entirety of human history has not existed on planet Earth. That there is truly no better time to be alive than right now with all of the challenges and look, everyone, we're fighting against forces that are trying to tear down our country. That's a fight worth fighting. You know what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful that we get to fight that fight. I'm thankful that we get to be in the arena and fight for things that matter. And so love your kids, love your family, rest, eat, eat till your stuffed, watch some football, but spend time also giving thanks because we've got a lot to be thankful for, no doubt about it. I got one last question. It's an important one center fried, smoked or oven baked. How's the turkey going to come out of your house? Oven baked? Ah? There we go? Traditional? Oh yeah, yeah, No, I've never done the I think I've heard lots of good things about the fried thing, but I've never been adventurous enough to try that. Smoked is okay, But I liked oven make better. I just think it tastes better. And my mom makes really good stuffing, and and so we'll do we'll do that, which is fun. I will tell you my sister Miriam years ago when when when I was in college, my sister Miriam, who was nine years older than I am, and she's the sister who passed away from an overdose about a decade ago. But she was living in Philadelphia, and so I was, I don't know, nineteen twenty years old. So she's twenty eight, twenty nine, and her son, Joey, my nephew, was a little boy at the time, and I was going to spend Thanksgiving with Miriam at her apartment. And Miriam I loved her deeply. She was a good person, but she made lots and lots of foolish decisions, and she was a little scatter braid. So she was having her little brother over for Thanksgiving dinner and she'd never done that before, and so she put the turkey of the oven, but she didn't quite understand how long you needed to cook the turkey. So what I got here for Thanksgiving dinner, it wasn't ready, and it wasn't ready, and it wasn't ready, and it was finally ready at two in the morning. So we had Thanksgiving dinner at two in the morning. And Joey and I are just laughing at my sister. It was. It was a wonderful and fun time. But we're cracking up that, like, well done, Miriam at two a Thanksgiving dinner, you know? Not Julia Childs but you know what, it was family in there was love, so that that's what you want and Thanksgiving. Hey, at least she didn't leave the bag of the innards inside the cavity. I've had that experience of going to someone's house. They asked me to carve the turkey at our family friends. My dad looked at me and I looked at him and I was like, what do we do now? He was like, we take it out and we don't say a darn word about it. And that's what we did. Senator. Happy Thanksgiving to you in your family, for everybody listening, Havy Thanksgiving to you guys as well. Don't forget on Friday, we'll have a new episode for you, not a rerun, So on your way home from seeing family and friends, make sure you download Verdict. On Friday, we'll have a new episode for you. Then, Happy Thanksgiving. We'll see you back here on Friday morning.