Welcome, it is Verdict with Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. I hope you had a fabulous Christmas with your family.

Senator, I miss chatting with you over the last several weeks, and I know so many people have been reaching out to you.

That same with me, giving warm wishes and prayers for you and your family.

I know you miss talking to the audience a lot, obviously, but you've been spending it some great quality time with your family.

Well, Ben, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I hope everyone listening had a fantastic Christmas with their family.

As everyone knows, the podcast has not been airing for the last several weeks. I've been dealing with a family emergency here at home.

And I just want to say thank you to all of you who've reached out with your prayers, with your support, with your encouragement.

It means an enormous amount.

Everyone's doing okay right now, and we're grateful for the love that has been expressed.

Heidi and I have spent the last several weeks just here at home with our kids, and we appreciate also folks respecting our family's privacy,

and so I don't intend to be talking publicly about what we're dealing with

other than just to say we appreciate the prayers the love and support

and and and and in this this holiday time you know christmas is a wonderful time to be with your

family to hug your kids to hug your parents to to to hold on to the people you love and and it's

it it's never more important no no doubt no doubt about

that and i'm glad to get to spend some more time with you today and so many people have been

reaching out uh we've seen all your tweets i can promise you that and and i'll say it is just

being around you there have been so many people that have reached out and they've been and you guys

are wonderful that have done that, and you guys are wonderful

that have done that. So thank you, thank you for everyone that's done that as well. It means the

world I know when you see those messages. And there's some other breaking news. You've also

gotten older since the last time I talked to you. Happy birthday, a few days late as well.

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