BONUS POD: Deadliest U.S.–Cuba Flashpoint in Decades plus MN's Outrageous Medicaid Scam
Verdict with Ted Cruz
Premiere Networks
4.6 • 43.4K Ratings
🗓️ 26 February 2026
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
1. Cuba Coast Guard Incident
- A US‑registered speedboat was fired upon by Cuban authorities, resulting in 4 deaths and 6 injuries.
- Cuba claims:
- The boat’s occupants fired first.
- Passengers (Cuban nationals living in the US) carried assault rifles, handguns, body armor, etc.
- The group was attempting armed infiltration with terrorist intent.
- The US position:
- Nothing is verified yet; US agencies are investigating.
- Officials (Rubio, Vance, DHS, Coast Guard) are demanding access to survivors.
- No indication the operation had any US government involvement.
- The event raises fears of a major diplomatic flashpoint, given:
- Historical tension (e.g., 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown).
- Current hardline US posture toward Cuba.
2. Minnesota Medicaid Fraud Crackdown
- The Trump administration has paused $259.5 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota over large‑scale fraud concerns.
- Fraud schemes allegedly include:
- Paying mothers $1,000 to falsely diagnose children with autism to bill Medicaid.
- A provider billing for 450 days of work exceeding 24 hours/day.
- Centers billing for beneficiaries who were already deceased.
- VP JD Vance and CMS Director Dr. Oz emphasize:
- The fraud involves home and community‑based services that are hard to audit.
- Minnesota must submit a corrective action plan or risk losing up to $1 billion in funds.
- Providers have already been paid by Minnesota; the federal government is withholding reimbursement from the state, not from citizens.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:02.3 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:04.5 | First get your take on the president, really handing the Democrats an opportunity to profess their duty and dedication to protect American citizens first. |
| 0:14.1 | They refuse to do that. |
| 0:15.8 | You couldn't have asked for a better gift to show the American people the difference between Donald Trump and Republican candidates that want to work with him and the Democratic Party who says, no, no, no, no, we do not put Americans first. |
| 0:28.6 | We put illegal immigrants first. |
| 0:30.6 | We protect waste, fraud, and abuse that's happening in Minnesota. |
| 0:34.4 | We put these criminals ahead of you. |
| 0:37.2 | That tells you what the Democratic Party will do if they're back in Minnesota. We put these criminals ahead of you. That tells you what the Democratic |
| 0:39.7 | Party will do if they're back in power. You're listening to the 47 morning update with Ben Ferguson. |
| 0:45.9 | Good Thursday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 morning update, and we've got two major |
| 0:50.3 | stories for you. First up, Cuba Coast Guard opens fire on a U.S. registered speedboat |
| 0:55.6 | killing four. The White House has a response as well as Marco Rubio, and we'll explain what this |
| 1:02.0 | means for all Americans and for what's going on with Cuba relations. Also, fraud. We know it's |
| 1:09.8 | massive in Minnesota, and that's exactly why the vice president |
| 1:13.5 | announcing with Dr. Oz that a major payment, more than 250 million, is being paused going to |
| 1:21.7 | Minnesota until they can prove that they're actually not taking that money and using it for fraudulent means. |
| 1:29.3 | This is a big move for the Trump administration. It's the 47 morning update and it starts right now. |
| 1:35.9 | Story number one. We have to talk about the dramatic and deadly international incident that's |
| 1:41.4 | unfolding right now. One that has shaken nerves across Washington, |
| 1:46.3 | Miami, and Havana, the Cuban Coast Guard opening fire on a U.S. registered speedboat, |
| 1:54.1 | killing four people and injuring others, and what Cuba calls an infiltration attempt inside its territorial waters. |
... |
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