Verdict with Ted Cruz: PEACE in the Middle East-Hostages Freed under Historic Trump Agreement
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
iHeartPodcasts
4.5 • 11.4K Ratings
🗓️ 13 October 2025
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
🔥 Episode Summary
In this breaking-news edition of Verdict with Ted Cruz, recorded live at 1:00 AM Eastern, Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson react in real time to the release of hostages held in Gaza. The release follows a historic peace agreement brokered by former President Donald Trump, marking a major diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East.
📌 Key Topics Covered ✅ Hostage Release in Gaza
- Hamas has released all 20 living hostages to the Red Cross.
- The agreement includes the release of both living hostages and the remains of those killed.
- Celebrations erupt in Israel as the first seven hostages are confirmed released.
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In exchange, Israel is releasing about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including:
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250 serving long sentences,
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1,700 detained during the conflict
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🕊️ Trump’s Peace Deal
- Israel agrees to a full ceasefire in exchange for the hostages.
- Trump travels to the Middle East to personally welcome the freed hostages.
- The deal is praised across political lines, including by Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
🛑 Criticism of Biden Administration
- Cruz argues Biden’s policies empowered Hamas via funding to Iran.
- Contrasts Trump’s “peace through strength” with Biden’s “weakness and appeasement.”
💣 Military Strategy & Diplomacy
- Trump’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities cited as pivotal.
- Israel’s covert pager operation against Hezbollah discussed as a cinematic-level intelligence success.
🏆 Nobel Peace Prize Controversy
- Cruz criticizes the Nobel Committee for overlooking Trump.
- Prize recipient María Corina Machado reportedly dedicates her award to Trump.
🏛️ U.S. Government Shutdown
- Cruz blames Democrats for the ongoing shutdown.
- Highlights Senate voting dynamics and political motivations behind the delay.
Senator Cruz closes the episode by praising Trump, Netanyahu, and the Israeli people, calling the day “historic” and “a victory for peace.” The episode captures a rare moment of real-time diplomacy and bipartisan recognition.
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- Trump Middle East peace deal
- Gaza hostage release
- Ted Cruz podcast Verdict
- Israel Hamas ceasefire
- Nobel Peace Prize Trump
- Biden Iran funding controversy
- Netanyahu Trump diplomacy
- Peace through strength Trump
- Government shutdown October 2025
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:05.2 | Welcome. It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. It is right now 107 a.m. |
| 0:11.3 | Eastern Standard Time. That means it is 8.06 a.m. right now in Tel Aviv and Israel. |
| 0:18.2 | And the hostages that are being held in Gaza are set to be released. |
| 0:22.2 | We are hoping that's going to happen at any moment, and very well could happen as we are taping |
| 0:27.4 | this in the wee hours of the morning. |
| 0:29.9 | Senator, I want to get your reaction just to this, and what all we're going to be talking about |
| 0:34.4 | today? |
| 0:35.4 | Well, it is an historic day, although I will have to |
| 0:37.8 | note, Ben, I am impressed that somehow Jerusalem has managed to go back in time, that it is 107 a.m. |
| 0:43.8 | in the east coast of America, but it is only 806 a.m. in Jerusalem, so they're somehow a minute |
| 0:50.2 | ahead of us. That, look, the Holy Land. It changed a lot. It, it it it it i think that's appropriate so so so so i |
| 0:57.9 | appreciate uh like like a fine swiss watch you you have a acute appreciation i'm just i'm just |
| 1:05.5 | looking at the screens here i got you look peace in the in the Middle East is a big damn deal. |
| 1:13.6 | Now, as we're sitting here right now, we're holding our breaths because the peace deal has been |
| 1:18.6 | announced. |
| 1:20.6 | If this follows through, if Hamas releases the hostages, it will be historic. |
| 1:31.3 | At the moment, we don't know if they're going to follow through. |
| 1:32.7 | They've said they're going to follow through. |
| 1:33.2 | Yeah. |
| 1:39.4 | But Hamas is not exactly the most trustworthy of dealmakers. |
| 1:41.8 | They've broken deals over and over and over again. |
... |
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