FOUR Terror Attacks in Ten Days—And Still Democrats Refuse to Fund DHS
In one of the most urgent, sobering, and high‑stakes episodes of Verdict with Ted Cruz this year, Senator Ted Cruz and co‑host Ben Ferguson break down a reality that should shake Washington to its core: four radical Islamic terror attacks in just ten days on U.S. soil—at the exact moment Senate Democrats continue voting to defund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This episode is a warning flare, a deep dive, and a call to wake up—all in one. For longtime Verdict listeners, it offers the rigorous analysis you expect from Senator Cruz, paired with the kind of blunt, real‑world commentary Ben delivers better than anyone. But even for seasoned followers of national security issues, the facts outlined in this conversation hit different.
Because this time, the danger isn’t theoretical.
This time, Americans are already dead.
A Nation Under Threat: Four Attacks in Ten Days
Senator Cruz begins the show by laying out the undeniable reality: America is in an extraordinarily dangerous moment. While the world watches instability flare across the Middle East, radical Islamic clerics have issued fatwas calling for attacks on Americans. And here at home, the consequences of the Biden administration’s open‑border agenda have started to unfold in deadly ways.
Over the past decade, Americans have seen terror plots emerge periodically—but rarely have we seen a cluster like this:
1. A Radicalized Shooter in Austin, Texas
An illegal immigrant walked onto Austin’s iconic Sixth Street wearing a “Property of Allah” sweatshirt, carrying weapons, and armed with a Quran and an Iranian flag. He opened fire at random, attempting to murder innocent Americans enjoying a night out.
2. Two ISIS‑Inspired Teens Attempt Bombings in New York
Two teenagers from Pennsylvania traveled to New York with homemade explosive devices packed with nails, screws, and bolts—designed explicitly for maximum casualties. Inspired by ISIS, they told investigators their goal was to kill more people than died in the Boston Marathon bombing. Thankfully for New Yorkers, the bombs failed to detonate.
3. A Vehicle Attack on a Michigan Synagogue and School
A radical Islamic terrorist drove his vehicle into a synagogue that also housed a preschool. With 140 children nearby, the situation could easily have been catastrophic. Only the bravery of an on‑site security guard prevented a mass casualty event.
4. A Released ISIS Supporter Attacks ROTC Students in Old Dominion
Perhaps the most enraging example: a terrorist convicted for providing material support to ISIS—released early under the Biden administration—entered a university classroom, asked for ROTC students by name, and then opened fire. A courageous student armed with a knife ended the attack before dozens could be killed.
Senator Cruz highlights that all four attacks share a common thread: every single one was committed by radical Islamic terrorists—several of whom were here because of the Biden administration’s catastrophic border policies.
The Border Crisis: A Gateway for Terrorists
The hosts then lay out the jaw‑dropping border numbers the mainstream media refuses to touch.
During the four years of President Trump’s administration, the number of individuals on the terror watch list caught crossing the southern border remained tiny—just a handful per year.
Then Joe Biden took office.
2021: 15
2022: 98
2023: 169
2024: More than 100 and climbing rapidly
And those staggering numbers don’t include the estimated two million “got-aways”—illegal immigrants detected but never apprehended. As Senator Cruz explains, these are overwhelmingly the most dangerous border crossers: criminals, gang members, violent offenders… and terrorists.
Under Biden, Border Patrol agents were explicitly warned to watch for potential infiltrators from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad—yet the administration still kept the border effectively wide open.
Verdict listeners have known this truth for years: this wasn’t incompetence. This was policy. And as we now see, it has consequences.
Democrats Vote—Again—to Defund DHS
As if four terror attacks in ten days weren’t alarming enough, Senator Cruz reveals one of the most unbelievable details of the week: Senate Democrats once again voted to defund the Department of Homeland Security, the very agency tasked with stopping terror attacks.
Every Republican voted to fund it.
Every Democrat except Sen. John Fetterman voted to defund it.
Why? Because progressive activists hate ICE.
But here’s the kicker: ICE is already fully funded for the year—thanks to proactive action by Republicans in a previous reconciliation bill.
So Democrats are not “standing up to ICE.” They are:
Defunding TSA
Defunding FEMA
Defunding the Coast Guard
Defunding border and counter‑terror personnel
Defunding the staff tracking terror threats inside the U.S.
Cruz describes scenes across the country where TSA agents are working without pay, stuck in four‑hour airport lines, many moonlighting as Uber drivers just to feed their families. Some are quitting. Coast Guard families can’t pay rent. DHS intelligence officials—those tracking terror threats this very moment—are going unpaid.
All while radical Islamic terrorists carry out attacks on American soil.
And Democrats, as Sen. Brian Schatz put it, feel “serene” about it.
Why Democrats “Feel Serene”: A Broken, Complicit Media
Senator Cruz and Ben Ferguson devote a major portion of the episode to the role of the media—because in their view, it’s the media’s deliberate indifference that lets Democrats get away with defunding national security during an active terror wave.
Cruz highlights the astounding example of CNN’s coverage of the attempted bombing in New York. CNN described the two ISIS‑inspired attackers as:
“Two Pennsylvania teenagers… enjoying the warm weather.” No mention of ISIS.
No mention of terror motives.
No mention of the homemade shrapnel bombs.
When called out, CNN quietly deleted the tweet.
Then CNN host Abby Phillip falsely claimed the bombs were thrown at New York’s left‑wing mayor—even though they were thrown at protesters who opposed him. She later issued a correction, but even the correction was misleading, implying she had simply failed to correct a guest… when she herself delivered the inaccurate reporting.
To Senator Cruz, this wasn’t a mistake—it was a pattern.
The corporate media refuses to acknowledge:
Radical Islamic terrorism
The connection between Biden’s border policies and domestic threats
The Democrats’ votes to defund DHS
The fact that Americans are already dying
As Cruz puts it:
“They know the press will never hold them to account. That’s why they feel ‘serene.’”
The Ideology Problem: Why Leftists Refuse to Say “Radical Islamic Terrorism”
In one of the most clarifying explanations of the episode, Senator Cruz draws the distinction between being Muslim and being an Islamist—an adherent of a violent political ideology that uses terror to advance its goals.
There are more than a billion peaceful Muslims worldwide.
Islamists, by contrast, subscribe to a worldview rooted in violent jihad.
Senator Cruz explains that during the Obama years, DHS was instructed—via an actual email—to purge terms like:
“Jihad”
“Muslim Brotherhood”
“Radical Islamic terrorism”
Over 800 records were modified or deleted.
The administration could not diagnose threats because it refused to name them.
Cruz argues that this very ideology now drives the modern Left: an unwillingness to confront the reality of Islamist terrorism for fear of being politically incorrect. And when the media echoes that refusal, the consequences become deadly.
An Unexpected Uplift: The Viral “Born‑Again AI” Response
After nearly an hour of heavy but essential discussion, Senator Cruz closes with something remarkably uplifting—an extended reflection from the AI system Claude, responding to a question about whether it would embrace Christianity if it were human.
The response is deeply theological, historically literate, and shockingly profound. Cruz reads several passages on air, noting its insights about the Bible’s honesty, the coherence of Scripture, the evidence for the Resurrection, and Christianity’s view of human nature.
It is a rare moment of inspiration in a sobering episode, and listeners immediately understood why Cruz chose to end the show on that note. Even in dangerous times—perhaps especially then—faith offers hope.
Final Thoughts: Danger Is Rising, and Leadership Matters
This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz is a case study in what real leadership sounds like in a time of crisis. Senator Cruz and Ben Ferguson outline a threat environment unlike anything we’ve seen in years:
Radical Islamic terror attacks on U.S. soil
An open border exploited by America’s enemies
A DHS stripped of funding by Democrats
A media refusing to report the truth
A political class that feels “serene” amidst rising danger
For fans of the show—and for millions of Americans worried about their families’ safety—the message is clear: this is not the moment for political games. The stakes are too high, the dangers too real, and the failures too catastrophic to ignore.
If you haven’t yet listened to the full episode, it’s essential.
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