Verdict with Ted Cruz: SuperBowl, CA Taxes, Follow the DEI Money & VA Assault on Democracy

Super Bowl Fallout, California’s Tax Shock, and the Political Storm Behind the Headlines

In the latest episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, Senator Ted Cruz and co‑host Ben Ferguson deliver a wide‑ranging post–Super Bowl breakdown that moves from halftime‑show controversies to the deeper political and economic issues unfolding across the country.

Full transcript:

1. Super Bowl Culture and the Emotional Story Overshadowing the Game

Senator Cruz opens by sharing that he caught only part of the game because he was mid‑flight, though he later watched clips of Bad Bunny’s halftime show. While acknowledging disagreements with the artist’s politics, he largely dismisses the cultural outrage surrounding the performance.

The conversation takes a heartfelt turn as Cruz discusses the recent loss of his Thea Sonia. He recounts her resistance to Fidel Castro, her time in prison, and her fierce dedication to freedom. Her story provides a meaningful emotional anchor to an episode otherwise focused on policy.

Transcript:

2. California’s Super Bowl Tax Trap: Athletes Lose Big

Ferguson then shifts to what he argues is the real outrage: California’s aggressive taxation of Super Bowl participants.

A key example discussed:

• Sam Darnold’s Super Bowl bonus if he won: $178,000
• California tax liability: $249,000
• Net result: He loses $71,000 by playing in the state.
• If he had lost the game, he would have taken home an even smaller bonus and still owed California hundreds of thousands of dollars—resulting in a six‑figure loss.

Cruz and Ferguson argue that California’s 14.6% effective top rate, combined with federal taxes, creates a system designed to punish earners. They note that performers, comedians, and athletes are increasingly avoiding California altogether.

Texas, by contrast, takes zero income tax from Super Bowl participants—one of many reasons, they argue, that the state continues attracting economic opportunity.

Transcript:

3. “Follow the DEI Money”: Inside Mellon’s Academic Revolution

Cruz and Ferguson then move to an investigative discussion about the Mellon Foundation, citing a Wall Street Journal analysis of how Mellon has reshaped its grantmaking around DEI‑driven academic initiatives.

Examples highlighted in the episode include:

• $5 million to UVA for doctoral fellows in areas such as “transfeminisms” and “gender‑queer life writing.”
• $8 million to UC Santa Cruz for a “Visualizing Abolition” program focused on eliminating prisons.
• Major faculty‑pipeline funding across universities in Michigan, Texas, and California.

Cruz argues that Mellon’s shift from classical humanities to ideological DEI activism gives the foundation significant influence over academic hiring and research direction. He warns that conservative philanthropies must avoid similar “institutional capture.”

Transcript:

4. Paid Protests and ICE Opposition: Funding Activism at Scale

The hosts then connect philanthropic funding to street‑level activism. They discuss a viral video showing anti‑ICE protesters rehearsing chants—indicating organized preparation rather than spontaneous protest. Some participants have even admitted publicly that they are being paid.

Cruz highlights the case of a Mellon‑funded academic who participated in an anti‑ICE demonstration and was later arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer. He argues that large, coordinated funding networks—not grassroots anger—fuel many of these movements.

Transcript:

5. Virginia’s Radical Post‑Election Shift: ICE, Redistricting, and Power Consolidation

The episode’s final section examines Virginia’s political transformation following Democrats’ recent victories. Cruz contends that despite campaign messaging, “moderate Democrats” effectively no longer exist—and the state’s rapid policy pivot proves it.

Key developments discussed:

• Virginia has ended cooperation with ICE, even when dealing with violent criminal offenders.
• Democrats passed a sweeping redistricting plan designed to take Virginia’s congressional split from:
  • 6 Democrats / 5 Republicans
  • to
  • 10 Democrats / 1 Republican,
  • despite the state’s nearly even partisan divide.

According to Cruz, a state where Republicans received 47% of the presidential vote will now receive only 9% of congressional representation—an imbalance he calls a “brazen abuse of power.”

He warns that this represents a broader blueprint Democrats may apply in other states if given the opportunity.

Transcript:

Conclusion

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz moves from cultural flashpoints to systemic issues shaping American politics: punitive taxation in blue states, the ideological reshaping of academia through philanthropy, organized protest funding, and an aggressive Democratic power consolidation in Virginia. Taken together, these themes illustrate the deeper political battles defining 2026.

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