Latest / The Ben Ferguson Podcast / ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS FALL TO TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATES plus DOJ PREPARES HISTORIC CHARGES AGAINST CASTRO

Transcript

ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS FALL TO TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATES plus DOJ PREPARES HISTORIC CHARGES AGAINST CASTRO · The Ben Ferguson Podcast

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  Speaker 1: And as the President has said ad nauseum, and I
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  Speaker 1: think I've said a lot too, Iran cannot have a
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  Speaker 1: nuclear weapon. We want to see not just the commitment
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  Speaker 1: to not have a nuclear weapon, but the commitment to
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  Speaker 1: work with us on a process to ensure that not
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  Speaker 1: just now, not just when Donald Trump is president, but
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  Speaker 1: years down the road, that the Iranians are not rebuilding
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  Speaker 1: that nuclear capability. And that's what we're trying to accomplish
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  Speaker 1: the negotiations.
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  Speaker 2: If you're listening to the forty seven Morning Update with
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  Speaker 2: Ben ferguson.
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  Speaker 3: Good Wednesday morning nights, have you with us in the
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  Speaker 3: forty seven Morning Update, and we've got a lot to celebrate.
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  Speaker 3: It was election day for many in the country and
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  Speaker 3: those candidates that got Donald Trump's endorsement had massive wins
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  Speaker 3: and a lot of Rhino Republicans are going home. I'll
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  Speaker 3: give you the details. Also, a major announcement coming out
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  Speaker 3: of Miami, Florida, and it deals with possible indictments of
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  Speaker 3: the Castro regime. This could mean a big change in Cuba.
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  Speaker 3: So what is behind it? That coming up as well,
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  Speaker 3: I want to take a quick moment and talk to
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  Speaker 3: you about an incredible organization and it is called Compassion International,
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  Speaker 3: and how you can get involved. I want to be
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  Speaker 3: honest with you for a second about how an act
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  Speaker 3: of compassion really feels. A couple of years ago, I
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  Speaker 3: made the choice to partner with an amazing organization called
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  Speaker 3: Compassion International. Why because I wanted to sponsor a child
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  Speaker 3: in need. It was a nice idea, sure, but I
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  Speaker 3: had no idea just how much that simple act would
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  Speaker 3: change my life as well. I sponsored Nadia and got
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  Speaker 3: to watch your life change right in front of my eyes,
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  Speaker 3: going from starving literally alone on the streets, to getting
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  Speaker 3: the healthcare and education she needs to reach her God
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  Speaker 3: given full potential. I got to be a part of
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  Speaker 3: that change. And the light of that compassion not only
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  Speaker 3: illuminates in her, it illuminates now in me. That is
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  Speaker 3: the power of compassion of Christ shines on all of us.
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  Speaker 3: Feel it for yourself and change literally a child's life,
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  Speaker 3: change the world, and you also change yourself. You can
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  Speaker 3: sponsor child today. Visit Compassion dot com. That's Compassion dot com.
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  Speaker 3: It's the forty seven Morning Update and it starts right now.
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  Speaker 2: Story number one for anyone.
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  Speaker 3: That said or thought that President Donald Trump had somehow
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  Speaker 3: lost his grip on the Republican Party.
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  Speaker 1: Well.
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  Speaker 3: In the last several weeks have been a political wake
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  Speaker 3: up call to the quote experts in the media who
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  Speaker 3: claim that Donald Trump is somehow not popular across the country,
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  Speaker 3: and race after race, Trump endorsed candidates have been winning,
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  Speaker 3: and not just winning, but winning big and defeating establishment
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  Speaker 3: back opponents, incumbents, crushing challengers, improving once again that the
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  Speaker 3: most important and most powerful endorsement in Republicans and politics
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  Speaker 3: is still President Donald J. Trump. And it's not just
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  Speaker 3: in one state that this is happening. It's not just
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  Speaker 3: in one race. This has become a national trend. Just
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  Speaker 3: look at what happened in Indiana, one of the clearest
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  Speaker 3: examples yet of Trump's political dominance inside the GOP, Republican
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  Speaker 3: lawmakers who crossed Trump on major issues suddenly found themselves
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  Speaker 3: facing Trump endorsed challengers. And what happened. A majority of
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  Speaker 3: those targeted incumbents lost. And this was a simple issue
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  Speaker 3: of redistricting in Indiana. Now the Trump back candidates scored
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  Speaker 3: major victories in state Senate races, sending a very loud
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  Speaker 3: message to Republicans nationwide. If you openly oppose the America
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  Speaker 3: first agenda Republican voters, they're paying attention. Fox News described
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  Speaker 3: as Trump's striking back against Republicans who opposed his agenda,
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  Speaker 3: and the results have been overwhelming. One Trump ally said,
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  Speaker 3: the lesson from Indiana was this simple. President Trump is
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  Speaker 3: a single most popular Republican among who's your voters, and
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  Speaker 3: the victories didn't just stop there. In recent GOP primaries
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  Speaker 3: in Mississippi and in Georgia, Trump celebrated what he called
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  Speaker 3: a five wins, zero lost night for his endorsed candidates.
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  Speaker 3: Trump backed Republicans rolled through key races, reinforcing the idea
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  Speaker 3: that the Republican base still trust Trump more than consultants,
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  Speaker 3: more than donors, and certainly more than the establishment Republican insiders.
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  Speaker 3: And then you combine this with what happened last night
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  Speaker 3: another major headline. President Trump jumped into the explosive Texas
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  Speaker 3: Senate runoff, endorsing the Texas Attorney General Keim Paxton over
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  Speaker 3: longtime incumbent center John Cornyn. That endorsement shocked much of
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  Speaker 3: Washington because establishment Republicans had been pumping money in that
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  Speaker 3: race at a number we've never seen in any primary
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  Speaker 3: in the country before. In a Senate race, and also
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  Speaker 3: the Republican establishment have been pushing Trump so hard to
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  Speaker 3: endorse or support Cornyn Instead. Trump back Paxton, calling him
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  Speaker 3: a true Maga warrior. That tells you everything you need
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  Speaker 3: to know about where the Republican Party is right now.
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  Speaker 3: The center of gravity is not the old guard, the
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  Speaker 3: old establishment. It is not the Massy's of the world.
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  Speaker 3: It's not the Mitch McConnell's of the world. It's not
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  Speaker 3: the Republican senator in Louisiana Cassidy who decided to go
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  Speaker 3: against Donald Trump and even voted to impeach him. This
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  Speaker 3: is different now, and the center of gravity is not
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  Speaker 3: the old guys, it's not the donor class, and it's
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  Speaker 3: certainly not the consultants who usually pick winners and losers
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  Speaker 3: in the Republican Party. The center of gravity is Donald
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  Speaker 3: Trump and even bigger than that, it really is the
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  Speaker 3: America First movement. And here's what's really driving Democrats and
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  Speaker 3: the anti Trump Republicans crazy. All of these victories are
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  Speaker 3: not happening in isolation. They are happening despite NonStop attacks
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  Speaker 3: from legacy media and despite billions of dollars from the
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  Speaker 3: establishment spent trying to stop these Trump aligned candidates, and
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  Speaker 3: despite endless predictions that there was Maga fatigue, Trump fatigue,
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  Speaker 3: that he somehow wasn't popular with voters anymore, Well, all
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  Speaker 3: of that was a big lie, and instead, Republican primary
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  Speaker 3: voters showed up and they doubled down. Take a look
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  Speaker 3: at Kentucky as another example. Trump back challenger ed Gallerin
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  Speaker 3: defeated Congressman Thomas Massey after Trump made Massy one of
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  Speaker 3: his top political targets. The race became one of the
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  Speaker 3: most expensive House primaries in the country, and Trump's candidate
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  Speaker 3: won big. Now that matters because it sends another message
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  Speaker 3: Republican voters are increasingly rewarding loyalty to Trump's agenda and
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  Speaker 3: pushing Republicans to see that, yeah, if you go against Trump,
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  Speaker 3: we're going against you. And Trump himself is openly embracing
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  Speaker 3: these victories. After early primary wins, Trump celebrate online with
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  Speaker 3: a graphic declaring President Trump's endorsement one hundred percent. He
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  Speaker 3: publicly touted the undefeated streak of his endorsed candidates and
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  Speaker 3: framed the victories its proof that the America First movement
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  Speaker 3: remains stronger than ever heading into the midterm elections. Now,
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  Speaker 3: this is exactly why Democrats are so nervous about twenty
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  Speaker 3: twenty six, because these primaries are clearly showing that Trump
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  Speaker 3: is not a former president fading into the background. He
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  Speaker 3: is still the defining force in Republican politics, and his
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  Speaker 3: endorsement can raise millions overnight, It can dominate the media
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  Speaker 3: coverage and completely reshape a race. Even major national news
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  Speaker 3: outlets are having to admit that these contests are becoming
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  Speaker 3: direct tests of Trump's influence, and so far, he keeps
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  Speaker 3: winning each and every test. And here's another layer that's
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  Speaker 3: very important as well. These victories are helping create a
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  Speaker 3: Republican party that looks more unified around the America First
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  Speaker 3: agenda than at any point in years. Border security, election, integrity, trade,
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  Speaker 3: national sovereignty, toughness against China, fighting the administrative state. These
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  Speaker 3: are no longer fringe positions inside the GOP. They are
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  Speaker 3: becoming the standard expectation from Republican conservative voters like you
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  Speaker 3: and I. Candidates understand that. Now. That's why so many
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  Speaker 3: Republicans are actively seeking the most important endorsement, Donald Trump.
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  Speaker 3: They understand that Republican voters viewed as a seal of
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  Speaker 3: approval that the candidate will actually fight for the agenda
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  Speaker 3: voters elected Trump to carry out, and the political establishment
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  Speaker 3: sees the writing on the wall as well. That's why
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  Speaker 3: every Trump endorsement now becomes national news, because whether critics
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  Speaker 3: like it or not, the numbers keep telling the same story.
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  Speaker 3: Trump remains a single most influential political figure in the
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  Speaker 3: Republican Party. The media, they spent years predicting the collapse
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  Speaker 3: of Trump's influence, especially over the last year and a half,
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  Speaker 3: and instead what we're watching well is consolidation primary after primary,
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  Speaker 3: state after state, victory after victory, and if the last
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  Speaker 3: several weeks are any indication, it's pretty clear that Donald
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  Speaker 3: Trump's political movement is not slowing down. In fact, it's
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  Speaker 3: expanding now. Story number two, there's major breaking news out
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  Speaker 3: of Miami that is going to dramatically escalate tensions between
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  Speaker 3: the United States and Cuba, or at least the Cuban regime,
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  Speaker 3: and it's all on purpose. Federal authorities are expected to
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  Speaker 3: announ ounts which sources say is a historic criminal indictment
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  Speaker 3: connected to former Cuban leader Raul Castro, and the announcement
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  Speaker 3: is expected to happen at a high profile event in
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  Speaker 3: South Florida. According to multiple reports, the Department of Justice
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  Speaker 3: is preparing to unseal criminal charges tied to the nineteen
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  Speaker 3: ninety six shootdown of two brothers to the rescue civilian aircraft,
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  Speaker 3: an incident that killed four men and became one of
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  Speaker 3: the most infamous confrontations between Cuba and the United States
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  Speaker 3: in modern history. The announcement is expected to take place
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  Speaker 3: at Miami's famous Freedom Tower, one of the most symbolic
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  Speaker 3: locations in America for Cuban exiles and anti communist activists.
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  Speaker 3: And if you just take a look at who's expected
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  Speaker 3: to be there, you know this is a big deal.
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  Speaker 3: The acting Attorney General, the FBI director, the US Attorney
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  Speaker 3: and Florida Center Ashley Moody, as well as the Florida
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  Speaker 3: Attorney General. That lineup alone tells you this is not
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  Speaker 3: some routine press conference. This is being treated as a
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  Speaker 3: major national security and historical Justice Department announcement. Now there's
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  Speaker 3: also another layer to this story that makes it even
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  Speaker 3: more interesting. Sources are now telling NBC Miami and Reuters
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  Speaker 3: that a grand jury has already been hearing evidence in
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  Speaker 3: the case, and that an indictment has reportedly been returned.
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  Speaker 3: Although the exact charges have not yet been publicly released.
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  Speaker 3: Now the case again, it centers around February the twenty
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  Speaker 3: fourth of nineteen ninety six, when Cuban meg fighters shot
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  Speaker 3: down to unarmed civilian operated aircraft by the Miami based
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  Speaker 3: exile organization Brothers to the Rescue. The planes were flying
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  Speaker 3: missions connecting to locating and helping Cuban refugees that were
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  Speaker 3: attempting to flee the Common Regime. Four men were killed
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  Speaker 3: in the attack over the Florida Straits, and for decades
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  Speaker 3: Cuban exile families have demanded accountability, arguing the attack was
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  Speaker 3: an active murder carried out against civilians in international airspace.
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  Speaker 3: Well nearly thirty years later, the Justice Department appears ready
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  Speaker 3: to move directly against Roul Castro himself. At the time
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  Speaker 3: of the shootdown, Castro was serving as Cuba's Defense Minister
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  Speaker 3: and head of the Armed Forces, the very military organization
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  Speaker 3: that carried out the attack. Now this moment also comes
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  Speaker 3: with incredibly tense moments happening between Washington and Havana. The
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  Speaker 3: Trump administration has dramatically increased pressure on Cuban recent months
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  Speaker 3: through sanctions, through energy restrictions, and increasingly aggressive rhetoric against
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  Speaker 3: communist leadership in the Western hemisphere. Reuters also reported that
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  Speaker 3: the administration has been openly discussing stronger actions against hostile
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  Speaker 3: regimes connected to America's adversaries. That would include Russia and
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  Speaker 3: China and Iran. And there's another layer here that's also
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  Speaker 3: raising eyebrows. Just days ago, the CIA director John Ratcliffe
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  Speaker 3: reportedly held meetings with Cuban officials and even communicated messages
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  Speaker 3: directly tied to President Trump's demands for major reforms in Cuba. So,
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  Speaker 3: of course now many analysts are asking was diplomacy failing
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  Speaker 3: behind the scenes and is this indictment part of a
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  Speaker 3: much larger pressure campaign against the Cuba regime, Because if
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  Speaker 3: these charges are formerly unsealed today, it would mark one
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  Speaker 3: of the most extraordinary legal actions ever taken by the
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  Speaker 3: United States against a former Communists head of state. Of course,
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  Speaker 3: in the Western Hemisphere, the timing of the event is
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  Speaker 3: also highly symbolic. The press conference is reportedly tied directly
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  Speaker 3: to a ceremony honoring the victims of the Brothers to
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  Speaker 3: the Rescue shoot down. That means this is not just
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  Speaker 3: being framed as a legal proceeding, it is being framed
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  Speaker 3: as long overdue justice for the families of Americans killed
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  Speaker 3: in the attack. Now, as for the timing, reports indicate
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  Speaker 3: that the dog announcement is expected today at the Freedom
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  Speaker 3: Tower in Miami. Federal officials have not yet publicly released
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  Speaker 3: the exact moment it will happen, but we do know
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  Speaker 3: that NBC News report the event is scheduled as a
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  Speaker 3: combined memorial ceremony and then a criminal justice announcement. Florida
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  Speaker 3: Governor Ron DeSantis has already reacted to earlier reports about
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  Speaker 3: the potential indictment, calling the move long overdue and politically.
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  Speaker 3: This is going to send shockwaves through South Florida as
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  Speaker 3: well as Washington and Havana because for decades, many Cuban
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  Speaker 3: exiles believe the cast Or regime would never face accountability
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  Speaker 3: in an Amirica court room. Now the Department of Justice
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  Speaker 3: appears ready to test exactly how far the United States
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  Speaker 3: is willing to go.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update
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  Speaker 2: with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever
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  Speaker 2: you're listening to this podcast right now and for more
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  Speaker 2: in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast.
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  Speaker 2: And we will see you back here tomorrow