Behind the Scenes at the World Cup Final, and in the Oval Office on AI

[00:00:05]Welcome in his verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you as well.

[00:00:09]Senator, you had one heck of a weekend as I was uh carrying 100 pounds of golf equipment in Orlando, Florida for 7 hours and 15 minutes, if anyone was counting on how long that round lasted.

[00:00:22]You were at the World Cup living it up with your your By the way, I just want to be clear. Your daughter picked a better sport watching World Cup than mine carrying a bag in the sun.

[00:00:31]Congratulations. You won on that one.

[00:00:33]>> Okay. I I need to ask what the hell was 100 pounds? Is your son like playing golf with anvils? Like like how exactly does that work?

[00:00:42]>> So this is what is in the bag. It's all the stuff. The ball is normal. That's all there, right? Then you have the push cart, but then you have like seven or eight bottles of water plus enough to eat when you're missing a meal to keep them like keep eating because you're out there so long. And when you put all that together with the rain gear and the umbrellas and the ice and the food, it is literallyund and something pounds. I kid you not.

[00:01:08]>> So, is there some rule in like kids golf that you can't have a golf cart?

[00:01:13]>> Uh, you're not allowed to. At World Championships, the caddy and the player must walk the entire 18 holes >> just because there's like some mean jerk in charge of the whole thing. Like like why exactly?

[00:01:25]>> I So it's very interesting. If you you're spectators can use a cart when you get there. There is It is straight up like if you want to say you're world champion, you're going to walk the whole thing and there will be no one to help you. And if you want to quit, you can quit. But the strongest survive, it was I mean it was a strongest survive scenario. So that's the that's how it works. So if you're ever bored and you want a Caddy, you will. It's a great workout, I assure you.

[00:01:51]>> All right. So Ben, I can give you the precise odds of that. That would be 0.00%.

[00:01:57]Um I I will not be catty. I I will cheer you on. By the way, I like it. H >> how did Bradley do?

[00:02:04]>> So he came in he played 10 and unders in the Under Armour Worlds and so he got the invite. So we did it. He's nine, so he's one of the youngest kids. He came in 43rd in the world, which was awesome for him year.

[00:02:15]>> And by the way, the difference between 9 and 10 is big. I mean, like at this age, a year is massive.

[00:02:21]>> It's massive. So, our goal was to to try to make it in the top 50 in the world.

[00:02:26]Uh because there'sund like nine kids that got in and uh and he came in 43rd.

[00:02:31]So, I was like, "Dude, you got to you now next year you get to come back. You automatically will will get to come back and next year you'll play the same course, the same top 50 get in automatically.

[00:02:40]>> Yeah. Yeah. So he'll get in automatically next year which is that's the cut off. So that was the best part.

[00:02:45]So he is back and I told him and he was disappointed. He wanted to be in the top 20 and it was these other kids they were some of them had like two-year graduating years. They have your your where your >> So the other kids the kids that won is it their drive? Do they hit the ball further? Yeah.

[00:02:59]>> Is their short game or is their putting like like where is the differential?

[00:03:03]>> It's a mature you can see the maturity.

[00:03:05]So definitely just how far they hit the ball is way like in a year Bradley would probably hit the ball another 25 to 35 yards further minimum off the tea could be as much as 50. And so when you're hitting that much farther you're now hitting eight irons and pitching wedges and nine irons in the green. Whereas then if you're back you're hitting in, you know, not near as accurate of shots.

[00:03:27]You're hitting five irons or hybrids in and it just it's all the difference in the world. So it's play golf. Everything you said there sounded like the teacher on Charlie Brown. WW wah wah wah but like like different clubs and and the Bali goes into the holy.

[00:03:44]>> You know what I learned? By the way, do you want to know what I learned on this this uh adventure with like So you got to get your kid to drink enough water to survive. Bradley hates like energy drinks. He does not like anything flavored. There are electrolyte gummies, folks. I have found them. They work. and he would eat the gummies all day. So there there's your tip if you got a kid that doesn't like >> what I what I just heard is that Ben is feeding h his son marijuana gummies.

[00:04:12]>> Yeah, that's what you heard from Colorado, right? Yeah. And mile high gummies with electrolytes.

[00:04:16]>> As a 9-year-old, he's the most mellow golf player you've ever seen. Yeah, man.

[00:04:21]>> The course looks great.

[00:04:24]>> It was fun. We met, by the way, we had Verdict listeners there. It was nice.

[00:04:28]You told me that you you you had several that are like, "Hey, I I listen to the pod."

[00:04:33]>> Yeah, it was quite fun. They're like, "When's Ted coming out?" Somebody yelled that across the fairway during the practice round like, "I don't know who they were. They were older kids and a and a dad." And he yelled, HE'S LIKE, "WHERE'S TED AT?" I WAS LIKE, "I DON'T KNOW." And then we just kept walking left. I I I was in New York City this weekend and I was sitting at at like a hotel bar uh late at night and I had a whole family came up and they said, "We love Verdict. We listen to it all the time." And I was like, "Awesome.

[00:04:59]>> Awesome." All right, Senator. So, let's let's uh talk about you got not only like two cool things. One, you got to go to the World Cup, but two, you got to take one of your daughters with you, which is like that that that's like core memories you got to make.

[00:05:12]>> Yeah. So, so look, I Sunday I went to the World Cup finals that that they were in New York. Actually, New Jersey. It was kind of funny. It was in New Jersey, but the branding was all New Yorkers. I felt bad for New Jersey because we weren't actually in New York, >> but somehow New York got top billing.

[00:05:28]>> Um, >> it's where everybody stayed that came to the game. That's the reality, right? You stay in New York City, then you go over to New Jersey, and then you get out of there as fast as you can.

[00:05:36]>> So, it was really fun. And and I had two tickets. So, Heidi and I were going to go and and and then I asked my two girls, Caroline and Katherine, hey, do you all want to go to the World Cup?

[00:05:45]They both wanted to go.

[00:05:47]>> But my youngest daughter, Katherine, and you know, both are girls. She's 50.

[00:05:50]>> Yep. And Katherine and I, we do sporting events, like going back. All right, let let me tell some history on this.

[00:06:00]Going back to 2017.

[00:06:02]2017, the World Series between Houston Astros and the Dodgers. So, I I was blessed. I went to game three, four, and five of the World Series. Game three, I took my dad. I mean, what a great chance. Take your dad to a World Series.

[00:06:17]That's just really cool.

[00:06:19]>> That's incredible. Game four, I took Heidi.

[00:06:23]Total and complete waste. I I I I adore my wife.

[00:06:27]>> By the way, she would say that, right?

[00:06:29]She would agree with you.

[00:06:30]>> I I I She's my best friend in the world.

[00:06:32]>> But in like the third inning, she turned to me and said, "Did they score a touchdown?"

[00:06:38]>> And I said, "I am offended that you are in this stadium taking a seat that should be taken by a a real baseball fan." All right. So game five. Um I invite initially my daughter Caroline and Caroline was nine at the time. And I I adore Caroline. She is an incredible kid. She is brilliant. But but she is God helper just like her dad. She she is a pain in the ass. And and I say that I am too. I love it. But but I say, "Hey sweetheart, do do you want to go to to the World Series?" And she said, "Sure."

[00:07:15]But she said, "But I'm going to root for the Dodgers."

[00:07:20]And >> And you're like, "Why? Oh, wait. I know the answer to this. Keep going." Yeah.

[00:07:24]>> So So Heidi is a native Californian and so she grew up in California rooting for the Dodgers.

[00:07:30]>> Um but secondly, Caroline just at nine and at 18 today just sort of likes to screw with her dad. Like like she she knew that would piss me off, so she liked that answer.

[00:07:42]And my response to Carolina said, "Sweetheart, I love you, but I'll be damned if I'm going to take you to the game if you're going to root for the Dodgers. You can root for anyone you want, but I ain't taking you."

[00:07:54]>> Yeah.

[00:07:54]>> And Catherine, it was the day after her seventh birthday, and she looks up with those big brown eyes. She blinks twice, and she goes, "Daddy, >> I'll root for the Astros." And I said, "Sold. Sold." And the smartest answer of her life. So, I took Katherine and if you remember game five of the 2017 World Series, that's the game that went to 1:30 in the morning. It was an unbelievable game.

[00:08:19]>> Catherine and I are jumping. We're hugging. And I told her, she it was the day after she turned seven. And I said, "Sweetheart, you don't really appreciate this now, but you are going to tell your grandkids you were at this game. You've just witnessed the greatest game in the history of the Houston Astros. It was amazing. And what that started is a tradition. Look, the the Astros won made it to the next seven ALCS's.

[00:08:48]>> Yep.

[00:08:49]>> We made it to four World Series.

[00:08:50]>> Insane. That'll never I don't know if it'll ever happen again.

[00:08:53]>> Okay. We made it to four World Series and we won two. And I told Katherine, I said, "You don't understand. This doesn't happen. This is like a freakish perfect storm.

[00:09:04]And that game five of the 2017 World Series started a tradition where Katherine and I have gone to almost every single home playoff game of the Astros for the last eight years. And it's just what she and I do. We don't make it to a lot of regular season games because there's so many of them and it's hard. But but you get you you get to playoff time >> and and I work >> Yeah. and and and listen, we're we're often in DC. I'm in session and during the playoffs, I'll get on a plane. I'll fly home. I'll take her to the game.

[00:09:40]I'll go to sleep. I'll wake up at 4 in the morning, get on a plane at the crack of dawn and come back to DC. And I'll just do that. And so I feel immensely grateful. Like like from age seven to age 15, >> I've been able to go to I don't know 40 playoff games with Katherine. I mean, it's it's been it has been the daddyaughter tradition. So, on the World Cup, I said, "Okay, we got tickets to the finals and and Heidi wanted to go."

[00:10:07]She's like, "All right, this sounds like fun." And and Caroline wanted to go, actually, but then Katherine really really wanted to go and and I'm going to give Heidi props. She said, "You know what? I'd like to be there, but Katherine really wants to go." And she also said, "Look, she's 15. In a couple years, she's going to go off to college.

[00:10:25]She's going to be gone. This is a daddy daughter moment. So I took Katherine. We had a blast. The game. Did you watch the game?

[00:10:34]>> It was good. Yeah, I watched it. Yeah.

[00:10:36]>> It It was a really good game. Now Now listen, I I'm not going to pretend that I'm a a huge soccer fan. I haven't watched a bunch of >> You're a soccer fan every four years.

[00:10:44]That's like And there's nothing wrong with that. Like I I could care less.

[00:10:47]World Cup happens. Okay, I care.

[00:10:49]>> And and by the way, this World Cup, A, we're hosting, but B, I loved cheering on the American team. And it was really fun. I loved seeing the these foreigners, these Europeans coming to America, these Japanese coming to America >> and falling in love with our country.

[00:11:05]That that was the the the patriotic aspect. Did you follow Freddy online?

[00:11:10]>> Oh, yeah. I I think the whole world did if you were online because it was the best part of the whole thing. Look, Freddy is this this German tourist who came to go to the games and he drove from like Louisiana to Arkansas to Texas and he just he he he tweeted about it and like he encountered Bies and he's like, "Oh my god, what what what is this thing?" And it was the most beautiful. I I I I've never met Freddy. I don't know the guy. I I don't imagine I'll ever meet him, but I loved his genuine love for America and watching there there's another great thing and I I had fun on Twitter retweeting these things. There was another great mo moment when the team from Norway landed at DFW and there were like 20 Fort Worth cops that were sitting on the tarmac and as the team came down they were all doing the road and it was so cool like the these Fort Worth police officers welcoming uh the Norway team. That was an amazing thing.

[00:12:09]So I've enjoyed cheering on the Americans of the World Cup. And then in the final, you know, it's interesting. I had a bunch of people ask, "All right, who are you rooting for?" And and I'll admit I was a little conflicted.

[00:12:20]>> Look, Argent. Yes. And I'll tell you why.

[00:12:23]>> Argent I I I want to know Spain all the way. Spain. Spain. No. Like because I lived I lived there in a summer and alante and fell in love with the people there and I was like this is amazing.

[00:12:33]>> So So here's why I was conflicted. A Argentina Messi is one of the greatest soccer players to ever live. And I just love excellence. It's sort of like Michael Jordan like like watching someone Messi is by any measure. You could argue who the top one is, but Messi's in the top five. Any way you look at it, he's in the top five. And so I like excellence, but I actually made the decision going into the game, I'm going to root for Spain. And the reason is my dad, as you know, was born in Cuba, but my grandfather, my abuelo, was born in the Canary Islands, which is part of Spain, the Canary Islands. My my grandfather was born in the Canary Islands and then he came to Cuba. He was born in 1900. He came to Cuba in 1901.

[00:13:14]>> And and so so my family going back before is Spanish in tradition. So I said, "All right, I'm going to I'm going to root for Spain."

[00:13:22]Uh but I look, I didn't feel strongly.

[00:13:24]It was just sort of like, "All right, who do you want to root for? I guess, okay, since my family is has origins in Spain, let's root for Spain."

[00:13:31]I got to say the game number one, Spain dominated the game and and I'm not >> it was it was I mean they from their defense to their offense to everything in between, they were a fine oiled machine and you could tell they got their mojo going and actually improved during the tournament. Not all teams did that, by the way. Like you had some spotty games for some of the teams or spotty halves that they just kept getting better. Well, and and look, I as I said, I'm not a a big soccer fan. I don't watch a lot of games, but in high school, I played soccer. So, in high school, I played I played basketball, which was my main sport, and I played soccer and football. So, so I like all three, and I enjoyed, you know, I was a uh you know, I was a right midfielder, and so, you know, you play offense and defense, and I like like soccer was a fun sport to play. Did you play soccer as a kid?

[00:14:21]>> And I mean, when I was, you know, church ball, as they called, I kindergarten, first, second, third grade, and then I was out.

[00:14:27]>> Look, you were a tennis guy. You're you're kind of a puff.

[00:14:29]>> I It was not I was not going to be a soccer player. I have a hard time getting excited about sports where no one wins a lot.

[00:14:35]>> I understand. I I will tell you my high school team, >> we would slide tackle a ton and and and I had one guy who was on my team who actually got two yellow cards, which you're not allowed to. You're supposed to get a red card and get thrown out.

[00:14:49]But the refs forgot they gave him two yellow cards cuz our team was violent.

[00:14:53]We weren't that good, but we were violent. and he wore two yellow bracelets in sort of celebration of getting two yellow cards and not being thrown out of a game. And we had another guy, Mike, who was a buddy of mine who who was a a a defender who would slide tackle was his cleats in the air and he would rip like like guys he went for the pain.

[00:15:16]>> He he became a marine marine. He was a tough guy. But anyway, so I look I I like soccer playing as a kid, but I'm not a big fan. But but I will say the game what was amazing is number one the Spanish offense dominated and and they just >> 80% of the game was played while the Spanish offense was on offense on the Argentinian side of the field and just score after score and and let me say the Argentinian >> by the way how much the audience would could you tell was like Argentinian or or was actually like Spain like not Americans there picking a team but like authentic genuine fans of the country.

[00:15:57]>> There were a bunch of both. I don't know that it felt in the stadium like one was more dominant than the other. There were a bunch of Spanish fans wearing Spanish colors, but there were a bunch of Argentinian fans. So, it was a pretty it felt pretty even.

[00:16:11]>> But look, the Spanish, they were just taking shots on goal, shots on goal. And the Argentinian goalkeeper, that guy played an incredible game. I mean, the saves that he had, frankly, at the end of of the regular period, it should have been three-0 or 4-0 Spain, like like the number of shots on goal, and it was impressive. That goalkeeper >> almost singlehandedly kept Argentina in the game. And I was really hoping I wanted Spain to win, but I really wanted Messi to score a goal. And it's kind of like, all right, you're watching. I assume this is his last harrah. And and it was sort of like if you go see a game of of Michael Jordan or Tom Brady at the end of their career, you want Jordan to win the game. You you want Tom Brady to throw the the great touchdown pass. By the way, I did see So I've been to one Super Bowl game in my life. And it was the Super Bowl.

[00:17:09]>> I was saying, what was the game?

[00:17:11]>> Houston.

[00:17:12]And it was New England versus Atlanta.

[00:17:15]>> And it was my it was in my hometown. So I'm like, "All right, let's go to that."

[00:17:19]And look, I frankly didn't care between New England and Atlanta. Neither of them if it been the Texans or even the Cowboys. I'd be rooting for them, but it was not a Texas team, so I was kind of indifferent. And I came in and I said, "Look, I don't care who wins, but I want a really good game. I want it close. I want it exciting." And it ended up being the first Super Bowl game in history that went to overtime. And if you remember, that was the overtime game where where Tom Brady >> came back and won it. And it was really cool. like like Brady I think is is unequivocally the GOAT. I used to think Montana was and when Brady moved from New England to Tampa Bay, it was just the most studly move and then he won again. It was like, all right, I've got an amazing team. I've got a fantastic uh you know supporting cast. Let me go somewhere else and I'm going to win here. And it was just like all right, that that qualifies. So, I was thrilled to watch Brady do that overtime drive down the field. And I have to admit, watching it, you're kind of like, "Yeah, they're going to win." Like, like you just it reminded >> you could tell there was momentum and it was Yeah, it was hard to see where how they would lose the game. So 20 years ago, uh, I was very fortunate to go to the Rose Bowl game that was Texas versus USC and it was the national championship and and Heidi and I went and this is long before I was in the Senate. I was just, you know, I was a lawyer. I was SG and I I went with a good buddy of mine who had tickets who invited me and and we went there. By the way, this is the only argument I've won in 25 years of marriage. So, we're going there.

[00:18:55]>> By the way, I I believe this. I believe that this is the only one. And I I I will stand by you. I think that's probably very accurate, but keep going.

[00:19:02]>> So, we're going there and Heidi's a native Californian. She's got a bunch of family down in in Southern California.

[00:19:08]And she said, "Okay, we're going to wear USC red."

[00:19:14]And I said, "Sweetheart, I love you, but if you do that, I'm throwing you out of the truck."

[00:19:23]And and Heidi just doesn't care about sports. is not a thing that that matters to her. And so she she recognized that I did care. And so I dressed my darling California wife in burnt orange from head to toe. And we saw I I think unquestionably one of the greatest college football games ever. I I think it may be the greatest where we're like Vince Young, the comeback, you know, we're down four minutes and 15 seconds and we're down. And just like Brady, you knew that game Vince Young was like a man among boys.

[00:19:57]>> Y a >> and it was extraordinary. So that that that was and Brady reminded me of that like the overtime I had the same feeling where it's just like Patriots are going to win. So I was hoping Messi would do that like like I would have loved to have been the swan song the end of an incredible career Messi scored. I still wanted Spain to win but I wanted Messi to score. you know, he he had one good shot on goal from from the right side of the field, but it it went, I think, high and the right and he didn't get it. Uh, but it was an awesome time. Do you know the coolest part of the the whole thing?

[00:20:32]>> What was that? So, where we were sitting, um, two boxes over, there were a bunch of rap stars. Like Drake was there and and I don't even know a bunch of rap stars that I've never heard of because I rap's not my thing, so I I don't know that world, >> but Katherine was just like a go. She likes rap. I I don't like rap. It's not my thing. But she was like, "Oh, that's so and so. That's so and so." and she took a couple pictures and she was so excited and she's like, "Dad, can we go over see them and I'm like, "Sweetheart, I can take a lot of pictures.

[00:21:07]>> They may not be my biggest fan."

[00:21:09]>> I'm just like, "There are places I've got a little bit of stroke. I like a box full of rock rap stars. That's just not my >> Yeah. Republican convention."

[00:21:22]>> Yeah. Yeah. Th this is not a place where where you know Ted Cruz comes knocking on the door and they're like, "Yeah, we're thrilled to see you.

[00:21:29]>> Come on in."

[00:21:30]>> So, but Katherine was ecstatic. She she she left and said, "All right, this was the coolest day of my life." And so >> that there you Okay, so you got dad you got you got core memories and you got dad points that'll last you maybe a day and a half, maybe two. By the way, by the way, do you do you know who we met at at at the game?

[00:21:52]>> Who?

[00:21:54]>> Drew Barrymore.

[00:21:55]>> Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[00:21:57]>> Drew's amazing.

[00:21:59]>> So, so it it made me feel a little bad because Katherine didn't know who Drew Barrymore was. And I'm like, "Oh god, I feel old." Like, like she like you and I grew up with her. I mean, she was an ET.

[00:22:07]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:22:07]>> Like she was and and I'd never met her.

[00:22:09]And and look, you know, she's she's a terrific actress, but to be honest, Republican politicians are not necessarily all that popular among Hollywood actors.

[00:22:21]>> She was the nicest person and she was charming. We had a great conversation and she was real and fun and I like I I I really liked her.

[00:22:31]>> That's the way, by the way, that's the way it should be. Like I I meet, you know, you and I we we're very blessed.

[00:22:35]>> By the way, Drew is huggy. So like every person she met, she'd go and hug them.

[00:22:38]So, like she hugged me and I'm like, "Holy crap, Drew. Drew Barrymore is hugging me." And it was it wasn't fake.

[00:22:44]It was just kind of a real She's an expressive nice person. And we had we probably spent 20 minutes talking together and and it was really cool.

[00:22:53]>> All right. So, I did I I think Did I tell you when I was in New York the other day, there was a and I I promised I would not use her name. Did I I tell you who I met walking in and out of that hotel?

[00:23:03]>> Very very famous actress. She walked over and she said, "You do a great job on TV. I don't always agree with you, but you always make me laugh. Just don't tell anybody I told you that." And I promise I same thing like with the Barrymore thing. So kind, shockingly nice. Spent multiple minutes having this conversation and then it was like, "By the way, don't out me or tell anybody that we like met in this way." And I was like, "I understand. You got to keep your street credit in Hollywood." But same thing with Barrymore. It's nice when you meet somebody like that and they're actually really really kind.

[00:23:35]>> Well, and I asked her, I said, "All right, what's your favorite movie you did?" And you know, and her response was interesting. She said, "ET." And she was a little girl, but she was awesome in ET.

[00:23:47]>> And then she said, "Charlie's Angels."

[00:23:48]And I actually hoped Katherine I'm actually bummed Katherine didn't know Charlie's Angels. That was a good movie.

[00:23:53]That was well done.

[00:23:54]>> It was a great movie. A >> and then Drew said uh all the Adam Sandler movies and she mentioned 51st Dates. And I I told her I said, "This is so good."

[00:24:03]>> I I said, "That's I liked 51 First Dates. That was a sweet movie. It was touching.

[00:24:10]I have not met Adam Sandler. I' I've heard he's a conservative. I I have friends who know him, so I' I'm like one connection away. But I just like Adam Sandler. He's funny. He's a good guy.

[00:24:21]Um, and that movie, it's just look, all right, I'm gonna th this is gonna weaken my like bro creds, but but I kind of like some romcoms and like 51st Dates.

[00:24:32]It was a neat for aditting I like a romcom.

[00:24:35]>> By the by the way, if you haven't watched 51st Dates, it it's about >> um >> It's hysterical and cute. It it is hysterical and and cute and and it's about someone who has like memory loss, >> frontal frontal lobe memory loss. Every day they forget what happened the day before.

[00:24:53]>> And so you end up with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore having a first date every day and like waking up not remembering their whole history. And it it's just it's a cute and fun show. And I I liked I was happy she said that was one of her favorite because that's what I would say was her was my favorite of her movies.

[00:25:13]>> That's incredible. You went so you went from that back to DC straight to the oval Monday morning for a very interesting meeting on AI at the White House. Talk about that a little bit.

[00:25:24]>> Yeah. So I so I took Amtrak and came from Manhattan down to DC >> on Monday and then I had a meeting at the Oval Monday.

[00:25:31]>> That by the way that is what we call welcome back to your real life when you go from the World Cup. Drew Barrymore to Amtrak to DC. I just that's a that's an interesting step down really quick and that's probably got on purpose doing that but keep going.

[00:25:43]>> Oh yeah. Yeah. Look look it was and so the meeting in the oval I was with the president. I was with uh Marshia Blackburn senator from Tennessee and I was with Scott Bessent the Treasury Secretary and Kevin Hasset the head of the National Economic Council and several other members of the White House staff. and we were talking about AI, artificial intelligence, and and it was a discussion about what to do about it.

[00:26:07]And and listen, Marsha has a a package of bills that she's pitching and and and it's a package of bills. It's kids safety bills. It it's requiring app stores to to verify ages. It it's a bill called No Fakes, which which deals with preventing people from from pirating and coping copying people's voices and images. Um, and so she was pitching to the president, you should support my my package of bills and and I'm chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation, which has jurisdiction over a ton of stuff, including AI. And so we're going to have a markup in the next couple of weeks on a bunch of AI bills. and Marsha wants her bill to be one of them. And so she laid it out. And and I gotta say, a lot of the discussion she's pushing the president back my bill, back my bill, back my bill. And I stayed quiet for much of the meeting. The meeting was like hour, hour and a half long. And then I said at the end, I said, listen, if Marsha introduces the bill, I'll mark it up. I'll put it up on on on the committee for a vote. And I said, I expect I'll support it. I'll to be honest, I'd never read the bill until she handed it to me. So, I like she handed me a 100page bill and I I didn't know what was in it, but I said, "Look, from what she's described in it, I anticipate I'll support it." Uh, but I also said, and it was kind of near the end of the meeting, but I said, because they had handed the president a a truth social post supporting the bill, and I said, "Look, someone needs to tell you this bill has very little, if any, chance of passing."

[00:27:47]and and like Trump was surprised and I just said, "Look, there are different elements of it. Right now, there are no Democrats backing this bill. Uh it's not clear that every Republican on the committee will back the bill. Maybe they will. They might." And I said, "Let me be clear. I'll mark it up and I expect to vote for it." So, so I'm not the opposition here, but I just want you to know that at this point there's opposition from Democrats in the Senate. There's opposition potentially from some Republicans in the Senate. And there's strong opposition on aspects of the bill from Republican leadership in the House.

[00:28:22]And and so I just said, I I don't want you to be surprised. You lean in and say, "Let's go pass this bill." And then it doesn't pass. And so Trump said, "All right, well then I'm not going to support it. I don't want to support something that doesn't have a path to passage." And and so we're going to mark up a series of bills. I've told Marca if she wants me to mark up her bill, we will. I I don't know if she will ask for it or not. Um >> can I ask a politics question on this one?

[00:28:46]How much of of of her bill is her pushing because she's running for governor and really trying to get Tennessee's hands on a lot of AI and AI infrastructure and AI in in the state?

[00:28:57]Not blaming her for that, but like is that part of this hardcore push to where you're in the Senate, you're going, I understand both sides of this or am I reading the room wrong?

[00:29:05]>> So, listen, there are different components of it. So, let's take the different elements of the bill. The first bill is KOSA and KOSA is a kids safety bill. It's a good bill. I have supported it. I voted for it. In the last Congress, it passed the Senate 93-3. So, I'm all for Kosa. I'm a yes. I want it to pass.

[00:29:24]>> Here's the problem. After it passed the Senate 93, it went to the House and the House refused to take it up.

[00:29:33]>> Why?

[00:29:33]>> Because because the speaker of the house and Steve Scaliz, the majority leader, opposed the bill. And the bill puts what's called a duty of care on the tech companies that that that if there's content that harms kids, they can be sued. And and the House leadership doesn't support that. And so, look, frankly, what I told Marshia a year and a half ago is I said, "Listen, I'll back KOA again. We can pass it again. I'm fine with that.

[00:29:59]But it will never become law until you sit down with Johnson and Scaliz and work out an agreement. Because if they refuse to take up the bill, you want to pass it again, we can do it. You'll get >> 100 and nothing. It didn't matter if they're not going to take it up. I I >> if the House won't take it up, it's not going to become in the US code. And so I I said what you need to do is sit down and negotiate a compromise. And it won't be everything you want, but you need to find something the House is willing to pass. That hasn't happened. So that's a real impediment. I I'm going to vote for KOSA. I want KOSA to pass, but right now the House is not going to take it up.

[00:30:38]There's a second component which is called the App Store Accountability Act.

[00:30:42]Uh which is putting liability on an app store for age verification.

[00:30:48]Now there are a couple of problems with that. Number one, there there are tech companies like like Meta, like like Facebook that support it, but Apple and Google hate it because they're the app stores and they're like, "Wait, you're making me liable." So, Apple and Google don't like it. And so, they're both the tech companies are divided. They're lobbying on both sides. And there's a competing bill that is called the Parents Over Platforms Bill, which is frankly the Apple and Google bill. and and there are several Republicans on the on the committee that support that bill.

[00:31:22]>> And so I said, "Look, this is just a pissing match between giant tech companies.

[00:31:26]>> Um I'd like to see age verification. I I support age verification. I'm pushing for it, but every Democrat opposes age verification." So I said, "Listen, it's a simple math. If you lose all the Democrats, and if you're losing some Republicans, I I don't see how this passes." Like, it's just a math. Like Like I'm not opposed to it. I I I will vote yes, but how do you get to the votes to pass it?

[00:31:51]Um there is additionally her bill, no fakes. Now, no fakes, I'm on the judiciary committee. Judiciary committee has already passed No Fakes. It was a voice vote. I was fine with it. No Fakes has a lot of good elements to it. So no fakes is protecting, say you have a musician and someone uses AI to create a fake song for a musician and makes you liable for that. Um, in politics, by the way, this is coming.

[00:32:17]It hasn't really happened yet, but it's coming soon. You're going to see someone create AI and take a video of a politician, a fake video, and and be like, "We should eat live kittens."

[00:32:31]And and it's going to be you're not going to be able to tell that it's fake like like it's going to appear to be >> have a campaign has to respond to a ridiculous absurd video, >> right? And by the way, Amy Clolobachar last year had a video of a hearing where where she said a bunch of things that were derogatory that she would never have said, but it looked entirely real and she had to respond to that.

[00:32:53]That's going to explode a lot. So finding some protections to say, "Look, someone can't use your name, image, and likeness and create a counterfeit that nobody knows is fake." I'm quite supportive of that.

[00:33:09]When the judiciary passed this bill, there were several Republicans, Mike Lee, Eric Schmidt, and myself, who raised free speech concerns because the the way the language is written is quite broad. So, for example, Trump sent out uh the the the meme of Hakee Jeff and and Chuck Schumer wearing sombrero singing.

[00:33:29]>> Yes.

[00:33:30]>> Now, that was parody. It wasn't real.

[00:33:33]>> Hilarious.

[00:33:34]>> And I've retweeted it and and amplified it. But there is an argument that under the language of no fakes that could be banned. Now there is some language saying bonafide satire is okay. But there's a lot of gray area. You think of Spencer Pratt and the hysterical ads he put out with with Gavin Newsome and Karen Bass just like doing horrible things to the people of California.

[00:34:04]I have a concern that under the language and no fakes, the tech platforms would take down those ads because they'd say you're using Gavin Newsome's image >> in a way that he has not approved. And so my point was, look, I' I'd love to see this get done, but I also want to protect free speech. So my point to the president was, hey, if you want to endorse this, great. I've got no problem with it, but you need to know that I don't see a path that this actually gets to pass in the Senate, take 60 votes given that I don't know of a single Democrat supporting this bill. And there may be Republicans opposing this bill.

[00:34:48]The math doesn't work. And so, the president decided not not to support it.

[00:34:52]Listen, I I still expect that we will take up in the next couple of weeks a series of AI bills. And by the way, we will do a podcast when we do that markup where we talk about the AI bills we pass. But what I'm trying to do right now is find All right, let me use a Kla Harris phrase, the ven diagram.

[00:35:13]That is the intersection of what bills could make a positive impact protecting people from some of the harms of AI. Y, >> but at the same time that have a real path to passage. Uh, and so we'll move several bills on that, but but I'm trying to find exactly the right intersection right there. And and and so we had that conversation and and the president agreed with me.

[00:35:36]>> It's going to be very interesting to see AI is changing the world. We've talked about a lot here. We'll keep talking about it. Don't forget we do this show Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Hit that subscribe or auto download button. I love that you got to go to the World Cup and I love you got to have those memories with your daughter. What a fun time for you guys and I'm glad you're back in DC uh getting to fight with the commies there and uh we will see you guys back here in a couple of days.