Democrat Shutdown Enters Day 14 as Charlie Kirk Remembered & Receives Medal of Freedom

• Political Discussion – “Schumer Shutdown”:

  • Ferguson argues that Democrats, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, are responsible for keeping the government closed.

  • They portray Republicans as trying to reopen the government, while Democrats allegedly refuse.

  • President Trump is praised for redirecting Defense Department funds to pay service members during the shutdown — presented as undermining Democrats’ political strategy.

  • Democrats want taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants and are motivated by political self-preservation rather than governance.

  • They assert the shutdown will last until after the “No Kings Rally,” described as a left-wing anti-Trump protest in D.C.

    • We describe the hardship for unpaid federal workers.

    • The conversation emphasizes that Democrats’ alleged political games are causing unnecessary suffering.

     

• Tribute Segment – Charlie Kirk’s Memorial:

  • The second half of the podcast focuses on Charlie Kirk’s posthumous Medal of Freedom ceremony.

  • Ben recounts the event in emotional, spiritual terms, highlighting Erica Kirk’s (his widow’s) public forgiveness of Kirk’s killer.

  • He frames this as a Christian act of grace and gospel testimony.

  • The conversation portrays Kirk as a “martyr for truth and freedom,” comparing him to historical figures like Socrates, Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.

  • President Trump’s remarks are quoted extensively, celebrating Kirk as a visionary and moral hero.

  • The discussion closes with reflection on Kirk’s influence on youth, his faith, and his perceived role as a symbol of conservative moral strength.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
It would also restore up to five billion dollars of
American taxpayer funds for wasteful spending for international projects. They
want to spend twenty four point six million of your
hard earned dollars as a taxpayer for climate resilience in Honduras,
thirteen point four million for civic engagement in Zimbabwe, three
point nine million for lgbtqiplus democracy grants and the Western Balkans,

(00:26):
two point nine million of your dollars for desert locust
risk reduction in the Horn of Africa, and two million
for quote organizing for feminist democratic principles in Africa. We
are not doing that.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
You're listening to the forty seven Morning Update with Ben ferguson.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Good Wednesday morning. Nice to have you with us on
the forty seven Morning Update, and we've got two big
stories for you coming out of the White House. First up,
Democrats are demanding trillions of your tax dollars to reopen
the government. And now we know what they want to
spend your tax dollars on. Crazy programs not even in

(01:03):
the United States of America. We have the list for you,
and I'm going to give it to you in just
a moment. We also had an incredible moment at the
White House where Charlie Kirk was honored with the highest
civilian honor that you can get. It was a moment
to remember Charlie Kirk and also to honor his life
and his legacy. You'll also hear from Senator Cruz and

(01:25):
what he had to say about that day in the
Rose Garden. It's the forty seven morning Update and it starts.

Speaker 4 (01:32):
Right now story number one.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
We have entered week three of the Democrat government shut down,
the Schumer shut down. But Democrats are now saying they're
willing to move to reopen the government as long as
Republicans will now include three point nine million for LGBTQI

(01:54):
plus democracy grants in Western Balkans. This is not a joke.
This is how crazy the governments are holding Americans hostage,
holding government workers hostage, holding our military hostage from their paychecks.
Democrats now demanding to reopen the government and include the
three point nine million for these LGBTQI plus democracy grants.

(02:21):
The House Speaker Mike Johnson revealing on Tuesday, the fourteenth
day of the government shut down. Welcome to day fourteen
of the Democrat government shutdown. It's two weeks of Democrats
in Congress inflicting untold pain on the American people for
nothing other than pure politics, As we've explained at this

(02:42):
podium every day of the shutdown, Johnson said. Johnson has
repeatedly explained that Republicans put forth a clean continuing resolution,
you know it as a CR. It's something that Republicans
agreed to thirteen times when Joe Biden was the president
to effectively keep the lights on, but Democrats purposely rejected

(03:05):
it several times despite being in favor of it in
the past. Democrats are now using the shutdown to force
a fight on healthcare, something that Johnson has made clear
is a separate issue not tied to the Continuing resolution.
As a Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer is desperate to

(03:25):
appease his Marxist base. Now for a greater perspective, Johnson
walked through some of the demands and the Democrats counter proposal,
highlighting the sheer absurdity of the one point five trillion
dollars in new spending that you, as a taxpayer, would
pay for. He said, quote they would send a half
billion dollars to liberal news outlets by refunding the Corporation

(03:51):
for public broadcasting. It would also restore up to five
billion of American taxpayer funds for wasteful spending for international projects,
he said, providing specific examples, saying, here's just a couple
of them. This is in their legislation. The Democrats their
counterproposal on the SIRE to keep the lights on. This

(04:12):
is what they want to do. They want to spend
twenty four point six million of your hard earned dollars
as a tax payer for climate resilience in Honduras. That's
not in America. They want to spend another thirteen point
four million for civic engagement in Zimbabwe, again not putting

(04:35):
America first. They want to spend three point nine million,
as I mentioned, for the LGBTQI plus democracy grants in
the Western Balkans. They want to spend two point nine
million of your tax dollars for desert locust risk reduction,
not in America, in the Horn of Africa. And also

(04:58):
two million, Johnson said for organizing the Feminist Democratic Principles,
not even in America, but in Africa. The President talking
about all of this, saying it from Capitol Hill and
making it clear that Americans are not going to pay
for this as long as he's in charge. Johnson said

(05:20):
their proposals would also reverse common sense reforms that Republicans
made in the Working Families Tax Cut Act that keep
illegal aliens off taxpayer fund at healthcare. This is a fact.
They would add the illegal aliens non citizens back to
the taxpayer funded benefits. It would cost taxpayers nearly two

(05:43):
hundred billion dollars. Johnson also said they would also remove
a very reasonable, reasonable, and moderate modest work requirement that
we put on able bodied young men with no dependence,
he said, noting it would also make COVID error Obamacare

(06:04):
subsidies permanent without any income caps or any other reforms
at all. So here we are entering week three, and
what you know is that the president of the United
States of American Republicans are united to save your tax dollars.
And part of it now is exposing exactly what the

(06:25):
left demands from you, that you go to work every
day and then you pay for these egregious programs that
aren't even in the United States of America.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
Now story number two.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
It was a very moving moment at the White House.
It was not covered like the memorial for Charlie Kirk.
But it was a day that we should all pause
and listen to what was said at the White House.
Donald Trump awarded Charlie Kirk the Medal of Freedom on
what would have been his thirty second birthday. President Trump

(06:58):
had a lot to say about Charlie, and here is
part of what he had to say about who he was.

Speaker 5 (07:05):
But it was a horrible, heinous, demonic act of murder.
He was assassinated in the prime of his life for
boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly
fighting for a better and stronger America. Loved this country
and that's why this afternoon, it's my privilege to posthumously

(07:27):
award Charles James Kirk, our nation's highest civilian honor, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
You think about the legacy of Charlie Kirk, the most
powerful man in the world, and the most powerful men
and women in our government, our cabinet members all sitting
at the White House talking about the life, the legacy,
and the faith of Charlie Kirk. Donald Trump also said
this about Charlie Kirk being a martyr, someone who will

(08:00):
always be remembered.

Speaker 5 (08:02):
As I said on the day that he was assassinated.
Charlie Kirk was a martyr for truth and for freedom,
and from Socrates to Think and to Saint Peter, from
Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King, those who change history
the most, and he really did have always risked their

(08:23):
lives for causes they were put on earth to defend.
He was put on earth to do exactly what he
was doing. He didn't want to waste time. He would
have been a top student at any college in the
country I know to college as well.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
Was smarter than the guys. He was so smart. But
he almost I guess, didn't have the time. He knew
what he wanted to do.

Speaker 5 (08:43):
It wasn't like you, I want to sit in the
classroom for four years listening to people teach me liberal
principles because they were.

Speaker 4 (08:49):
Never going to teach him that anyway. But he didn't
have the time. He really didn't have the time.

Speaker 5 (08:54):
But every time the enemies of goodness and virtue tried
to silence the voice of righteous and no, but leaders like.

Speaker 4 (09:01):
Charlie they failed. They seem to fail.

Speaker 5 (09:03):
Ultimately, they look like they're doing well and then they
end up failing. Because the truth has been unrelenting over
the years over history, and people like Charlie, it's just
they've got a power that others don't have, and very
few people will ever have. So today, like those martyrs
before him, Charlie's voice, his message, and his legacy are

(09:26):
stronger and greater than ever before.

Speaker 4 (09:29):
They are greater than ever before.

Speaker 3 (09:33):
Charlie Kirk was a martyr for truth and freedom. When
you think about his life, and it was a short life,
you look at now who he's being compared to, as
the President described him as someone that will be remembered
like Saint Peter, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King. Those are

(09:55):
people who change history the most, and referring to Charlie Kirk,
he said he really did. They risked their lives for
causes that they were put on earth to defend, and
that's exactly what Charlie Kirk was doing. The President also
saying this about America and Charlie Kirk's love for this country.

Speaker 5 (10:16):
Charles James Kirk was a visionary and one of the
greatest figures of his generation. He was truly an amazing
figure and growing leaps and bells.

Speaker 4 (10:26):
He knew that the.

Speaker 5 (10:27):
Fight to preserve our heritage is waged not only on
the battlefield and in the halls of power, of which
we have tremendous power here, including the head of a
place called war.

Speaker 4 (10:40):
We called now war.

Speaker 5 (10:41):
We had defense, we had our secretary of defense. Now
have a secretary of War, and somehow I think it's
more emblematic. And hopefully we'll never have to use war.
But the fact that we're ready is very good. Peace
through strength is very important. But also in the hearts
of our nation's youth. That's where Charles rode strongest at

(11:01):
age eighteen. That inside inspired Charlie to found the organization
that ultimately touched the lives of millions and millions of
people and so many young people that nobody's ever seen
anything like it. Frankly, turning Point USA. It's amazing, and
it's actually bigger now. It's become bigger in the last

(11:23):
few weeks. And Charlie ever thought, I think his end
vision in many years from now would have been just
a fraction of what had turned out to be in
a couple of weeks. Or it's amazing with hard work
and joyful spirit and endless and enthusiasm and determination. And
he did have great enthusiasm, and I say you need

(11:45):
enthusiasm to be successful.

Speaker 4 (11:47):
He had great enthusiasm.

Speaker 5 (11:48):
Charlie grew Turning Point into the largest conservative youth organization
in the entire country. He forged a personal bond with
countless young conservatives.

Speaker 4 (11:57):
He fought for free speech, religious liberty.

Speaker 5 (12:01):
Strong borders, and a very strong and proud America. In
everything he did, he put America first. He really put
America first. And ultimately, Charlie, he became more than a
leader of an important organization. He became the leader of
historic movements all over the country. There were movements, individual movements,

(12:21):
one movement, but it was historic.

Speaker 4 (12:24):
Everything he did was historic.

Speaker 3 (12:26):
And everything he did was historic. An incredible day at
the White House on honor. That was a moment that
was needed. It will hopefully be a moment that his parents,
and his wife and his children will have forever and
never forget.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update
with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever
you're listening to this podcast right now and for more
in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast
and we will see you back here tomorrow.