--- title: Watch Seth Meyers Tell Ted Cruz the World Really Is on Fire description: Seth Meyers interviewed Ted Cruz about global warming and Cruz scaring a three-year-old girl by telling her the world is on fire. canonical: https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-18T16:05:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:47:57.678Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch Seth Meyers Tell Ted Cruz the World Really Is on Fire og:description: The two argued about climate change. og:url: https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Seth Meyers Tell Ted Cruz the World Really Is on Fire twitter:description: The two argued about climate change. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Watch Seth Meyers Tell Ted Cruz the World Really Is on Fire > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0c9c8e7-2be1-406d-bab2-37a583d494e7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0c9c8e7-2be1-406d-bab2-37a583d494e7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=e0c9c8e7-2be1-406d-bab2-37a583d494e7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0c9c8e7-2be1-406d-bab2-37a583d494e7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Real Time: Ted Cruz Rallies The Right At CPAC 2015 [Watch (HLS stream): Real Time: Ted Cruz Rallies The Right At CPAC 2015](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KFQHEvq4.m3u8) (0:59)  _Published 2015-02-26. Ted Cruz fired up the conservative base during his speech on the first day of CPAC 2015._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Mar 18, 2015 4:05 PM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Mar 18, 2015 4:05 PM UTC Seth Meyers did a variation of his old _Saturday Night Live_ “Really!?!” sketch with Sen. Ted Cruz last night. This time, the affable late-night talk show host argued with the Texas Republican about his recent statement that the “world is on fire.” Over the weekend, Cruz had taken some heat over the weekend for a political speech in which he was arguing that things are not going so well: “The Obama economy is a disaster, Obamacare is a train wreck, and the Obama-Clinton foreign policy of leading from behind — the whole world is on fire.” A young girl in the audience then piped up in a timid voice, “The world is on fire?” “Yes,” Cruz responded. “Your world is on fire.” But Cruz says that rather than scaring the young girl, he actually comforted her. He told Meyers that he explained to the girl that he was going to put out the fire, and her mother says the girl wasn’t afraid at all and now calls Cruz “the fireman.” “I really feel bad that he got vilified for it,” the mother [told ABC’s WMUR 9](http://www.wmur.com/politics/ted-cruz-criticized-after-saying-worlds-on-fire-in-front-of-3yearold/31858418). Myers went in a different direction, though, arguing that Cruz was missing the real fire with his skepticism about climate change. “I think the world’s on fire literally,” Meyers said. “But you’re not there, right?” Cruz’s response: “I just came back from New Hampshire where there’s snow and ice everywhere. Debates on this should follow science and follow data. Many of the alarmists on global warming have a problem because data doesn’t back them up.” Cruz has been steadfast about this position. “Data are not supporting what the advocates are arguing,” [he told CNN in early 2014](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/20/cruz-to-cnn-global-warming-not-supported-by-data/). “The last 15 years, there has been no recorded warming.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] The way we get to 51 % is bring together conservatives and Libertarians and evangelicals and women and young people and Hispanics and Reagan Democrats. Hillary Clinton embodies the corruption of Washington. Our nation is in crisis at home. Millions of Americans' are hurting. Obamacare, is a train- wreck. We need a Commander in Chief, who will actually stand up and defend the United States of America. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] It is wrong for the federal government or unelected judges to tear down the marriage laws of the states. [ APPLAUSE ] Take all 125 thousand IRS agents and put them on our southern border. [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/"},"headline":"Watch Seth Meyers Tell Ted Cruz the World Really Is on Fire","datePublished":"2015-03-18T16:05:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:47:57.678Z","description":"They disagree on the reasons","url":"https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election","ted cruz"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/","name":"Watch Seth Meyers Tell Ted Cruz the World Really Is on Fire"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Real Time: Ted Cruz Rallies The Right At CPAC 2015","description":"Ted Cruz fired up the conservative base during his speech on the first day of CPAC 2015.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/KFQHEvq4/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-26T21:46:04.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KFQHEvq4.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/","duration":"PT59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3749189/ted-cruz-seth-meyers-world-fire/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```