--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Friday, June 16th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: Charges against a ring of nine people for thefts of millions of dollars worth of paintings, sports memorabilia, and other valuables have been announced by federal authorities. The thefts took place over more than two decades at 20 museums, institutions, and stores across several states. The stolen goods include an Andy Warhol silk screen, a Jackson Pollock painting, and nine World Series rings belonging to the late Yankees catcher Yogi Berra.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Scientists in the United Kingdom claim they have achieved a remarkable scientific feat, creating synthetic human embryos using stem cells without sperm or eggs. Professor Magdalena Zernika-Gates of the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology announced the news on Wednesday at a conference in Boston.
--:-- John Bickley: But the potential method is still a long way from being used clinically. It also raises serious ethical and legal questions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Texas Christian University's course catalog shows the school will offer a course called The Queer Art of Drag this coming fall. The course will be taught by Dr. Nino Testa, who also goes by his drag name, Maria von Clapp.
--:-- John Bickley: A syllabus for the course indicates that students will use worksheets and vision boards to develop their own drag personas, culminating in a live lip sync performance.
--:-- Georgia Howe: After a five-month investigation, law enforcement in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have busted a massive drug syndicate accused of smuggling six tons of methamphetamine from Canada to Australia and New Zealand. The traffickers were intercepted smuggling the drugs through shipments of maple syrup and canola oil.
--:-- John Bickley: UFC superstar Conor McGregor has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom at Kaseya Center home to the Miami Heat. McGregor's representatives have denied the allegations.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to demand letters from attorney Ariel Mitchell, the victim was separated from her friend by Heat and NBA security, where she was forced into a bathroom inside the arena. McGregor then emerged from a stall and forcibly kissed the woman while security guards allegedly guarded the doors.
--:-- John Bickley: After 41 years at the helm of Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak has announced that this will be his final season. As Sajak told NBC's Al Roker, he always put the show first.
--:-- Georgia Howe: People are not tuning in necessarily to see how clever Pat is tonight. They like the game and the game's the star, the players are the star, and you kind of have to step back.
--:-- John Bickley: Sajak took over for Chuck Woolery in 1983 and now holds the Guinness World Record for longest-serving host of a single game show. Ryan Seacrest, Whoopi Goldberg, and letter spinner Vanna White have all been mentioned as replacements.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Justice Department's Antitrust Division has informed the PGA Tour that it will review the organization's proposed merger with Saudi-funded Live Golf. The announcement of the deal last week immediately triggered antitrust concerns and sent shockwaves to the golf world.
--:-- John Bickley: 83-year-old Al Pacino and his 29-year-old girlfriend recently welcomed their first child together, according to TMZ. The baby's sex has not been reported.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right, those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
