--:-- [Upbeat music fades out. Host John Bickley and co-host Georgia Howe are heard in the background.]
--:-- John Bickley: Why shop at Burlington? Maybe it's the deals that are new each time you drop by. Maybe it's the brand names you'll be shocked Burlington has in store. Or maybe it's the quality of the items, the amazing selection, and the newest trends.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you like to save but also like to stay in style, Burlington is your answer. And the question you'll be asking yourself is, why go anywhere else?
--:-- John Bickley: Burlington. Deals. Brands. Wow.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Lumen. Take the next step in improving your health. Go to lumen.me slash wire to get 20% off your Lumen. That is L-U-M-E-N dot me slash wire for 20% off your purchase. Thank you, Lumen, for sponsoring this episode.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Preparations for the funeral of Pope Francis begin. RFK Jr. looks to ban several food dyes and Harvard sues to keep federal funding.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Tuesday, April 22nd, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Pope Francis' funeral will be held Saturday outside St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The Vatican has announced that the funeral will feature simpler rites in order to reflect the Pope's humble papal style.
--:-- John Bickley: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Ray will preside over the service, and it's expected to draw dozens of world leaders, including President Trump.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Pope's body is currently resting at Casa Santa Marta and will be transferred to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday for public viewing.
--:-- John Bickley: The Vatican says Francis requested a simple burial at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Once the funeral has concluded the 135 cardinals will meet to elect the next pope.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- John Bickley: RFK Jr is set to ban petroleum food dyes. Daily Wire researcher Nathan Gay has the details.
--:-- Nathan Gay: The Health and Human Services Secretary plans to direct food manufacturers to phase out eight food dyes from cereals, sports drinks, and other grocery staples by the end of 2026.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The directive will affect hundreds of thousands of grocery store items containing the dyes, which health experts have long criticized for potentially causing hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in children.
--:-- Nathan Gay: The eight dyes being targeted include bread number 40, yellow number 5, yellow number 6, blue number 1, blue number 2, green number 3, red number 3, and orange B.
--:-- John Bickley: Food industry experts estimate that the reformulation costs could reach into the billions, though many companies have already developed alternative formulations for the European and Canadian products.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Harvard is suing the Trump administration to try to restore frozen taxpayer funding. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has more.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The university filed the lawsuit in federal court on Monday.
--:-- John Bickley: It's a significant escalation as the Trump administration cracks down on elite universities for anti-Semitic activism that exploded on their campuses.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The government has ratcheted up pressure on Harvard and others since pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests brought campus after the October 7th terror attack on Israel.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Last week, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The government may freeze another $1 billion in funding after Harvard administrators released a letter of demands that Trump officials considered private correspondence.
--:-- John Bickley: A White House spokesman said Monday, "instead of grandstanding Harvard should focus on rebuilding confidence among all students particularly Jewish students."
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Get all the big stuff for your small business right with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period and start selling today at shopify.com slash morningwire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Go to shopify.com slash morningwire. Again, that's shopify.com slash morningwire.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump is endorsing two Republicans facing off in Arizona's GOP primary for governor. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the story.
--:-- Tim Rice: The president said Monday that he's endorsing businesswoman Karen Taylor Robson, as well as Representative Andy Biggs for the governor's office, calling them both terrific people.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump offered his endorsement of Robson back in December before she launched her campaign. Then in late January, Representative Biggs jumped into the race, and he now has Trump support as well.
--:-- Tim Rice: Trump said on social media Monday that he was happy to endorse Robson when she asked before any other Republican was in the race.
--:-- John Bickley: Quote, when Andy Biggs decided to run for governor quite unexpectedly, I had a problem, Trump said. Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions. And it is therefore my great honor to give my complete and total endorsement to both.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Karen Reed returned to court Tuesday for the start of her second murder trial. Supporters rallied outside the location of the trial, which is the Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts.
--:-- John Bickley: Reed is accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV in 2022. That's a charge she denies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Her defense claims that the murder is actually a police cover-up.
--:-- John Bickley: Was found dead in the front yard of a friend's home where a party had been held. His cause of death was blunt force trauma and hypothermia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A mistrial was declared last year after jurors couldn't reach a verdict.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- John Bickley: And Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren is trying to defend her claim last year that Joe Biden was not suffering mental decline.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The former presidential hopeful was pressed on the claim by podcast host Sam Fragoso.
--:-- Sam Fragoso: Do you regret saying that President Biden had a mental acuity? He had a sharpness to him. You said that up until July of last year.
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: I said what I believe to be true.
--:-- Sam Fragoso: And you think he was as sharp as you?
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: I said I had not seen decline. And I hadn't at that point.
--:-- Sam Fragoso: You did not see any decline from 2024 Joe Biden to 2021 Joe Biden?
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: Not when I said that.
--:-- Sam Fragoso: You know, the thing is, he, look, he was sharp. He was on his feet. I saw a live event. I had meetings with him a couple of times.
--:-- Elizabeth Warren: Senator, on his feet is not praise. He can speak in sentences, is not praise.
--:-- Sam Fragoso: All right, fair enough, fair enough.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.
--:-- John Bickley: And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some major stories, including the legacy and likely successor of Pope Francis and Democrats' leadership and strategy crisis.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
