--:-- [Upbeat music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: Some days call for working up a sweat, working on your passion, and endless action. Ditch the glitch with Liquid IV's new energy multiplier sugar-free. Refreshing flavors like strawberry kiwi and blackberry lemonade. Scientifically formulated to support physical energy, hydration, focus, mood, and social stamina. Liquid IV's new energy multiplier sugar-free. Hydrating energy. Tap the banner to learn more.
--:-- John Bickley: Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me, now at a special discount for our listeners. Today, get 20% off your Delete Me plan by texting WIRE to 64000. That's WIRE to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.
--:-- John Bickley: A portion of the infamous Epstein files are set to be released. The controversial Tate brothers come to the U.S. And award-winning actor Gene Hackman is found dead. I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, February 27th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Justice Department is set to release Jeffrey Epstein's personal address book today, spanning over 100 pages of contacts. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the details.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Sources say the document lacks context and won't include a client list, likely disappointing those seeking new revelations about Epstein's ties to powerful figures. Trump administration officials maintain however that the documents contain some shocking findings.
--:-- John Bickley: Now it's time for accountability. We have seen for so many years Pierce in this country many investigations subpoenas testimonies in Congress et cetera et cetera. But there's a general frustration with accountability. We take it halfway. We don't take it home. And I really believe that now with Cash and Pam, there will be accountability.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, thousands of documents related to Epstein are still missing from the DOJ. Bondi wrote a letter to FBI Director Cash Patel on Thursday directing him to dig into the FBI's New York field office where those documents are allegedly being kept against Bondi's orders.
--:-- Tim Pierce: High-profile names linked to Epstein include former President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump, who reportedly banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in 2007.
--:-- John Bickley: The Senate is set to take up a bill aimed at keeping men from competing in women's sports. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which was introduced by Senator Tommy Tuberville, would define sex in Title IX compliance based on reproductive biology at birth. The cloture vote is expected today, needing a three-fifths majority to advance.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The House has already passed a similar bill, but its future remains uncertain.
--:-- John Bickley: Brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate are leaving Romania for the U.S. amid their human trafficking case. The brothers were released from house arrest a few weeks ago. Romanian media say the brothers left the country early Thursday on a private jet.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Romanian special prosecutors say the case against the Tates is not closed, and they are expected to return to Romania. Their destination is believed to be Florida. Its governor Ron DeSantis weighed in. Florida is not a place where you welcome with that type of conduct in the air. And I don't know how it came to this. We were not involved. We were not notified. I found out through the media that this was something that was happening.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The brothers, both former kickboxers and dual British U.S. citizens, have denied all charges against them.
--:-- John Bickley: The deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, are being investigated and are considered suspicious. Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham has the details.
--:-- Megan Basham: Police say the couple was found inside their Santa Fe home with an unsecured door and scattered pills near Arakawa's body. A search warrant reveals Arakawa's body showed signs of mummification, suggesting she had been dead for some time before being discovered.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Police found her body in a bathroom with scattered pills nearby, while 95-year-old Hackman was in a separate room. One of their dogs was also found dead, but their other two survived.
--:-- Megan Basham: Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, was last seen in public a year ago. His decades-long career included iconic roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven.
--:-- John Bickley: Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says she has a plan to bring down egg prices. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has more.
--:-- Tim Rice: Egg prices have skyrocketed 230 percent since President Joe Biden took office, rising from $1.47 per dozen in January 2021 to nearly $5 last month. Agriculture Secretary Rollins announced a billion-dollar plan to address the crisis driven by avian flu outbreaks that have hit poultry farmers hard.
--:-- Tim Rice: The plan includes boosting farm biosecurity offering financial relief to farmers researching vaccines, easing regulatory burdens, and considering temporary egg imports. Rollins says the strategy aims to stabilize egg prices within six months.
--:-- John Bickley: The goal is to provide relief for struggling farmers and make eggs affordable for American families again.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And the battle over New York City's congestion pricing is heating up. Governor Kathy Hochul says if President Trump wants to scrap the $9 toll for drivers entering Manhattan, he'll need to find $15 billion in federal funds to fix the city's subway system.
--:-- Kathy Hochul: So I was just trying to appeal to him as a New Yorker and say, this is good for New York. I said, I wasn't sure it's going to work like this. Guarantee I was. This is a little bit of an experiment. But I think other cities are going to look at what we're doing here and say we reduce congestion. We also improve the quality of life dramatically for everyone who lives in this district.
--:-- John Bickley: The Trump administration has ordered the state to halt the toll collection by March 21st. But Hochul vows to fight back in court. MTA officials say they won't stop unless a judge steps in.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right, those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some big stories, including Trump's deal with Ukraine and the legacy media's misleading coverage of Doge. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
