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--:-- Host: John Bickley: Welcome to Evening Wire. I'm John Bickley, and I'm here with Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, John.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: The web of Operation Arctic Frost expands. New Jeffrey Epstein documents hit the press, and the State Department designates several Antifa-aligned groups as terror organizations.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, November 13th, and this is Evening Wire. The investigation into Biden's Operation Arctic Frost continues to heat up. Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcand has the latest.
--:-- Cameron Arcand: Federal records show that among the private phone data sought by then-Special Counsel Jack Smith was then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former Congressman Louie Gohmert. This is just the latest discovery in the Arctic Frost probe investigation, which also examined call data from several Republican senators. McCarthy blasted the effort, calling it political overreach and illegal targeting of lawmakers. Smith continues to defend himself, saying that the phone data was limited to the days surrounding the Capitol riot and followed Justice Department policy. AT&T later told investigators Smith backed away from the request and no congressional records were turned over.
--:-- John Bickley: A House committee has released thousands of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, including years of emails to wealthy and influential contacts. Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell has more.
--:-- Zach Jewell: Democrats first published three emails mentioning former President Trump, and a short time later, Republicans released 20,000 pages of documents from the Epstein estate. The White House says the documents further prove the president did nothing wrong. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson says lawmakers will vote next week on a bill to release all remaining files tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
--:-- Mike Johnson: There's now, by my count, I think it's around 50,000 pages of documents that have been released. There was another big tranche that came out today, another 20,000 pages. They have gone through, combed through the Epstein estate files, which, I remind everyone, was not even anticipated in the discharge petition. And that's been a treasure trove because included in that was Epstein's own personal financial ledgers, his travel logs, his daily calendar, and all sorts of other things.
--:-- John Bickley: Epstein, who was convicted on state charges in 2008, later rebuilt ties with prominent figures before he was found dead in what authorities say was a suicide in his jail cell in 2019.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new report shows that the longest government shutdown in history was actually ended after a small group of centrist Democrats quietly opened talks with Republican leaders.
--:-- John Bickley: As federal workers missed paychecks and key aid programs ran dry, the senators met privately with Majority Leader John Thune and others crafting a deal to reopen the government. Their agreement split Democrats and undercut Schumer's strategy to hold out for health care concessions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The FAA says flight reductions at 40 major U.S. airports will remain capped at 6 percent. Transportation officials say more air traffic controllers are now returning to work, but the agency will keep limits in place until safety data shows operations can fully resume.
--:-- Sean Duffy: We're going to watch, analyze, encourage them to come back, but again, we'll alleviate that only when the data says we should.
--:-- John Bickley: The shutdown has led to more than 10,000 canceled flights, and that's strained airlines that are already dealing with staffing shortages and weather delays. The system is expected to take days to stabilize even after the shutdown ended.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Following the government shutdown, some TSA workers are in for a massive bonus. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that those who displayed, quote, exemplary service will receive $10,000.
--:-- Kristi Noem: We are going to not only continue their paychecks like they should have received all along, but also they're going to get a bonus check for stepping up, taking on extra shifts, for showing up each and every day, for serving the American people.
--:-- John Bickley: Secretary of State Marco Rubio hit back on Wednesday at European critics of Trump's drug boat strikes.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Rubio attended a G7 summit in Canada this week and responded to criticisms of Trump's strikes on drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. European officials have said the strikes violate international law, and some countries have taken steps to distance themselves from the U.S. policy.
--:-- Marco Rubio: I don't think that the European Union gets to determine what international law is. They certainly don't get to determine how the United States defends its national security. I do find it interesting that all these countries want us to send and supply, for example, nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to defend Europe. But when the United States positions aircraft carriers in our hemisphere where we live, somehow that's a problem. So I would say that the United States is, and this president has made very clear, his job is to protect the United States from threats against the United States. And that is what he's doing in this operation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The State Department has officially designated four Antifa-allied groups operating in Europe as foreign terror organizations.
--:-- John Bickley: The designation requires U.S. banks to freeze any accounts associated with the groups and to ban entry to any of the known members. It also allows the state to prosecute any American organizations or individuals that provide material support or conspire to offer support to the foreign groups.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The affected groups operate in Germany, Greece, and Italy and have carried out attacks throughout Europe, including on governmental buildings.
--:-- John Bickley: At least one of the groups, a German group called Antifa Ost has garnered a terror label from Hungary after a violent attack in Budapest in 2023.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A Biden-appointed federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release roughly 615 illegal immigrants nabbed in Chicago raids.
--:-- Amanda Presa Giacomo: During a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled that hundreds of detainees must be granted bond by November 21st. The Department of Homeland Security must also provide Cummings with a list of detainees by Friday.
--:-- Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin: At every turn, activist judges, sanctuary politicians, and violent rioters have actively tried to prevent our law enforcement officers from arresting and removing the worst of the worst. McLaughlin said that this activist judge is putting the lives of Americans directly at risk by ordering that the illegals be released into the community.
--:-- John Bickley: The ruling comes after immigration advocates at the National Immigration Justice Center argued that federal immigration agents violated a consent decree in Illinois when they arrested the detainees.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In other immigration news, the number of arrests of criminal illegal aliens from so-called Operation Dirtbag in Florida reached 230 over the course of 10 days.
--:-- Madison Sheehan: Operation Criminal Return, as it's officially called, launched on October 25th and included registered sex offenders and those with lengthy criminal records. ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheehan touted the success of the program Thursday, saying, quote, this operation underscores President Trump and Secretary Noem's determination to target and remove dangerous criminal alien predators from the United States.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In addition to last month's robbery of the Louvre, France's cultural treasures are being stolen at an alarming rate.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: While the brazen daylight robbery at the Louvre on October 19th captured headlines, it's just the latest instance of a trend that has long worried French officials. Museums across the country are losing priceless treasures to thieves. Aside from the Louvre, eight other museums across the country have been robbed in recent years, six of them being hit since September alone.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, France President Emmanuel Macron's administration has added to their list of priorities, hardening France's museums to protect its cultural treasure before more of it is lost.
--:-- Georgia Howe: CNN anchor Abby Phillip declared this week that part of her job is to explain facts to conservatives, saying they often don't have access to the truth because they live in a, quote, completely different information world.
--:-- Abby Phillip: Half my job sometimes is knowing what the latest conspiracy is so that if it comes up, I'm ready to address it. Because it happens a lot where people don't even know that what they're saying or what they've seen and believe is not true.
--:-- John Bickley: The former chief of staff to Governor Gavin Newsom was charged this week amid a campaign funding corruption scandal.
--:-- Andy Valdez: The Justice Department unveiled a 23-count indictment Wednesday against Democrat consultant Dana Williamson, charging her with bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns and making false statements. Williamson is accused of taking part in a scheme to divert $225,000 from the dormant campaign account of former Human Services Secretary Javier Becerra.
--:-- John Bickley: The indictment alleges that Williamson worked with lobbyist Greg Campbell and former Becerra Chief of Staff Sean McCluskey to funnel funds from the campaign account between February of 2022 and September of last year. Both McCluskey and Campbell accepted plea deals last month related to the scheme.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Renters in Manhattan got no autumn cool down this year. New figures show the median rent on new leases soaring to 4,600 in October, the third highest on record and a backdrop to mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani's rise on an affordability message.
--:-- John Bickley: Brooklyn and northwest Queens weren't far behind with prices climbing sharply as tight supply kept apartment hunters competing. Mamdani has promised bold steps from rent freezes to a surge in affordable housing. Even as analysts say, leasing activity remains strong and far from signaling any exodus.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And from here on out, you'll have to pay more than a penny for your thoughts. The U.S. Mint made the final penny in Philadelphia yesterday, ending the coin's 232-year run.
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump ordered the penny to be canceled back in February. He gave his two cents on True Social, saying, quote, For far too long, the United States has minted pennies, which literally cost us more than two cents. The cost of making each penny has risen from 1.42 cents to 3.69 cents over the past decade. The government will save roughly $50 million annually by ending penny production.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Mint stated that because the supply exceeds the amount needed for commerce, pennies can still be used. So don't throw your piggy bank away just yet.
--:-- John Bickley: Those are your drive home updates this evening. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it earlier today, we covered some major stories, including Trump ending the shutdown, the DOJ investigating a violent anti-TP USA riot, and Venezuela mobilizing its military amid a looming showdown with the U.S. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you are facing divorce, call Cordell and Cordell today. There's a lot on the line in divorce. This is Joe Cordell of Cordell and Cordell, the largest family law firm in the country. with over 35 years of helping clients navigate divorce. Divorce touches all areas of your life, your home, savings, retirement, and of course, kids. So when you find yourself facing divorce, you need a partner you can count on. If you are facing divorce, contact Cordell and Cordell today at 1-855-GET-LEGAL. That's 1-855-GET-LEGAL. CordellCordell.com.
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--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for joining us on Evening Wire. We'll be back tomorrow.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Goodnight, and we'll see you tomorrow.
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