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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Evening Wire, I'm John Bickley.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: It's Thursday, July 17th, and we've got a lot to cover tonight.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. Let's start with the news. President Trump's rescission bill passed the Senate in a narrow vote overnight, but not without some dissent from within the GOP.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats in voting against the bill, citing concerns over transparency and deep cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting.
--:-- Tim Rice: [entering the conversation] Hi, John. I'm Daily Wire Deputy Managing Editor Tim Rice. I've got more on this story.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, Tim. So, the bill aims to cancel unspent funding, including $8 billion from foreign aid and over $1 billion from NPR and PBS.
--:-- Tim Rice: That's right. And NPR Chief Catherine Marr defended the public broadcaster's funding and challenged critics to point out specific examples of bias in their coverage.
--:-- Catherine Marr: [entering the conversation] We believe that as a public broadcaster, we do have an obligation to serve all Americans, and we need to make sure that our coverage reflects the interests and perspectives of Americans across the political spectrum.
--:-- John Bickley: But her comments sparked backlash online, with many pointing to NPR's refusal to cover Hunter Biden's laptop, among other examples, as instances of left-wing bias.
--:-- Tim Rice: [jumping in] That's right. And it's not just online. The backlash has been fierce, with many calling for NPR to be defunded.
--:-- John Bickley: Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Putin is not ready for compromises and that he's in talks with President Trump over a major drone deal.
--:-- Tim Pierce: [entering the conversation] Hi, John. I'm Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. I've got the details on this story.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, Tim. So, Zelensky thanked Trump and urged him to accelerate sanctions that could trigger a social explosion in Russia by slamming its economy.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right. And he also warned that a 50-day deadline only prolongs the suffering. He told Trump, "each day is deadly," adding that Putin only understands pressure.
--:-- John Bickley: The Ukrainian leader also mentioned an agreement that would allow the U.S. to buy Ukraine's battlefield-proven drones while Kiev purchases American weapons in return, calling it a win-win for both nations.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right. And U.S. defense officials warn that America lags behind in drone warfare, and this deal could help close that gap.
--:-- John Bickley: The prosecutor in Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case has been let go by the DOJ, amid renewed controversy over unreleased files.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: [entering the conversation] Hi, John. I'm Daily Wire reporter Spencer Lindquist. I've got more on this story.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, Spencer. So, the move comes amid renewed controversy over unreleased files.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: That's right. And the Epstein case has been a major point of contention, with many calling for the release of all documents related to the case.
--:-- John Bickley: Speaking of public interest, a new poll found that almost 70 percent of Americans think the government is covering up Jeffrey Epstein's alleged client list.
--:-- Tim Rice: [jumping in] That's right. And it's not just the Epstein case. President Trump's approval rating has actually gone up since this whole saga started.
--:-- John Bickley: The DOJ is asking a federal judge to sentence a Louisville police officer to just one day in jail for his role in the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: [jumping in] That's right. And several states' attorneys general are singing the praises of a new fentanyl law President Trump signed this week.
--:-- John Bickley: The president signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, which classifies fentanyl-related drugs as more dangerous substances.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: That's right. And the GOP-led bill that passed with bipartisan support places fentanyl-related substances into Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.
--:-- John Bickley: The Treasury Department has announced sanctions on the leader of Trende Aragua and other high-level members of the infamous gang.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: [jumping in] That's right. And the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced Thursday that it is freezing all of the U.S.-held property linked to the Trende Aragua leader known as Nino Guerrero.
--:-- John Bickley: Vice President Pence had some fun at the New York Times expense during an event in Pennsylvania this week, mocking the paper for an op-ed from a former Biden official who said he had the solution to fixing immigration.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [jumping in] That's right. And it's not just Pence. The New York Times has been under fire for its coverage of immigration, with many calling for more balanced reporting.
--:-- John Bickley: 16-year-olds may soon join the voter rolls in the UK, as part of a landmark shift that could have a huge impact on future UK elections.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: [jumping in] That's right. And Prime Minister Keir Starmer says young people who pay taxes deserve a say in government.
--:-- John Bickley: Critics, including Nigel Farage and the Conservatives, say teens lack the maturity to match such a responsibility.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [jumping in] That's right. And it's not just the UK. Many countries are re-examining their voting laws, with some calling for lower age limits.
--:-- John Bickley: Texas is suing a swimming organization for letting men compete against women.
--:-- Moreta Lordi: [entering the conversation] Hi, John. I'm Investigative reporter Moreta Lordi. I've got the details on this story.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, Moreta. So, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing U.S. Masters swimming after an investigation determined the amateur sports organization engaged in false, deceptive, and misleading practices by allowing men to compete in women's events.
--:-- Moreta Lordi: That's right. And it's not just Texas. Florida's attorney general also put U.S. Masters swimming on notice, warning it to change its policy or face legal action.
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump says he's convinced Coca-Cola to use real cane sugar over high fructose corn syrup.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: [jumping in] That's right. And some studies have linked corn syrup to the obesity epidemic.
--:-- John Bickley: RFK Jr. even called it a poison. Coca-Cola currently uses cane sugar to make Mexican Coke, which is sold in glass bottles and imported to the U.S.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: That's right. And the news comes as more companies agree to remove artificial ingredients from foods.
--:-- John Bickley: The CEO of PepsiCo said its Lay's and Tostitos brands will remove artificial ingredients by the end of the year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [jumping in] That's right. And it's not just PepsiCo. Many companies are re-examining their ingredients, with some calling for more natural options.
--:-- John Bickley: Speaking of PepsiCo, they just reported quarterly earnings and revenue that exceeded expectations of analysts.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: [jumping in] That's right. And shares rose more than 6% in morning trading, earning the company $22.73 billion.
--:-- John Bickley: Despite the upswing in share costs, they continue to see less of a demand for their products, as their worldwide volume dropped 1.5% for their food and was flat for their drinks.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [jumping in] That's right. And the company intends to take advantage of the protein craze.
--:-- John Bickley: Stocks rose today, powered by strong corporate earnings and better-than-expected economic data.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: [jumping in] That's right. And the Dow gained over 200 points and the S&P 500 climbed half a percent and the Nasdaq added 0.8 percent.
--:-- John Bickley: Retail sales for June beat forecasts, rising 0.6 percent, while jobless claims dipped to 221,000.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [jumping in] That's right. And the rebound on Wall Street comes despite the comments from the president saying he likely won't fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, while also not completely ruling it out.
--:-- John Bickley: And finally, comedian Shane Gillis shocked the crowd at the ESPYs with jokes that some say couldn't have been made a few years ago, including ones about Epstein, the WNBA, and Caitlin Clark.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [jumping in] That's right. And it's not just Gillis. Many comedians are pushing the boundaries of what's considered acceptable in comedy.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for tuning in to Evening Wire. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [jumping in] And don't forget to check out our website, dailywire.com, for more news and analysis.
--:-- John Bickley: [outro music starts playing]
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [outro music continues]
