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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Wednesday, August 20th, and this is Evening Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: The Trump administration is inviting the public to join the crackdown on D.C. crime. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the details.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Attorney General Pam Bondi announced today that tips leading to arrests will earn $500 rewards, with the U.S. Marshals Service overseeing the program. Bondi says more than 550 arrests have already been made and 76 illegal guns seized since President Trump's federal takeover earlier this month. The White House says those arrested include gang members, such as an MS-13 member with prior convictions, and the crime rates are already plummeting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But not everyone is cheering. D.C.'s Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser, for example, calls the National Guard presence quote, un-American. Still, the attorney general insists the goal is simple, to make the nation's capital safe again.
--:-- John Bickley: DHS is cutting millions of dollars in grants to Muslim organizations alleged to have extremist ties. According to a DHS document obtained by Fox News, 49 projects flagged for potential terror links have already been canceled, saving about $8 million.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The funding came through FEMA's non-profit security grant program, which provides aid to houses of worship facing threats of violence. The review follows a report by the Middle East Forum, which found over $25 million in funds went to groups it alleges are linked to Hamas and other terror groups.
--:-- John Bickley: Muslim groups say the crackdown unfairly targets them
--:-- Georgia Howe: At least 14 people including three young children were injured overnight in a Russian drone strike in Ukraine's northern Sumy region.
--:-- Zach Jewell: Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell has more. Ukraine's prime minister said the victims include a five-month-old, a four-year-old, and a six-year-old, after drones slammed into residential neighborhoods in the town of Okhtyrka. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 93 drones and two missiles across the country, with 62 drones and one missile shot down.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But strikes still hit 20 locations, sparking fires in both Sumy and the southern port region of Odessa. Officials say Russia has intensified its campaign against Ukraine's energy sector this week, damaging oil depots, gas facilities, and port infrastructure.
--:-- John Bickley: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has yanked the security clearances of more than three dozen intel officers over their role in Russiagate, saying they've abused the public trust.
--:-- Tulsi Gabbard: I published a memo Tuesday that names 37 current and former intelligence officers, some with ties to a widely criticized intelligence assessment that claimed Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump defeat Clinton.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The officials, she said, have lost their clearance for, quote, politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards.
--:-- John Bickley: Among the officials is former principal deputy DNI Stephanie O'Sullivan and Vin Nguyen, both of whom aided former DNI James Clapper in crafting the controversial assessment.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's Gabbard talking to Fox. They aided and abetted in this action, this seditious conspiracy that undermined our democracy, undermined our republic, and broke that sacred trust that every one of these professionals is supposed to have from the American people.
--:-- John Bickley: Trump's big, beautiful border wall is about to be the big, beautiful black border wall. The Department of Homeland Security plans to paint the border wall black to make it harder for would-be illegal immigrants and others to scale.
--:-- Kristi Noem: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the new paint job in a press conference Tuesday. In the hot temperatures down here, when something is painted black, it gets even warmer. And it will make it even harder for people to climb So we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we encourage individuals to not come into our country illegally America haters need not apply.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Trump administration says it will now screen immigrants for anti-American sentiment. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will scour social media profiles looking for anti-Semitic and terrorist ideologies before approving green cards and visa applications.
--:-- John Bickley: A DHS spokesman said, if you hate America, don't try to live in America. It's that simple.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Elon Musk is backing off his plans to start a new political party, though he hasn't ruled it out entirely for 2026. Musk has reportedly kept in touch with Vice President J.D. Vance in recent weeks and is considering backing his presidential run in 2028.
--:-- John Bickley: His proposed America Party was intended to rally Americans who were unhappy with both major parties, but most analysts believed it would siphon more voters from Republicans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump called for Fed Governor Lisa Cook to resign after accusations she committed mortgage fraud.
--:-- Joel Needler: Daily Wire senior editor Joel Needler has more. Trump's comments came after William Pulte, the director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, sent a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging that Cook, quote, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, potentially committing mortgage fraud.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Pulte has also been a fierce critic of the Federal Reserve, and if Cook is fired or steps down, she will likely be replaced by a governor more open to lowering interest rates. Cook was appointed by President Biden and her term runs through 2038.
--:-- John Bickley: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin released more details on a $20 billion slush fund created by the Biden EPA.
--:-- Lee Zeldin: Speaking to the New York Post's Pod Force One, Zeldin traced the fund back to the Inflation Reduction Act. They passed this bill called the Inflation Reduction Act that had tens of billions of dollars to go out through EPA. Well, EPA didn't know how to spend tens of billions of dollars. So they decided to park $20 billion at an outside bank and to have that bank send the money through eight pass-through entities. All these NGOs passed through entities that were riddled with self and conflicts of interest former Obama and Biden officials Democratic donors Zeldon pointed out that one group tied to Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams the power forward communities received in 2023 and then billion in 2024
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Atlantic coast is feeling the effects of Hurricane Aaron as high tides and waves pepper the coastline. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo has the details.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency yesterday as tropical storm and coastal flooding advisories crisscross the coast. A four-foot storm surge and 15 to 20-foot waves are predicted, and the storm is already strengthening rip currents that threaten swimmers all along the east coast.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hurricane Aaron is not forecast to make landfall in the U.S., but its effects are expected to persist through the rest of the week.
--:-- John Bickley: Israel plans to call up 60,000 reservists as the military prepares to take over Gaza City. An additional 20,000 reservists already in service are being extended to active duty.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Israeli soldiers are now moving into positions around Gaza City, with the operation expected to begin next month. This comes after Hamas agreed to a 60-day ceasefire on Monday that would exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for 10 living Israeli hostages, short of the 20 believed to be in Hamas custody.
--:-- John Bickley: The Israeli government has not issued a formal decision on the ceasefire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And former 007 Pierce Brosnan says he wouldn't rule out returning to the James Bond franchise.
--:-- Pierce Brosnan: The 72-year-old joked to Radio Times, I don't think anyone wants to see a craggy 72-year-old Bond, but if director Denis Villeneuve had something up his sleeve, I'd look at it in a heartbeat.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Brosnan played Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002, including GoldenEye and Die Another Day.
--:-- John Bickley: I still vote for Henry Cowell.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right, those are your drive home updates today. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some major stories, including Trump pushing for an end to mail-in voting, the U.S. deploying Navy destroyers to Venezuela, and the White House touting big wins on D.C. crime and foreign policy.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire. Thank you.
