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--:-- John Bickley: Good evening, I'm John Bickley, executive editor of the Daily Wire, and this is Evening Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe, co-host of Evening Wire. It's Friday, June 13th.
--:-- John Bickley: Tonight, we're covering the fallout after Israel's massive offensive against Iran. Kilmar Abrego-Garcia pleads not guilty to trafficking charges, and four migrants are missing after a detention facility riot.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right. Let's start with the situation in the Middle East. Israel says this is just the beginning of Operation Rising Lion.
--:-- John Bickley: The IDF has already taken out several Iranian nuclear and military targets, including uranium enrichment facilities and ballistic missile stockpiles.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Various officials were killed in the strike, including top nuclear scientists and high-ranking military members.
--:-- John Bickley: Prime Minister Netanyahu called Iran's nuclear program a clear and present danger to Israel's survival.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs.
--:-- John Bickley: Nine. In recent months, Iran has taken steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year.
--:-- John Bickley: This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival.
--:-- Georgia Howe: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed America was not involved, emphasizing the priority is protecting U.S. forces in the region as tensions escalate.
--:-- John Bickley: Political reaction to the strikes is roughly split down the middle. Republicans are largely standing behind Israel, but many on the left are not.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Members of the progressive squad, including Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, condemned Israel's actions as dangerous and immoral and warned of potential U.S. involvement in a broader war.
--:-- John Bickley: Meanwhile, the GOP is striking a much different tone.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Let's hear from Senator Ted Cruz.
--:-- [Senator Ted Cruz speaking to Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro]
--:-- Ben Shapiro: Senator Cruz, what's your message to the Ayatollah?
--:-- Ted Cruz: If you attack American military bases if you kill even a single American serviceman or woman, I am absolutely confident that President Trump will respond with overwhelming force.
--:-- Ben Shapiro: Understand that every serviceman and woman we have in the Middle East is at risk tonight. They are in harm's way.
--:-- Ted Cruz: That's right. And I want the Ayatollah to hear that.
--:-- Ben Shapiro: Senator Tom Cotton echoed that sentiment.
--:-- [Senator Tom Cotton speaking]
--:-- Tom Cotton: If Iran harms even one American, it will mean the end of the Ayollahs.
--:-- Ben Shapiro: House Speaker Mike Johnson declared simply, Israel has a right to defend itself.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, let's move on to the story of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, an illegal immigrant and alleged MS-13 member who pleaded not guilty to federal charges of human trafficking and conspiracy in Tennessee.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the latest.
--:-- Tim Rice: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who entered the United States illegally in 2012, was deported under President Trump's immigration policies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: However, a Supreme Court ruling forced the administration to bring him back for prosecution.
--:-- Tim Rice: Federal prosecutors say Garcia is a serious flight risk and accuse him of working with MS-13, one of the world's most violent transnational gangs.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Prosecutors point to a 2022 traffic stop that triggered the investigation into Garcia's role in trafficking undocumented immigrants.
--:-- Tim Rice: Garcia's defense team denies any gang affiliation, claiming the allegations are based on unreliable information from a confidential informant.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Garcia remains in ICE custody as legal proceedings continue.
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump has pulled ahead in the legal tug of war over his deployment of California's National Guard in L.A.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presa Giacomo has more.
--:-- Amanda Presa Giacomo: A federal judge has ruled that President Trump acted illegally when he seized control of the Guard during violent anti-ice riots in L.A.
--:-- Georgia Howe: California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with Democrats and retired military officials, praised the ruling as a check on what they see as Trump's abuse of power.
--:-- Amanda Presa Giacomo: However, their praise was short-lived. An appeals court has stayed that decision, leaving the Guard in place while they consider the administration's appeal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Trump administration says that it's confident that the courts will ultimately uphold the president's constitutional authority.
--:-- John Bickley: The White House maintains Trump lawfully deployed the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel as state leaders fail to control escalating violence.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A majority of judges on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear Trump's challenge of the E. Jean Carroll case.
--:-- John Bickley: In December, a three-judge panel from the Second Circuit upheld a 2023 verdict that found the president civilly liable for sexual assault and defamation and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages to Carroll.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The president has denied the allegations and pursued all legal options to overturn the verdict.
--:-- John Bickley: Although now that the Second Circuit has declined his only remaining option is to appeal to the Supreme Court.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The president's legal team has indicated that they intend to do so.
--:-- John Bickley: A spokesperson for the president said that the Democratic Carroll hoax will continue to be appealed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: House Republicans voted to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid, NPR, and PBS.
--:-- John Bickley: In a 2014 to 2012 vote, the House passed a rescissions package that would cancel $8.3 billion in previously approved foreign aid and $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The bill is an attempt to codify recommendations made by Doge.
--:-- John Bickley: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told reporters that the vote, quote, marks a critical step towards a more responsible and transparent government.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Trump is reportedly eyeing a member of his cabinet to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
--:-- John Bickley: Trump has been highly critical of Powell's monetary policy and has repeatedly sparred with him over interest rates.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The president has argued that the current rates are too high and are significantly increasing payments on the national debt.
--:-- John Bickley: If we would lower the interest rates by one point, we'd pay about one point less. That's $300 billion a year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But we can't get this guy to do it.
--:-- John Bickley: We want to get rid of inflation, and we have. But we're going to be paying more for debt.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Powell's term will end in May of 2026.
--:-- John Bickley: Trump has signaled that he may name Powell's successor well before then.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reportedly being considered for the role.
--:-- John Bickley: The FBI arrested a man who was believed to be passing out face shields to anti-ice rioters in L.A. yesterday.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But a new Daily Wire investigation reveals that the man isn't the only activist furnishing agitators with riot gear.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire investigative reporter Spencer Lindquist has the story.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: I discovered that activists on Instagram bragged about passing out helmets, gloves, and respirators to those on the front lines of the unrest in Los Angeles.
--:-- Georgia Howe: One woman boasted that she handed out 50 helmets and 500 masks to protesters at City Hall.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: She even gave advice to people asking how to defend against tear gas used by police and shared a post encouraging rioters to throw tear gas canisters back at the police.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The activist credited an unofficial left-wing organization called Super Familia with fundraising for the effort.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: That organization is tied to another left-wing organizer behind protests advocating for illegal aliens in Seattle.
--:-- Georgia Howe: At least four migrants are unaccounted for after a riot broke out at a detention center in New Jersey.
--:-- John Bickley: Up to 50 migrants pushed down a dormitory wall during the revolt.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Others made a rope out of bedsheets to climb out of a window.
--:-- John Bickley: The group was dissatisfied with the quality and timeliness of meals.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's according to a local outlet.
--:-- John Bickley: Police agencies responded to emergency calls at the facility and a manhunt is currently underway.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The House just introduced a new bill that will help the United States stay ahead of China in the development of AI technology.
--:-- John Bickley: According to Representative Darren LaHood, China has been stealing data from U.S. AI models to develop their own AI tools.
--:-- Georgia Howe: LaHood says the U.S. remains ahead of China in the AI race, but not by much.
--:-- John Bickley: The bill seeks to protect assets and promote technology we currently have in the country.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Whoever wins this race in the future, it's going to be critical to future warfare capabilities, to obviously cybersecurity.
--:-- John Bickley: And then whoever wins the AI competition is going to yield really unwavering economic influence in the future.
--:-- Georgia Howe: America is feeling more optimistic about the economy.
--:-- John Bickley: A recent survey shows consumer sentiment rebounding after previous concerns over tariffs and inflation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Consumer sentiment improved for the first time in six months, according to CNBC.
--:-- John Bickley: The trend comes as President Trump has negotiated trade deals, including one with China.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A man has been gored by a bison while visiting Yellowstone National Park.
--:-- John Bickley: According to park officials, Tuesday's attack was the result of visitors getting too close to the wild animal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Officials say the goring victim is being treated for minor injuries.
--:-- John Bickley: The incident marks the second bison goring this year, with another injured in May.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Officials say bison gored two people in 2024 as well.
--:-- John Bickley: Park rules require visitors to stay at least 25 yards from bison and other large animals.
--:-- Georgia Howe: NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers secures another ring.
--:-- John Bickley: The new Pittsburgh Steeler told reporters that he's tied the knot.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's a wedding ring. Congratulations. Thank you.
--:-- John Bickley: How long have you been?
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's been a couple months.
--:-- John Bickley: In December, Rodgers said he was dating a woman named Brittany, but his wife's identity still remains unknown.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He said in a recent Netflix docuseries that he didn't do himself any favors by dating women in the public eye.
--:-- John Bickley: Those are your drive home updates this evening.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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 Israel's attack on Iran, the left-wing money behind the anti-ice riots, and sanctuary governors getting grilled on Capitol Hill.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with a weekend edition of Morning Wire.
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