--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe. John's on vacation this week. It's Friday, July 11th, and this is Evening Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: [Not present, but implied]
--:-- Georgia Howe: A newly released video appears to show California medical workers interfering with ICE agents making an arrest.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the video, it looks as though the staff at Ontario Advanced Surgery Centre attempt to block ICE agents trying to arrest a Honduran landscaper while shouting, "You don't have a warrant."
--:-- [Audio clip continues]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Homeland Security says the man fled into the building and staff locked the doors, even calling 911 to report a kidnapping. He was later arrested.
--:-- Tim Pierce: I'm Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce, and I have more on this story.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Protesters rushed to the scene on Thursday, prompting agents to deploy tear gas and smoke bombs. Military helicopters flew low over the area, searching for suspects who may have been hiding.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Governor Gavin Newsom called the operation "terror," accusing President Trump's administration of traumatizing families and tearing communities apart.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Customs and Border Protection says 10 minors were found working at the facility, eight of them unaccompanied, triggering a child labor investigation.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Federal officials say an unidentified suspect fired a gun at agents, with the FBI now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to that individual.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The State Department is beginning the process of showing nearly 2,000 employees the door.
--:-- Tim Rice: I'm Daily Wire Deputy Managing Editor Tim Rice, and I have more on this story.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In a memo yesterday, Deputy Secretary Michael Regas said affected domestic staff will be notified in the coming days.
--:-- Tim Rice: The move combined with voluntary departures marks a 15 percent reduction in the department workforce. Officials say the cuts target redundant offices and aim to streamline operations by shifting more resources to embassies and regional bureaus.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The layoffs come days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration's federal workforce reductions to proceed.
--:-- Tim Rice: The Pentagon has sidelined an admiral who allowed drag queen performances on an aircraft carrier.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reports that Rear Admiral Michael Buzz Donnelly was nominated to command the 7th Fleet, the Navy's largest overseas force.
--:-- Tim Rice: But the Defense Department has withdrawn his nomination in light of some controversial entertainment.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Donnelly commanded the USS Ronald Reagan when a sailor who goes by the stage name Harpy Daniels performed in drag during a Navy-sanctioned morale, welfare and recreation event aboard the carrier.
--:-- Tim Rice: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is reportedly looking for a new commander for the Seventh Fleet.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Trump threatened Canada with a 35% tariff on imports, citing an underwhelming response to the fentanyl crisis.
--:-- Tim Rice: The president outlined the tariffs in a letter posted to Truth Social on Thursday, saying if Canada works to stop the flow of fentanyl, "we will perhaps consider an adjustment to this letter."
--:-- Georgia Howe: The announcement comes among a slew of similar letters posted this week, as the administration scheduled tariffs on goods from several countries, including Brazil, South Africa, and Japan.
--:-- Tim Rice: The new levies are scheduled to take effect on August 1st.
--:-- Georgia Howe: An anti-Israel agitator from Columbia University is demanding $20 million from the Trump administration over claims that he was falsely imprisoned and "smeared as an anti-Semite."
--:-- Tim Rice: The Syrian-born activist Mahmoud Khalil filed the claim on Thursday that lists DHS, ICE, and the State Department as co-defendants.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Khalil was arrested on March 8th as the Trump administration sought to deport him for activities allegedly aligned to Hamas.
--:-- Tim Rice: Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Trisha McLaughlin described Khalil's claim as "absurd" and said that he had participated in and led hateful behavior and rhetoric on Columbia campus.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Khalil's deportation order is still in limbo as it moves through the American court system.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Between two authentication strong passwords and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back.
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--:-- [Theme music returns]
--:-- Georgia Howe: The White House is accusing the Federal Reserve of mismanagement.
--:-- Tim Rice: Budget Chief Russell Vogt raised concerns over renovation plans for the Fed headquarters.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Fed has run a deficit since fiscal year 2023 and is over budget on the renovation, Vogt said on social media.
--:-- Tim Rice: The renovation plans include rooftop gardens, VIP dining rooms, elevators, water features, and premium marble.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Federal Reserve Chair Powell denied the renovations will include those features.
--:-- Tim Rice: Vogt's concerns come as President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell for not lowering interest rates.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He's facing accusations of lying to Congress, which is a potential crime about the opulence.
--:-- Tim Rice: An anti-DEI index fund plans to only invest in companies that hire based on merit.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Azoria founder and CEO James Fishback told Fox News Digital this is the only index fund committed solely to meritocracy.
--:-- Tim Rice: Fishback said that companies with DEI hiring targets underperformed the S&P by 19 percentage points in the last two years.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He says investing in companies committed to meritocracy is good business sense.
--:-- Tim Rice: In an ad for the index fund's release, Fishback said the idea behind the index fund is simple.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Of the 500 companies in the S&P index, three dozen maintain these anti-meritocratic racial and gender hiring quotas.
--:-- Tim Rice: Companies that hire on skill and ability will outperform those that do so on race and gender.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Bitcoin has hit all highs Bitcoin EFTs saw their biggest day in inflows on Thursday.
--:-- Tim Rice: Stocks tied to Bitcoin gained between 1% and 3%.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The increases began after the most recent Federal Reserve meeting.
--:-- Tim Rice: A rally in tech stocks also boosted Bitcoin.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Bitcoin looks to gain nearly 10% for the week.
--:-- Tim Rice: Ferrero, the company behind Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, is set to give Fruit Loops an Italian twist.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In a $3.1 billion deal, Ferrero is acquiring W.K. Kellogg, the maker of Fruit Loops and other American cereals.
--:-- Tim Rice: Under the agreement, they will purchase an incredible amount of shares in cash for $23 each.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And once the deal is finalized, W.K. Kellogg will become a subsidiary of Ferrero.
--:-- Tim Rice: Executive chairman of the Ferrero Group, Giovanni Ferrero, says he's excited to welcome W.K. Kellogg, as well as to celebrate the legacies of both companies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The deal is set to close in the second half of 2025.
--:-- Tim Rice: The Biebs is back as Beliebers around the world were just treated to an exciting surprise.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new Justin Bieber album called Swag, the Grammy winner teased the release by posting pictures of himself in a recording studio on Instagram.
--:-- Tim Rice: This is Bieber's first album since Justice, and despite the album having multiple hits, he canceled the North American leg of his tour in 2022 to focus on his mental health.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Swag includes 21 new and original songs.
--:-- Tim Rice: Teachers have long made sure that students know how to read, write and spell, which is why many are poking fun at a recent resolution from the nation's largest teachers union condemning President Donald Trump.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the National Education Association's resolution, the word fascism is misspelled not once but twice.
--:-- Tim Rice: Critics call it ironic, with conservatives mocking the mistake as symbolic of the failures of public education.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The NEA, which represents over 3 million educators, has not commented.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are your drive home updates this evening.
--:-- Tim Rice: We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to Evening Wire.
--:-- [Theme music continues to play as the episode ends]
