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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Evening Wire. I'm John Bickley, and I'm here with Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for tuning in, John. It's Thursday, September 4th.
--:-- John Bickley: Our top story tonight: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate Finance Committee today. But for Democrats, the gloves were off.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. In one particularly fiery exchange, Democrat Ron Wyden accused Kennedy of endangering children by sidelining doctors and embracing conspiracy theories.
--:-- John Bickley: But Kennedy hit back.
--:-- Ron Wyden: This is about kids being pushed in harm's way by reckless and repeated decisions to get scientists and doctors out of the way and allow conspiracy theories to dictate this country's health policy.
--:-- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Senator, you've sat in that chair for how long? 20, 25 years while the chronic disease in our children went up to 76 percent. And you said nothing. You never asked the question why it's happening. Why is this happening?
--:-- Ron Wyden: Today, for the first time in 20 years, we've learned that infant mortality has increased in our country. It's not because I came in here. It's because of what happened during the Biden administration that we're going to end.
--:-- John Bickley: The clash comes one day after more than 1,000 HHS employees called for Kennedy's resignation, citing supposed risks to public health. Kennedy is also facing backlash for firing CDC Director Susan Menares.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The District of Columbia is suing the Trump administration over the crime crackdown in the Capitol. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwab filed the lawsuit today.
--:-- Brian Schwab: He argues President Trump's decision to federalize the police force and deploy National Guard troops is unlawful. Schwab says the deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act and threatens civil liberties.
--:-- John Bickley: The White House defends the move, saying the president acted within his authority to stop violent crime. The 30-day order expires next week, but Vice President J.D. Vance has suggested extending the mission, though it would require congressional approval.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Democrats in New Orleans are sounding the alarm over President Trump's offer to deploy the National Guard to help with crime intervention. But the state's Republican governor welcomes it.
--:-- Jeff Landry: I will take President Trump's help from New Orleans to Shreveport.
--:-- John Bickley: The Justice Department has opened a criminal probe in the Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Fox News reports that the formal investigation is part of an effort to determine whether she submitted fraudulent information on mortgage applications.
--:-- John Bickley: Some people who identify as transgender may soon have a hard time purchasing a firearm.
--:-- Joel Needler: DOJ officials say they are exploring ways to block people diagnosed with gender dysphoria from buying firearms.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A spokesperson says Attorney General Pam Bondi is considering a range of options to keep unstable individuals from committing violence, especially in schools.
--:-- John Bickley: The DOJ's consideration comes after last week's shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, where police say a trans-identifying suspect killed two children and wounded many others.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A story about Israeli troops allegedly gunning down a young Gazan boy has been debunked.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Daily Wire confirms that the boy who was falsely identified as Amir is alive and safe. His real name is Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamdan, known as Abood.
--:-- John Bickley: Video shows him smiling and speaking to interviewers, contradicting the account of former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation contractor Tony Aguilar.
--:-- Tony Aguilar: [not spoken in the script, as the content is not present]
--:-- John Bickley: A spokesperson says false claims about his death spread quickly online and were exploited by Hamas and others for propaganda.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new investigation reveals that Al Jazeera works with Hamas to silence and even torture independent reporters in Gaza.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Free Press and the Center for Peace Communications released the results of an investigation and reporting from Gaza this week that includes interviews with independent journalists in Gaza.
--:-- John Bickley: The journalists say that Al Jazeera reporters work with Hamas in Gaza to help identify Palestinian critics and journalists who have reported information critical of the terror group.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Al Jazeera reporters serve as the terror group's reconnaissance and surveillance because they can move more freely around the Strip than Hamas militants.
--:-- John Bickley: One Gazan journalist said, "You have to be affiliated with Hamas to work at Al Jazeera, especially in Gaza, because most jobs go through Hamas."
--:-- Georgia Howe: CBS may have a staff mutiny on their hands.
--:-- Tim Pierce: This comes amid reports that they're going to hire journalist Barry Weiss for a plum editorial post.
--:-- Barry Weiss: [not spoken in the script, as the content is not present]
--:-- John Bickley: Weiss is vocally pro-Israel. She's also clashed with fellow liberals on a variety of issues.
--:-- Georgia Howe: She's reportedly in advanced talks for a senior role at the network.
--:-- John Bickley: Since departing from The New York Times in 2020, Weiss founded successful media venture The Free Press, which would also be acquired in the deal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The move could signal a change in tone from new Paramount owner David Ellison, who acquired CBS in August.
--:-- John Bickley: The U.S. strike that took out a drug boat off the coast of Venezuela has ripple effects beyond the incident, according to foreign policy observers.
--:-- Isaias Medina: The strike, quote, marked a turning point in the fight against international organized crime.
--:-- John Bickley: Eleven members of the Trende Aragua gang were killed in the attack as part of what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called, quote, the war on narco-terrorist organizations.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed defiance at any perceived regime change efforts, which the White House denies.
--:-- John Bickley: The Pentagon has approved the use of a Navy base for Chicago ice operations.
--:-- John Bickley: The Trump administration will begin using Naval Station Great Lakes on the outskirts of Chicago as a hub for Homeland Security's immigration operations.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Washington Post reported that the base could also be used to house troops as the president considers deploying the National Guard to fight violent crime in Chicago.
--:-- John Bickley: Democrats in Illinois, such as Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, have decried Trump's efforts to deport illegal immigrants and send in the National Guard to go after violent crime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The DHS said it will continue to target the, quote, worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists across the country.
--:-- John Bickley: Students in New York City are heading back to school without their cell phones.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bell ban into law this summer citing concerns about mental health and academic performance.
--:-- John Bickley: Each public school in the city will construct its own plan for enforcing the ban and the law distributes million in support of these efforts.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The New York Post spoke to parents and students affected by the ban, who express doubts about the effectiveness of the ban and the ability of parents to reach students in an emergency.
--:-- John Bickley: Fashion icon Giorgio Armani died today at the age of 91.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to a statement from his namesake company, he was the driving force behind the 50-year-old brand, working until its final days despite deteriorating health.
--:-- John Bickley: In a tribute post on X, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Maloney called Armani a symbol of the best of Italy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He personally dressed so many Hollywood stars in the 90s that the magazine Women's Wear Daily quipped that the Oscars should be called the Armani Awards.
--:-- John Bickley: He continued to personally dress A-list stars like Zendaya into the 2020s.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Armani fashion and beauty empire got its start in 1975, and as of 2025 is estimated to earn $2.7 billion a year.
--:-- John Bickley: American Eagle's stock soared 30 percent thanks to the hotly debated Sidney Sweeney ad campaign.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The New York Post reports that the stock value surge came after execs reported supercharged sales at the company's earning call on Thursday.
--:-- John Bickley: The force behind those sales, the viral Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans campaign.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to the New York Post, executives told Wall Street analysts that the popular ad campaign drove record traffic and unprecedented new customer signups.
--:-- John Bickley: American Eagles CMO said, "Sweeney is a winner and in just six weeks the campaign has generated unprecedented new customer acquisition."
--:-- Georgia Howe: And President Trump says he's giving serious thought to revoking Rosie O'Donnell's U.S. citizenship.
--:-- John Bickley: He wrote on Truth Social Wednesday, "As previously mentioned, we are giving serious thought to taking away Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship. She is not a great American and is, in my opinion, incapable of being so."
--:-- Georgia Howe: O'Donnell, a rabid critic of the president, moved to Ireland in March shortly after he took office.
--:-- John Bickley: She said she'll return to the U.S., "when it's safe for all citizens to have equal rights."
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are your drive home updates this evening. 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 China flexing its military muscles as it hosts leaders from North Korea and Russia, the arrest of an Irish comedian that sparked backlash against the UK, and Trump saying he's prepared to help cities that ask for help fighting crime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
