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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Wednesday, July 16th, and this is Evening Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump says Fed Chair Jerome Powell will likely keep his job, despite reports to the contrary. Backlash continues on both sides of the Epstein Files debate, and assaults on ICE agents hit unbelievable highs.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's future is on the mind of President Trump. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has more.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Speaking from the White House, President Trump says it's highly unlikely that he'll fire Jerome Powell, but he did not completely rule out the idea. Unless he has to leave fraud. I mean, it's possible there's fraud involved with the $2.5, $2.7 billion renovation. So, there could be something to that. But I think he's not doing a good job. He's got a very easy job to do. You know what he has to do? Lower interest rates.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: This comes after reports that President Trump had drafted a termination letter, which he showed Republican lawmakers at an Oval Office meeting yesterday. Many of them were reportedly on board. While some advisors had warned the move could backfire, others say Trump may just be testing the waters to pressure Powell. The White House has not confirmed any action.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Powell's term as chair ends in eight months, and Trump hinted that he'll make a change then.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Epstein files fallout continues as President Trump lashed out at critics on the right today over what he calls the Jeffrey Epstein hoax. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the latest.
--:-- Tim Rice: In a fiery truth social post this morning, Trump called some of those in his base weaklings for buying into what he called Democrat-driven BS and added that he doesn't want their support anymore.
--:-- Tim Rice: This follows backlash from MAGA figures upset over the administration's handling of the Epstein files. It also comes amid similar criticism from close allies of the president, like House Speaker Mike Johnson.
--:-- Mike Johnson: Look, Reagan used to tell us we should trust the American people. I believe in that principle. I know President Trump does as well. I mean, this isn't my lane. I haven't been involved in that. But I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there.
--:-- Mike Johnson: While Trump has swiped at his critics, he's also calling on Bondi to release whatever evidence she deems credible. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Congressman Thomas Massie plans a procedural push to force a vote in the House to release the Epstein files. While the DOJ continues to insist no client list exists, the family of Ghislaine Maxwell and her legal team say critical evidence is still being withheld.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Senate cleared the final hurdle for President Trump's billion-dollar spending clawback bill last night with Vice President J.D. Vance breaking the tie. On this vote, the yeas are 50 and the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes in the affirmative, and the motion is agreed to.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The package passed with near unanimous GOP support, except for Senators Murkowski, Collins, and McConnell. Democrats are preparing a last-ditch fight during today's 10 hours of debate, blasting cuts for foreign aid and public broadcasting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A GOP amendment will preserve $400 million for HIV/AIDS relief after pushback, though House Speaker Mike Johnson warned the Senate not to alter the bill.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Anthony Bernal, a former White House aide and chief of staff to Jill Biden, pled the fifth today in a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Bernal, a close ally of the Bidens, who was dubbed the leader of the loyalty police by other Biden staffers, was questioned about President Biden's mental fitness and the use of the president's auto pen by other White House staffers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Bernal is the fourth Biden aide to be questioned by the House in the ongoing investigation of the former president's cognitive decline.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Syria's government and leaders of the Druze religious minority have announced a ceasefire deal. This comes after Syrian Muslim militants reportedly launched brutal attacks on the Druze minority community in Sweda.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Over 300 people were killed with reports of executions, looting, and civilians being trapped in basements. The attacks on the minority group prompted Israeli airstrikes on Damascus.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Israel's military says it's defending the Druze minority who have deep ties to the Jewish state, including military service.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Amid the bloodshed, Druze and Sweda flew Israeli flags in gratitude. A fragile ceasefire has been announced, but fears remain high as Syrian HTS forces continue to threaten the region.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So-called sanctuary policies may soon leave states on the hook for covering the cost of National Guard deployments to enforce immigration law.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced a bill today that would require states to pay back the federal government if U.S. military resources were used in response to civil disturbances triggered by a state's refusal to cooperate with lawful federal immigration enforcement.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The recent deployment of the National Guard to California to quell anti-ICE riots cost more than $130 million. A companion bill was introduced in the House by Representative Jody Arrington of Texas.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Portland City Council is looking into ways to remove ICE from its detention center in the South Waterfront neighborhood.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Local lawmakers raised concerns about detainee hold time, which is a condition of ICE's permit to operate in the city. The center has seen a major increase in violence against officers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to DHS, rioters on July 4th attacked law enforcement with rocks and fireworks and burned an American flag. They also cut internet cables and damaged the facility's sprinkler system.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Borders are Tom Homan promised last week to visit the city personally. Assaults on ICE agents are up 830 percent over last year, according to a report released this week.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reporter Virginia Kruta has more on the story.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin laid the blame at the feet of Democrats in a statement that she made yesterday.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: ICE law enforcement are succeeding to remove terrorists, murderers, pedophiles, and the most depraved among us from America's communities, even as crazed rhetoric from gutter politicians are inspiring a massive increase in assaults against them.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Just one day earlier, President Donald Trump's rapid response team had shared a series of comments made by elected Democrats that the administration believes have put a target on the backs of federal agents.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: The Trump administration has deported five illegal migrants to a new third country, the tiny nation of Eswatini in southern Africa.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: The migrants reportedly carry serious criminal convictions, including child rape and murder, and their home countries of Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen would not take them back.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: This comes after the Supreme Court ruled last month to enable DHS to resume third-country deportations of migrants.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: The alleged Minnesota assassin claims Governor Tim Walz told him to murder two Democratic lawmakers.
--:-- Virginia Kruta: Daily Wire reporter Mairead Elordi has more.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Vance Bolter allegedly sent a confession to the FBI director.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: In the letter, Bolter said he had worked for the U.S. military off the books on missions around the world.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: He said Waltz contacted him to kill Minnesota's two U.S. senators, but Bolter declined and threatened to go public with Waltz's request.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Bolter was recently indicted for the murder of a state representative and her husband. He also allegedly shot a state senator and his wife, but both survived.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: His letter did not say why he targeted the two couples.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: An American Idol executive and her husband were found shot dead in their home after an apparent break-in.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Police discovered their bodies during a welfare check and they were found in separate rooms with gunshot wounds.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: The weeks before the murders, the executive reached out to a private security firm after feeling threatened by somebody, though she did not end up hiring the firm.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: A suspect was arrested yesterday, but officials say the motive is not yet known.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: The house did not appear to be ransacked. So, we're looking into multiple avenues on what the motive may be there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Wholesale inflation remained unchanged in June.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The measure defied economists who expected an increase of at least 0.2 percent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Month over month, the core producer price index, which does not include food and energy, also remained unchanged.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Vice President Vance celebrated the news on social media, saying it's almost like the economic profession doesn't fully understand tariffs.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The news comes before tariffs against countries around the world are set to take effect August 1st.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A heat advisory is now in place across the northeast, from Maryland all the way to Maine.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Residents are preparing for temperatures that may rise as much as 15 degrees above average.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The humidity may make temperatures in both New York City and Boston feel much worse than they really are.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Further up north, the heat could swing into the upper 90s in areas like Syracuse and Burlington.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Down south, temperatures might hit a searing 105 to 109 degrees in areas like New Orleans, Memphis, and Little Rock.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A heat advisory is also in place for various places along the west coast.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, a tropical threat on the Gulf Coast has a 40 percent chance of turning into a tropical depression over the next 48 hours.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The storm is likely to bring heavy rain, especially in Louisiana, to the central Gulf Coast over multiple days.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The closer the storm stays to the shore, the less chance it has to grow into a tropical depression.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A flood watch will still take effect today for parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In total, rainfall is expected to be between two to six inches.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If it does develop into a depression, it will be named Dexter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are your drive home updates this evening.
--:-- Georgia Howe: To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some major stories, including Gavin Newsom hitting the campaign trail while downplaying his radical record, Trump's touting of economic strength amid new inflation numbers, and the latest step in the shutdown of the Department of Education.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
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