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--:-- John Bickley: A judge orders the reinstatement of thousands of federal workers, anti-Israel protesters swarm Trump Tower, and a Connecticut woman is arrested for allegedly holding her stepson captive for decades. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, March 13th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thousands of fired federal workers are poised to get their jobs back, for now, after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate them. The ruling by U.S. District Judge William Alsup follows a lawsuit from labor unions arguing the mass firings violated federal hiring laws and administrative procedures.
--:-- John Bickley: The ruling mainly applies to probationary workers across six government agencies. The Trump administration plans to appeal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 21 Democrat attorneys general are seeking to stop what they call Trump's illegal and unconstitutional mass layoffs at the Education Department. The lawsuit, spearheaded by New York's Letitia James, claims the firing of over 1,300 workers at the department will hurt millions of students, especially those with disabilities and in low-income communities.
--:-- John Bickley: It argues that the administration cannot unilaterally incapacitate a cabinet agency without congressional approval. The White House defends the move as a push for efficiency and to save taxpayer dollars.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Protests erupted today inside Trump Tower as demonstrators called for Mahmoud Khalil, a detained anti-Israel activist, to be released. Number one, hate them all. Free Mahmoud. Free them all. Dozens of protesters, organized by a group called Jewish Voice for Peace, occupied the building's lobby today, chanting things like, Free Mahmoud and Free Palestine.
--:-- John Bickley: NYPD officers arrested multiple demonstrators, removing them in zip ties. Khalil, a former Columbia University student and Palestinian activist, was detained by ICE over the weekend. The Trump administration calls him a national security risk, alleging he distributed pro-Hamas propaganda.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A federal judge has temporarily blocked his deportation as protests continue across Manhattan.
--:-- [Sound effect: News theme music plays]
--:-- John Bickley: Russian President Vladimir Putin says he agrees in principle with a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but insists that terms must be negotiated. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Putin said that any truce must lead to lasting peace and address Russia's security concerns. Here's the Russian president at a news conference today.
--:-- [Audio clip of Putin speaking]
--:-- Tim Pierce: We agree with the proposals for the ceasefire. But our position is based on the assumption that the ceasefire would lead to a long-term peace, something that would remove the initial reasons for the crisis.
--:-- John Bickley: Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow today for talks on the U.S.-brokered proposal. Russian demands for a ceasefire include blocking Ukraine from joining NATO and recognizing Russian claims to occupied territories.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, Russian forces claim they've retaken a key border town in Ukraine while tightening control over Ukraine's foothold in the Kursk region.
--:-- John Bickley: The Kremlin has yet to formally accept the ceasefire as both sides weigh the risks and potential advantages of a temporary truce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Trump has raised the stakes on the trade war with the EU. The president has threatened a 200 percent tariff on wine, champagne, and other alcohol imports from Europe after the EU announced tariffs on American whiskey.
--:-- [Audio clip of Trump speaking]
--:-- Tim Pierce: Take a look at the EU. We're not allowed to sell cars there. It's prohibitive because of their policies and also their non-monetary tariffs. They put obstacles in your way that you can do nothing about.
--:-- John Bickley: But if you take a look at what happens, so we sell no cars to Europe. I mean, virtually no cars. And they sell millions of cost us. They don't take our agriculture, we take their agriculture. It's like a one-way street with them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The European Union is very, very nasty.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Trump says the move will boost U.S. alcohol producers, but French officials vow to respond, calling it an escalation of the trade war. Meanwhile, industry leaders warn that tariffs could hurt American businesses, urging both sides to negotiate.
--:-- John Bickley: This comes after the EU announced counter tariffs on $28 billion worth of U.S. exports, which are set to take effect in April.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The White House has revoked their nomination for director of the CDC. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice explains.
--:-- Tim Rice: Former Congressman Dave Weldon's nomination was yanked just hours before his Senate confirmation hearing. Weldon had faced mounting criticism over past claims linking vaccines to autism.
--:-- John Bickley: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly told officials Weldon wasn't ready for the role. Meanwhile, doctors Jay Bhattacharya and Marty Makkari have both advanced to full Senate floor votes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Bhattacharya's nomination to lead the National Institutes of Health in a 12-11 party line vote. Trump nominated Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health and Makkari to head up the FDA. If confirmed, the two say they'll work very closely.
--:-- John Bickley: A 55-year-old Connecticut woman has been arrested for allegedly holding her 32-year-old stepson captive for more than 20 years. Daily Wire senior editor Ash Short has more.
--:-- Ash Short: Police say the man who had been held in the Waterbury home since he was 11 set the home ablaze last month in an effort to escape. He told police, I wanted my freedom.
--:-- John Bickley: Investigators found the victim severely emaciated, suffering from prolonged abuse, starvation, and neglect. He had received no medical or dental care for decades and was given only minimal food and water.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 56 Kimberly Sullivan was arrested yesterday and is facing multiple charges including kidnapping, assault, and unlawful restraint. She is being held on a $300,000 bond.
--:-- John Bickley: Waterbury's police chief called the case heartbreaking and unimaginable. Here's the chief in a press conference today.
--:-- [Audio clip of police chief speaking]
--:-- John Bickley: He lit that fire knowing he could very well die. That he'd been locked in that room for 20 years. And for 20 years, he'd been trying to get out of that room.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, an attorney for Sullivan has denied the allegations, saying Sullivan is blown away by the claims.
--:-- John Bickley: And the Philadelphia Eagles are heading to the White House. The team has accepted President Trump's invitation to celebrate their Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Crane & Company co-host David Cohn has more.
--:-- David Cohn: White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt confirmed the visit, set for April 28th. I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn't sent or was sent. We want to correct the record. We sent an invitation. They enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28th.
--:-- John Bickley: This marks a shift from 2018 when the Eagles were disinvited after some players opted out over Trump's criticism of anthem protests.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And they weren't the only ones. Several dozen major sports teams won championships during President Trump's first administration, many celebrated at the White House, many did not.
--:-- John Bickley: Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some big stories, including Trump escalates his tariff threats, the education department is gutted, and more than a thousand Christians and Shia Muslims are killed in Syria.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to the Morning Wire.
