Fighting Mexico’s Cartels & Hollywood Dreaming | 5.6.25

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Host: Georgia Howe: Mexico refuses President Trump's offer to send in the troops to clean up drug cartels. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can't even think straight. Are Trump's efforts to crack down on the cartels working on this side of the border? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Tuesday, May 6th, and this is Morning Wire.

Host: Georgia Howe: Can Trump make Hollywood work again? Or will his efforts to revive the film industry end up on the cutting room floor? So much of the industry is actually done abroad. Certainly a lot of things are made in America. But when it comes to production and VFX, it's just really hard to imagine that you're going to be able to stop global production. And Virginia makes a bold move, severely cutting social media use for kids. Come on, we're not going to choose social media over our kids. We're going to empower parents, and this is a top priority of mine. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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Host: Georgia Howe: President Trump confirmed reports that he offered to send the U.S. military into Mexico to help fight the drug cartels. Here with the story is Daily Wire investigative reporter Spencer Lindquist.

Spencer Lindquist: Good morning, John. And so Trump confirmed to journalists this week that he asked Mexico's president, Claudia Scheinbaum, if the US military could be sent in to fight the cartels during a phone call with her on April 16th. Here's Trump speaking to reporters on Air Force One and confirming that report.

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Spencer Lindquist: If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it. I told her that I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They're evil. Trump added that the cartels are, quote, horrible people who've been killing people left and right and addressed their role in both the fentanyl crisis and in illegal immigration into the United States. So Trump offered to send in the U.S. military, obviously a very bold move, but Mexico has turned that offer down, correct?

Spencer Lindquist: Yeah, that's exactly right. She said that the two countries can collaborate, but, and this is a quote, with you in your territory and us in ours. Trump said that she denied the offer out of fear of the cartels. And this all comes as Mexico has struggled with ongoing turf wars between the cartels. One gunfight between cartel members earlier this year resulted in three police officers being injured and the death of 10 cartel gunmen. There's really been a sense of escalation with these cartels in recent years.

Spencer Lindquist: What actions is the Trump administration taking now to combat these cartels? So there have been reports that the administration was considering military action for months now. In the first few weeks of his presidency, Trump's State Department designated eight different cartels and gangs including the Sinaloa and New Generation cartels as foreign terror organizations That significant because it opens up more avenues for using force against them So this long predates this call with Scheinbaum And NBC reported last month that administration officials were exploring the possibility of using drone strikes against the cartels with the intention of taking out their leadership or knocking out their logistics sites. That reports that the administration had not ruled out taking unilateral action against the cartels without the support of the Mexican government. But that, of course, hasn't happened yet. The Trump administration has actually begun flying surveillance drones over the country at the request of Scheinbaum. And the New York Times reported that the surveillance flights were being conducted by the CIA with the intention of locating fentanyl labs.

Spencer Lindquist: All right, so some partnership already. Some, yes. Now, here the cartels have been overshadowed at times by the foreign gangs like Trandeiragua. That's been the concern of more Americans than cartel operations. What's the latest on that front? So there's been a lot. The DOJ recently announced charges against 27 current and former members of TDA. They were brought forward under the Racketeering, Influence, and Corrupt Organizations Act, otherwise known as RICO. And that's notable because the use of the law against gangs like Tren de Aragua is a new development. And Attorney General Pam Bondi sounded hopeful about the new approach, saying that these charges will decimate the organization's criminal infrastructure.

Spencer Lindquist: All right, so RICO now in play for federal prosecutors. That's right, and it could be a game changer. And also, Trump's deportation operations could also get a big boost. The administration is starting to pay $1,000 apiece to illegal aliens who self-deport. I've obtained an exclusive memo from inside the Department of Homeland Security, and it reveals that it's drafted over 500 agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies that will support immigration operations. One of these agreements led to Operation Tidal Wave, a joint enforcement effort between Homeland Security and the state of Florida. DHS says that the operation resulted in the arrest of more than 1,000 criminal illegal aliens, including members of MS-13. And other raids have been specifically targeted at locations that have been used as bases for criminal operations. The DEA and other federal partners carried out one raid at an underground nightclub being used as a base by TDA. That led to the arrest of 100 illegal aliens and the seizure of weapons and drugs.

Spencer Lindquist: That sounds like a lot of progress from these efforts. Spencer, thank you so much for reporting.

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Host: Georgia Howe: President Trump made waves in Hollywood Monday when he announced plans to impose a 100 percent tariff on foreign made films. The president says this move will help revive a dying American movie industry. Joining us now with the details is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.

Megan Basham: So, Georgia. So what he thinks is that countries like Australia, Canada and the UK have been using generous tax incentives to lure these American companies away. And he believes that that's devastating the U.S. film industry. He's also argued that these foreign films sometimes bring in propaganda. And so he says that that is a national security threat. So he's pledged to slap a 100 percent tariff on any movie made outside of the United States in order to bring those productions back home. We're making very few movies now. Hollywood is being destroyed. Now you have an incompetent grossly incompetent governor that allowed that to happen So I not just blaming other nations but other nations a lot of them have stolen our movie industry And I'm saying if they're not willing to make a movie inside the United States, we should have a tariff on movies that come in.

Megan Basham: Now, you and I have done many stories about what's going on in Hollywood, but is it really fair to say that the industry is dying? Well, if you wouldn't say dying, I think it is at least fair to say it's very sick. So I just want to go over a few data points with you here, Georgia. Filming is down 22% overall since 2021. 40% fewer films and TV shows are now shot in the U.S. compared to before the 2023 actors and writers strikes. Last year, Los Angeles saw its worst on-location filming rate in history, with the exception, of course, of that 2020 COVID year when production was shut down. And then of all the TV shows and feature films that Americans are watching, only 20% are now made in California. So this is what Peter Rotter, CEO of a music contracting company that worked on films like The Black Panther, Frozen, and Avatar, told NBC just two weeks ago.

Megan Basham: Everywhere I go feels like a ghost town. And what's happening is there are the days where we'd work five days a week, have become three days a week, have become two days a week, have become one day every two weeks. So when you hear something like that, it's not really surprising that outlets like The Guardian are running headlines asking if Hollywood is now in a death spiral. And you have some industry analysts comparing this to when Detroit lost the auto industry. So how does Hollywood feel about this? Is this something they've been lobbying for? And then also, what about Governor Gavin Newsom? No, I mean, certainly the studio execs are not lobbying for this. They're mostly staying fairly quiet. The Motion Picture Association, which represents all the major studios, has declined to comment. But the initial responses I've heard from some of the people that I've spoken to who are in those executive suites, they don't like this idea because they think it's going to make production more expensive. But on the other hand, you have all of those blue-collar tech workers, your makeup people, your sound people, all of those production people. They like this idea more. And, you know, that makes sense. That's kind of how we saw Trump break down during the election.

Megan Basham: There's also concern about retaliation. So China has already reduced the number of American films that it's allowing into its country. And Europe, where U.S. films dominate, could impose some tit-for-tat tariffs. So there's a lot of concern that this could cripple Hollywood's $15.3 billion trade surplus. And then one studio exec I spoke to also wondered how these tariffs are going to work with streaming, since with streaming, of course, you don't have an actual physical product coming into the U.S. As for Newsom, he's declined to comment other than saying that his office does not believe that the president has the authority to place tariffs on films. So at the very least, a lot of questions about how this would work out.

Megan Basham: Megan, thanks for reporting.

Host: Georgia Howe: Virginia has become the first state in the nation to limit social media time for minors. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presa-Giacomo is here with the story.

Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Hey, Amanda. So let's get right into this law, a first in the nation, as Georgia just said. What exactly are the restrictions here? Yeah, a first here. So under the Consumer Data Protection Act, Virginia residents who are under the age of 16, they're going to have a one-hour default time limit on their social media scrolling. However, if a parent wants to override that default setting, they'll be able to give their consent and do that. And it's notable that both sides of the aisle backed this. The bill garnered wide support from both Republican and Democrat lawmakers in the state. And that's not really surprising given how parents have increasingly become concerned about the effects social media has on children mental health Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the bill into law on Friday and it was actually Youngkin who really become an advocate for parents He wanted this bill to be even more strict He wanted it to extend to residents under 18 years old, and he wanted the bill to limit addictive features like autoplay on videos, where one video plays right after another, and infinite scrolling, where there's just no bottom to your scrolling.

Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Here's Governor Youngkin. There is a growing consensus that social media is having severe severe and persistent negative impacts on our kids. Our children are losing the chance to cultivate essential social skills. They're encountering cyberbullying and they're isolated. There's substantial distraction in school, escalating depression and sleep disorders. tech companies promised to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. But children are more lonely than ever. The act will take effect on January 1st of next year, so 2026.

Amanda Presa-Giacomo: All right, so strong support for this bill from both the GOP and Democrats. Are we seeing similar laws in other states being put into effect? Yeah, in states led by both Democrats and Republicans. Lawmakers appear to have gotten the message that parents, no matter their political leaning, they want their kids protected online. In California, for example, Governor Newsom signed a bill last year that blocks platforms from providing addictive social media feeds to minors without parental consent. It also restricts companies from sending notifications to minors during certain hours, like late night hours on a school night. And then in Florida, Governor DeSantis signed a bill that requires social media companies to verify the age of users and to actually terminate accounts of kids who are under the age of 14. If you're 14 or 15 years old in the state, you can have an account on social media, but you're going to have to get parental consent. If a company is found violating that law, they could face fines up to $50,000 per violation. Florida, by the way, has been a leading state on this subject. DeSantis signed a bill back in 2023 that made Florida the first state in the nation to ban cell phone use in schools during instruction time. Being buried in those devices all day is not the best way to grow up. It's not the best way to get a good education.

Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Now in Utah, we have a social media curfew. Minors there can't access social media between 10.30 p.m. and 6.30 a.m. unless a parent overrides that default setting. The general pattern that we're seeing across these different states are age verification measures and restrictions for minors as the default setting, though those can be changed through parental consent. So again, putting control in the parent's hands.

Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Right, that's exactly right. Now, some of this legislation has been subject to some legal challenges. What's going on on that front? Yes, some of these laws that deal with age restrictions in particular, they're being held up or blocked by legal challenges. For example, that Florida law that bans children under 14 from making accounts on these platforms, that was initially held up. Big tech platforms argued that restrictions were in violation of the First Amendment. They took issue with this law effectively requiring adults to prove their age for some of these websites. Similar legislation is still being held up in other states too, including in Texas. A lot of action on this issue, It's clearly a priority for many parents across the country.

Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Amanda, thank you so much for reporting.

Host: Georgia Howe: You're welcome. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with more news you need to know.