--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: Funding for the federal government has run dry after lawmakers failed to make a deal. They want to give health care to illegal immigrants, which will destroy health care for everybody else in our country.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Plus, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gives a blunt message to the military's top brass. If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, October 1st. This is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This is something Democrats have wanted for 20 years. Republicans have wanted for 20 years. Everybody said they're going to do it. Nobody has even taken a step towards doing it.
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump may have a cure for America's skyrocketing drug prices. Trump Rx.
--:-- Georgia Howe: How much reduction could people see? And Trump gives Hamas a deadline to agree to his 20-point peace plan or face the consequences.
--:-- John Bickley: We're just waiting for Hamas. And Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it's not, it's going to be a very sad end.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- [Producer Brandon chimes in]
--:-- Brandon: Hey, guys. Producer Brandon here. My dogs are crazy. Literally. They're huskies. It's like I have a whole sled dog team in my living room.
--:-- John Bickley: [laughs]
--:-- Brandon: And they like human food, typically not dog food. But wanting the absolute best for my dogs, I switched over to Ollie.
--:-- Georgia Howe: [laughs]
--:-- Brandon: They offer fresh, protein-packed meals made with real, human-grade ingredients, a win for my dog's health, and they offer five tasty recipes, all slow-cooked for top nutrition, a win for my dog's happiness.
--:-- John Bickley: What really sets them apart is how they customize everything for your specific pup, from portion sizes based on your dog's needs to mess-free packaging that keeps your fridge from smelling like a kennel.
--:-- Brandon: One of my dogs, Hunter, used to wait around the dinner table being a beggar, waiting to see what scraps he might score. No longer. He's absolutely stoked on Ollie.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Your dog's well-being starts with their food, and that's why Ollie delivers fresh, human-grade food that your dog will love.
--:-- Brandon: Head over to ollie.com slash wire, tell them all about your dog, and use code WIRE to get 60% off your welcome kit when you subscribe today.
--:-- John Bickley: Plus, they offer a happiness guarantee on your first box, so if you're not completely satisfied, you'll get your money back.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's O-L-L-I-E dot com slash wire and enter code WIRE to get 60% off your first box.
--:-- [Theme music fades back in]
--:-- John Bickley: A busy day for lawmakers yesterday as the time ticked away for a government shutdown, while President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth held an unprecedented event.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about all that and more.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hey, guys. So let's start with the most significant development in the last 24 hours. That's this budget battle on Capitol Hill.
--:-- John Bickley: How were those final hours spent by lawmakers before the deadline?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, they haggled right up until the last minute. About a day before the deadline, the New York Times and CNF College came out with a new poll that had some mixed results, but it showed for sure that Americans don't really want a shutdown.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It said that about two-thirds of Americans don't want Democrats to force a shutdown, but it also suggested that Republicans would probably share the blame with Democrats in the case of a shutdown.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And now that appears to be the spot that Washington is now in.
--:-- John Bickley: Republicans had on the table a clean bill to fund the government at current levels for about seven weeks, roughly.
--:-- Tim Pierce: But Democrats rejected that. Much of what they wanted focused on restoration of budget cuts that the Trump administration made originally to stop taxpayer funding from going to waste, fraud, and abuse.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Trump tried to bring Democrats to the table yesterday by reminding them that during a shutdown, he has pretty broad authority to reshape the government.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So the last person that wants to shut down is us now. With that being said, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.
--:-- John Bickley: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer interpreted that threat as Trump owning the shutdown.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here Schumer reacting: Democrats do not want a shutdown. We stand ready to work with Republicans to find a bipartisan compromise and the ball in their court.
--:-- Georgia Howe: When he says he will do things, he is taking ownership.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, obviously a lot of political implications, as you've highlighted, that we'll be tracking in the coming days.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, down in Quantico, we had an unprecedented meeting hosted by Pete Hegseth.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump was there, gave some major addresses. What did we hear from them?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, it was two and a half hours of speeches. It was led off by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. His speech was basically reiterating the priorities he has pushed as war secretary, cutting social engineering out of the military and restoring what he calls the warrior ethos to the military.
--:-- [Audio clip of Pete Hegseth's speech plays]
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's Hegseth. This means at the War Department, first and foremost, we must restore a ruthless, dispassionate, and common sense application of standards.
--:-- John Bickley: I don't want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape or in combat unit with females who can't meet the same combat arms physical standards as men.
--:-- Tim Pierce: All right, so that was Hegseth really throwing down the gauntlet there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, Trump also spoke. What did we hear from the president?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, the president's speech was more of a military-focused, campaign-style speech. So it was a lot of Trump touting his successes in his first administration and his second, and a lot of bashing of Biden.
--:-- John Bickley: He brought up that the military has crushed its recruiting goals under his administration and how the U.S. is leading China and Russia on military advances.
--:-- Tim Pierce: He also offered this message to the assembled generals and admirals. My message to you is very simple. I am with you. I support you. And as president, I have your backs 100%.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So a lot of warmth from the president toward the military.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, he came in promising to fortify the troops, and he's certainly focusing heavily on them.
--:-- John Bickley: Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: By the time the average person reaches 60, they've likely cycled through numerous fad diets, collectively losing and regaining several hundred pounds over the years.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All that yo-yo dieting increases your risk of diabetes, liver problems, and heart issues. The truth is most of us need more than willpower to break free from this pattern.
--:-- John Bickley: That's where lean comes in. Unlike those expensive GLP-1 injections, lean is a non-prescription supplement created by doctors specifically for this problem.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And the science behind it is rock solid. Lean tackles weight loss three ways that actually help you keep it off.
--:-- John Bickley: It keeps your blood sugar steady, no more energy crashes, sending you into a snack cabinet. It controls cravings and that constant hunger feeling.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And it helps your body convert fat into energy instead of storing it.
--:-- John Bickley: I say it all the time. I was skeptical, but I tried it anyway. And before I knew it, I was down a pants size and I was going to the Daily Wire kitchen way less.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you want to lose meaningful weight at a healthy pace and keep it off, add lean to your diet and exercise lifestyle.
--:-- John Bickley: Get 20 percent off when you enter code morningwire at takelean.com.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's code morningwire at takelean.com today.
--:-- [Theme music fades back in]
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump has promised a new era of lower drug prices for Americans with the launch of Trump Rx and a historic deal with Pfizer.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here with the details is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, some really big announcements coming out of the White House yesterday regarding pharmaceuticals.
--:-- John Bickley: First, tell us about Trump Rx. What is it and what can Americans expect?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, so Trump Rx. This is going to be a new government website that's going to allow Americans to directly purchase medications at discounted prices.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And we talking about reductions of up to 85 of the net price and that the price you actually paying when all is said and done.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now Pfizer which is one of the largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations in the world, they've agreed to set all their medications for Medicaid at most favored nation pricing.
--:-- John Bickley: That means pricing that's comparable to or less than the cost of other developed nations' drug prices.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Additionally, all new medications from Pfizer will be offered at these lower prices. And there's even more from Pfizer. They'll invest $70 billion in research and development and U.S. manufacturing by 2030.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump has long said that he wants all of our drugs manufactured in the U.S. to, you know, bring back jobs, but also as a national security interest.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Pfizer is on board. That's obviously a huge get. But what about other pharmaceutical companies?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, Trump was directly asked about this on Monday when he made this announcement, and he indicated that more deals are forthcoming.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: He said he's offering incentives to boost that participation. But if a company refuses to comply, he said he'll use tariffs and other mechanisms to get these lower drug prices for Americans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's Trump. Eli Lilly has been fantastic. We're making deals with all of them. And I said, if we don't make a deal, then we're going to tariff them. Nobody wants to play that game.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: A little context here. Americans pay on average about 422 percent more for brand name drugs than other comparable nations.
--:-- John Bickley: Trump said months ago that this is a form of global freeloading. It's where Americans basically foot the bill for all research and development costs that turn out most medical advances that benefit everybody.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That's why he launched these most favored nation policies so that R&D costs will be distributed to other developed nations as well, nations like France, Germany and the UK.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The goal is that this is going to lower drug prices for Americans while these companies maintain their margins so that R&D funding and medical advances don't suffer.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Here's more from the president. For many years, Americans have paid the highest prices anywhere in the world for prescription drugs.
--:-- John Bickley: They paid far more, 10 times, 13 times, 15 times more than other countries for the exact same product.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: A major reason is that the American consumers have been subsidizing research and development costs for the entire planet. They put all of that on us, and yet they were the beneficiaries, too.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So it's being changed as of today.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The United States had just 4% of the world's population and consumers. only 13% of all prescription drugs yet pharmaceutical companies make 75% of their profits from the United States.
--:-- John Bickley: One last note on R&D. As I mentioned, Pfizer, as part of this deal, they're pouring billions of dollars into research and development, and they specifically set a goal of delivering eight cancer breakthroughs by 2030.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, Democrats have long taken aim at pharmaceutical companies for their prices. What are they saying about this?
--:-- Georgia Howe: So they're generally sidestepping this or dismissing it. One example of this is far-left Senator Bernie Sanders, who consistently rails against pharmaceutical companies.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: He said that other nations in Europe or Canada, they should actually not be paying more to offset these costs. Instead, he says that pharmaceutical companies need to cut their margins.
--:-- John Bickley: Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: You're welcome.
--:-- [Theme music fades back in]
--:-- John Bickley: President Trump presented what could be a game-changing Gaza peace deal this week, which Israel has already agreed to.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now President Trump has given Hamas a deadline to sign on or face a, quote, very sad end.
--:-- John Bickley: Here to discuss is national security and foreign policy expert Victoria Coates of the Heritage Foundation.
--:-- Victoria Coates: Thanks for joining us.
--:-- John Bickley: Of course. Glad to be here. So first, we have this new 20-point plan from the president. What are the key clauses that pose likely sticking points for this deal to go through?
--:-- Victoria Coates: Well, the key clause is probably the first one, which says that Hamas has to disarm and agree to this plan.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But unlike the Peace to Prosperity Plan that the president unveiled with Prime Minister Netanyahu in January of 2020 this one is being overtly and aggressively supported by partners in the Middle East.
--:-- Victoria Coates: So we have countries like Saudi Arabia Jordan, Egypt, UAE, but also large Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, putting out statements saying, yes, this is the way, this is the plan, this is a good faith effort.
--:-- John Bickley: And so it all comes down to Hamas. Israel has accepted, the rest of the region has accepted, and the question is whether Hamas will accept.
--:-- Victoria Coates: Now, Trump has started the clock for Hamas to respond. He gave them three or four days.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Palestinian Authority has voiced support for this deal, as I understand it. How much will that influence Hamas?
--:-- Victoria Coates: I also think that's very important. Mahmoud Abbas came out and said he was happy that this had happened, that he wanted to look at it, but that he thought it was a productive step.
--:-- John Bickley: That is 180 degrees from where he was five years ago, where he wouldn't even look at the Peace to Prosperity plant.
--:-- Victoria Coates: Now, I think this is a legitimate path forward. There is very strong reforms for the Palestinian Authority in there that they have to undertake before they get any kind of governing responsibility in Gaza.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So they're going to have a lot of work in front of them as well. And for him to be hopeful about it suggests that maybe more broadly among the Palestinian people, there is support for this kind of resolution.
--:-- Victoria Coates: How will the IDF siege on Gaza City likely affect Hamas's response, if at all?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, it all depends on what condition Hamas finds itself in today. And so if they are really down to sort of last fighters, if they are out of rockets, we haven't heard much about that recently.
--:-- Victoria Coates: If they had funding cut by the Iranians due to their problems and their lack of support from Hezbollah in Lebanon, they may be looking for survival.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And this does give them that path. It says that if you wish to disarm and embrace a life of amnesty, that you can stay. And if you wish to leave, you will be given safe passage to third countries.
--:-- Victoria Coates: So they may see this as their last ticket out. And at the same time, they may be facing a situation where there are fewer and fewer living hostages for them to bargain with.
--:-- John Bickley: Right. And where do we stand now with the hostage situation?
--:-- Victoria Coates: We think there are about four dozen of them still in there. Twenty, we pray, are still alive.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And that is one of the critical provisions of this agreement, which is that they all come out within 72 hours of Hamas saying yes to this.
--:-- Victoria Coates: So it can't be dribs and drabs. It can't have the kind of theater that we've seen around the release of these hostages.
--:-- John Bickley: And only then, and that's a really important point, that only when all of the hostages are out will Israel start releasing any Palestinians.
--:-- Victoria Coates: So this is a burden on Hamas rather than Israel has to release thousands and thousands of people and we get one guy back. No, this is the reverse.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And also important, the timeline here, this happens very gradually. So there are going to be benchmarks Hamas has to meet repeatedly throughout this process, or else Israel goes right back in.
--:-- John Bickley: And the president expressed full-throated support for Israel's right if Hamas does not keep their side of the bargain to do what they have to do to secure the Strip.
--:-- Victoria Coates: Now, that's not going to be pretty. Prime Minister Netanyahu called it the hard way. He said he would much rather do it the easy way.
--:-- John Bickley: I think we all would. And especially for the Palestinians living there, this is the way for them to get to a more secure and prosperous future.
--:-- Victoria Coates: President Trump believes in that. He wants it to happen. And he's the one who can lead the way there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, he's certainly shown that he can get some deals done that many people don't think are possible. Let's hope he can get this one done as well.
--:-- Victoria Coates: Thank you so much for talking with us.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, please like and subscribe. We'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know.
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