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--:-- Host John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Acorns. Join the over 13 million all-time customers who have already saved and invested with Acorns. Head to acorns.com slash wire or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid non-client endorsement. Compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns. Tier one compensation provided. Investing involves risk. Acorn Advisors, LLC, and SEC registered investment advisor. View important disclosures at acorns.com slash wire.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Tuesday, January 21st, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Marco Rubio has become the first confirmed member of President Trump's cabinet. Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan has more.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: The former Florida senator was sworn in by Vice President J.D. Vance as the new Secretary of State. Rubio says his focus will be on strengthening, securing, and prospering the United States. He also emphasized that any State Department actions must align with these goals.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Today, confirmation hearings have picked back up with several of Trump's cabinet picks inching closer to confirmation. Scott Besant, Trump's Treasury Secretary nominee, as well as Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, have both made it through their respective committees. They will both face floor votes in the coming days.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Meanwhile, VA Secretary pick Doug Collins and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. nominee Elise Stefanik face questioning today. Here's a bit from Stefanik saying no American taxpayer dollars should go towards funding terrorism.
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--:-- Elise Stefanik: I think we can look to organizations within the UN system such as UNHCR such as the World Food Program working with USAID, which are proven organizations. They still need reform efforts and modernization, but don't have the terrorist ties that UNRWA had, particularly that were exposed during the October 7th Hamas attack against Israel.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Oath Keepers leader Stuart Rhodes and ex-Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio are free from prison after Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people connected to J6. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo reports.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Rhodes and Tarrio were convicted of seditious conspiracy, though neither of them actually entered the Capitol building. Tarrio was serving out a 22-year sentence, and Rhodes was nearly two years into his 18-year term.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Trump defended the pardons, saying that these individuals had been destroyed. In addition to the pardons, Trump has directed the Justice Department to ask for the dismissal of about 450 cases that are still being litigated.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Here's Trump making those actions official.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: We hope they come out tonight, frankly. They're expecting approximately 1,500 people.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: 18 Democrat-led states and two cities have filed a lawsuit to challenge President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship. The order is set to take effect on February 19th.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: The challenging states and cities argue that the move violates the Constitution and longstanding legal precedent. But the Trump administration says the policy aims to strengthen national security and immigration enforcement.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Here's Trump signing the executive order last night.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: We're the only country in the world that does this with birthright, as you know. And it's just absolutely ridiculous, but you know, we'll see. We think we have very good grounds.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Certain people have wanted to do this for decades
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--:-- Host John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Let's get you talking in a new language. Babbel gifting our listeners 60% off subscriptions at babbel.com slash wire. Again, that's babbel.com slash wire. Rules and restrictions may apply.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Ice raids in sanctuary cities have been temporarily put on hold as officials investigate a reported leak in the agency. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce reports.
--:-- [Sound effects: A quick sound bite of a person speaking]
--:-- Host John Bickley: ICE had prepared a large-scale crackdown targeting illegal immigrants deemed threats to public safety. Meanwhile, migrants in New York City have left shelters in anticipation of these raids.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Board of Czar Tom Homan confirmed the delay and said the administration wants to keep some element of surprise to the raids.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: As ICE gets ready to move in, Congress is working on legislation to keep non-citizens convicted of theft and other crimes in detention. The Lake and Riley Act that passed the Senate last night could be one of the first bills to land on President Trump's desk.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: It still needs final approval in the House. The bill allows states to sue the government for failing to enforce immigration laws.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Volume 2 of Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on President Trump has been blocked. Judge Eileen Cannon ruled that releasing details about Trump's classified documents case to Congress could risk prejudice.
--:-- [Sound effects: A quick sound bite of a person speaking]
--:-- Host John Bickley: While Trump's legal team sought to block both volumes, the first volume covering election interference was partially released. Trump has dismissed the findings as a fake report.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: For the first time ever, parts of the Gulf Coast, including Louisiana, are under a blizzard warning as a powerful winter storm sweeps through the south. Heavy snow, ice, and dangerously cold temperatures are expected to cripple travel across multiple states, with officials urging residents to stay home.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Louisiana officials warn they're unprepared for the snow. Here's Governor Jeff Landry warning residents about the conditions.
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--:-- Governor Jeff Landry: Let me emphasize this. The state has been working for over eight days to do everything in its power to prepare for this winter storm. And I urge you to please heed what we are saying and what your local officials are saying as well. It is extremely important to stay off the road. Unless you absolutely need to be on the road, stay at home and stay warm.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Thousands of flights have already been canceled as the storm is expected to persist through Thursday.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: And Ryan Corbett is back home with his family after over two years in Taliban captivity. Daily Wire reporter Moreta Lordi has the latest.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Over the weekend, Morning Wire spoke with Ryan's wife, Anna, about the ongoing negotiations and how both the Biden and Trump administrations were approaching it. She told a bit about the conditions Ryan has been living in.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: He's lost a lot of weight. This is having a bad effect on his health, obviously. He's only 41 and having constant headaches, ringing in his ears, fainting, discolored extremities. I mean, he's told me that I wouldn't recognize him. And our communication was very sparse for a long time now. But now he's home, just hours after President Trump took office.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: A deal was reportedly struck in the final hours of Biden's presidency, which traded a convicted drug trafficker and terrorist for both Corbett and another American, William Wallace McKinty.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Corbett's family said the following in a statement, quote, Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan's life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives, unquote.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Meanwhile, two more Americans remain in Afghanistan as Taliban prisoners. All right, those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth reporting on the biggest stories of the day, tune into our full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
