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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Wednesday, January 15th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to the show, everyone. We've got a lot to cover today.
--:-- Georgia Howe: First up, President-elect Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, faced the Senate Judiciary Committee today in her confirmation hearing. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice reports.
--:-- Tim Rice: The former Sunshine State AG pledged to restore integrity while addressing concerns over potential politicization. While Bondi's nomination has gained bipartisan support, there were still some moments of contention during today's hearing.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In one particular exchange, Bondi flipped the script on Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who asked about potential weaponization of the DOJ.
--:-- Tim Rice: Whitehouse asked Bondi's thoughts on looking for a crime after picking a name to target, which Democrats fear will happen with Trump against his political opponents.
--:-- Pam Bondi: Senator, I think that is the whole problem with the weaponization that we have seen the last four years and what been happening to Donald Trump. They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him actually starting back in 2016. They targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him.
--:-- Tim Rice: That will not be the case if I am attorney general. I will not politicize that office. I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Several other of Trump's cabinet picks appeared for hearings today, including CIA director nominee John Ratcliffe and Trump's pick for secretary of state Marco Rubio.
--:-- Tim Rice: The Supreme Court heard arguments today over a Texas law that requires adult websites to verify the user's age before granting access.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The law, which is being challenged by adult content creators, imposes steep penalties for noncompliance, but critics say it violates free speech and endangers user privacy.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Opponents, including the ACLU, warn of risk to privacy and broader impacts on free expression.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Meanwhile, supporters like the Age Verification Providers Association argue that the law protects children from harmful content and uses secure technology for age verification.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A ruling in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton is expected by June, with implications for online content nationwide.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says details of a ceasefire deal are still being worked out.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Netanyahu says the final details are still being ironed out. Multiple mediators say the two parties agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The deal comes after more than 15 months of war.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Under the reported agreement Hamas will release 33 hostages including women, children, and the elderly in exchange for Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The deal would also provide an opportunity to negotiate the release of the 97 other hostages.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The first three hostages are expected to be freed on day one as a gesture of compliance.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Inflation rose again in December, with prices continuing to squeeze household budgets ahead of another federal interest rate decision.
--:-- Shannon Green: According to the Labor Department, inflation ticked up 0.4% last month, bringing the annual rate to 2.9%, the highest since July of 2024.
--:-- Shannon Green: Rising energy costs, which surged 2.6%, drove much of the increase, while food prices have also risen.
--:-- Shannon Green: Despite the uptick, economists expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady later this month.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I don't think this really changes anything for where the Fed sits at this point. I think the Fed's going to take a cautious approach to further reduction in rates.
--:-- Georgia Howe: and depending on how the data evolve in January and February before their March meeting, we'll see kind of what the expectation is in terms of further easing.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Donald Trump has unveiled his plans for a new federal agency.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump has announced his intent to establish the External Revenue Service with the purpose of collecting tariffs, duties and other foreign payments owed to the U.S.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The president-elect said the move will end reliance on the American taxpayer to fund national growth while reiterating his intent to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump says the initiative will launch on January 20th, his first day in office.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A bill barring males from female sports passed the House with two Democrats supporting the measure.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Protection of Women in Girls Sports Act passed 218 to 206 with Representatives Henry Cuellar and Vincent Gonzalez of Texas breaking party lines to support the measure.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Opponents, like Representative Andrea Salinas, warn it could lead to intrusive questioning and unfair targeting of transgender youth.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Proponents, including Speaker Mike Johnson, argue the bill protects fairness in women's sports.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Congressman August Pflueger, a co-sponsor of the bill, told Morning Wire he and his colleagues want to continue this push back towards common sense.
--:-- August Pflueger: Let's get back to balance because we've been out of balance with a radical push to the left that doesn't represent America, doesn't represent our society.
--:-- August Pflueger: And quite frankly, in the instance of men playing women's sports, it's not just a Title IX issue or an equality issue, it's a safety issue.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The FDA will ban the use of food additive red dye number three.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olehan: The move comes 35 years after the same chemical was banned in cosmetics.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olehan: The dye, which has already been banned in California and Europe, is used to create a bright red color in food, candy, and condiments, and has been linked to ADHD in children.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olehan: It's also been linked to cancer in animal studies.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olehan: The food ban comes after years of activism from parents and food safety experts as well as a focus from RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign on hazardous chemicals.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the past, outgoing FDA chief Dr. Robert Cayley had stalled the move, claiming they were funding barriers to banning the dye without more research.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olehan: Nevertheless, the agency announced the ban on Wednesday.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right, there's your drive home updates this afternoon.
--:-- Georgia Howe: To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And for more in-depth reporting on the biggest stories of the day, tune into our full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
