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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Why shop at Burlington? Maybe it's the deals that are new each time you drop by. Maybe it's the brand names you'll be shocked Burlington has in store. Or maybe it's the quality of the items, the amazing selection, and the newest trends. If you like to save, but also like to stay in style, Burlington is your answer. And the question you'll be asking yourself is, why go anywhere else? Burlington. Deals. Brands. Wow.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): President Trump shakes up his national security team as Russia threatens to make Ukraine disappear. I think the media wants to frame this as a firing. Donald Trump has fired a lot of people. He doesn't give them Senate-confirmed appointments afterward. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, May 2nd, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the most powerful member of the Senate, sits down with Morning Wire. I think that the president's agenda is the one the American people wants to see accomplished. And a new study suggests the abortion pill may be far more dangerous than the FDA has admitted. This is much different than the lie that women have been told that these drugs are safer than Tylenol. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): As the Trump administration works to secure trade deals with China and end the war in Ukraine, the president announced a leadership shakeup at the White House. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here now with the latest.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hey, Cabot. So 100 days in, we have our first major shakeup on a senior level at the White House. What exactly happened here?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, a roller coaster story from the White House on Thursday. In the morning, numerous outlets reported that President Trump was firing his national security advisor, Mike Waltz. But hours later, Trump threw a major curveball, announcing that Waltz would be leaving his role as NSA, but would be nominated to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Writing on Truth Social, the president said, quote, from his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress, and as my national security advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our nation's interests first. I know he'll do the same in his new role.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, the president had initially tapped Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to serve as UN ambassador, but she withdrew with the White House saying her efforts would be better served in the House, where Republicans hold a slim majority.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So now Walt's stepping in. Yeah, Republicans certainly want to protect that majority in the House. Like you said, it's very slim.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, exactly what happened with Walt's, do we know? Well, his nomination to UN ambassador certainly shocked a lot of people, but his removal as national security advisor did seem like it was a long time coming.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Remember, Waltz was responsible for accidentally adding Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to that now infamous signal chat. Trump initially stood by him following that scandal, but from what we're hearing after that story broke, the president started asking around with his team for their thoughts on Waltz.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That's never a good sign in the White House. The pressure campaign to relieve him reportedly grew as some within the White House started to express concerns that his more hawkish views did not reflect the America first foreign policy, which widely tends to be more dovish.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But the fact he's staying on as UN ambassador shows Donald Trump still views him as a valuable asset Certainly does
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now what comes next for the administration foreign policy Well in the short term Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be stepping in as national security advisor As far as a long replacement the most likely scenario is that Trump promotes someone from within.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Some names that have been floated already include Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, NSC Director of Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, or Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. But playing the prediction game when it comes to Trump is, as we know, a usually fruitless endeavor.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yes, it is. Now, more broadly, it is an open secret in Washington that there is this ideological debate raging within the administration on foreign policy. On one side are the more traditional, hawkish, Reagan-style Republicans. They want to take a more aggressive approach in places like the Middle East.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And on the other are the more dovish non-interventionists. They want the U.S. to use soft power and largely stay out of foreign entanglements if at all possible. Whoever Trump ultimately picks for this position moving forward could tell us a lot about which of those ideologies is winning out in the administration.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, this all comes as the U.S. has made significant progress on this Ukraine peace deal. What's the latest on that?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, big news there. The White House announced that after months of intense negotiations, they had reached an agreement on that long-awaited minerals deal.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The agreement will create a new, quote, reconstruction investment fund, which will be managed 50-50 by the U.S. and Ukraine. So moving forward, that means half of all revenues from new oil, gas, and mineral projects in Ukraine will go into that fund.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That'll help pay the U.S. back for the billions of dollars we've sent to help their war effort. Here's Treasury Secretary Scott Besant announcing the deal.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Today's agreement signals clearly to Russian leadership that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, from a strategic standpoint, Zelensky likes this deal because it gives the U.S. extra incentive to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression because now we have more economic interests there.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And Trump likes it because America will now have first dibs on Ukraine's rare earth minerals at a time when he's looking to reduce our reliance on China, which, as we know, controls 90% of the world's rare earth mineral.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right, absolutely crucial. We diversify on those particular imports. Kappa, thanks so much for reporting.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): In order to implement his America First agenda, President Trump will be relying heavily on new Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan sat down with Thune this week to discuss the president's first 100 days and how the Senate is backing up Trump's agenda.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: Hey, Mary Margaret. So tell us about this interview.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: Good morning, John. Yes, we are here at the United States Capitol where we just sat down with Senate Majority Leader John Thune for a wide-ranging interview on the first 100 days of Donald Trump's second presidency.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: We talked about a variety of issues, including how the Senate Majority Leader wants to help Trump implement his agenda. Take a look at this.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: I think getting his team in place, helping move quickly. We confirmed his cabinet at the fastest rate in 20 years. We kept the Senate in session for 10 consecutive weeks for the first time in 15 years. And we hit 200 votes in the Senate for the first time at this point going back to the Reagan administration
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: But then we got to start delivering on the legislative agenda And that where you get into energy independence It's where you get into rebuilding the military, securing the border, providing tax relief for the American people and reducing spending and getting our country on a more sustainable fiscal path.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: Those are the things that we the president campaigned on and we need to deliver on for the American people.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: Thun talked about his different leadership styles and how he sought to help the president implement his agenda. Here's a little bit more on that.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: I think the president has brought a brand new style of leadership that actually focuses on fixing problems that our country has, which is a refreshing relief after the last four years of the Biden administration.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: And you can start, obviously, with the Biden border policy and how the open border policy of the previous administration. It created so many problems for our country.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: And so when Trump came in, he immediately took leadership on that issue. And you've seen a dramatic, and I say dramatic, a hugely consequential drop in the number of people coming across the border illegally.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: So I think it's been an incredibly successful, eventful, and consequential first 100 days. And I'm looking forward to what's ahead.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: I think that the president's agenda is the one the American people wants to see accomplished. They want us to be good partners with him. And I think in the end, if we can succeed on the things the president campaigned on and the American people voted for, they're going to continue to see Republicans in majorities in the House and Senate and a Republican in the White House.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: We also touched on this point. He shared a little bit with us about what he's looking to do in the next 100 days and how he plans to help the president.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: So I think the president's agenda on national security is important. And there wasn't a single year in the Biden administration where their commitment to the military kept up even with the rate of inflation.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: So we've fallen behind in a lot of areas. And President Trump recognizes that, recognizes that we live in a dangerous world and we've got to be able to defend America and American interests.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: And so that's a priority. And the border security, I would argue, is right up there with that because that's also, in my view, a national security issue.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: And then I think on the economy, it's getting rid of burdensome Biden regulations, extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and then creating an energy policy that makes America energy dominant.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: I think those are all issues that feed into a strong economy that creates better paying jobs and makes the lives of Americans more prosperous.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: Well, a lot of goals there, but also a very narrow majority to navigate for the leader.
--:-- Mary Margaret Olihan: Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Look for Mary Margaret's entire interview with the Senate Majority Leader this weekend on Morning Wire.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The abortion pill is much more dangerous than the FDA claimed, with more than one in 10 women suffering serious complications. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Alordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Hi, Georgia. So this is some really striking data. In 2023, about 11.2% of a total of more than 150,000 women experienced a serious adverse event after taking the mifepristone abortion pill.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: This is according to a new research commissioned by the Foundation for the Restoration of America. That works out to about 17,310 women, all just in 2023, who suffered serious adverse events.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: This can include hemorrhaging, needing a blood transfusion, an emergency room visit, and even deadly conditions like sepsis.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: This is about 22 times higher than what the FDA claimed on its label for mifeprex, which is mifepristone, in 2023. The FDA cited clinical studies saying less than 0.5% of women suffered serious adverse reactions to mifepristone
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Morningwire spoke to Doug Truex founder of the Foundation for the Restoration of America which commissioned this study If you had any other drug that was kind of like similar in terms of like the magnitude of what this thing does anywhere north of 2 they shut it down
--:-- Maraid Alordi: And so this has been, it looks to me, highly politicized data, just like all the other data at times the left lets out in terms of whether it's climate or crime, COVID, anything else.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: They have their political ideology and they've just been pushing this pill out there, loosening the restrictions. And especially after Dobbs came in and wrote one out, they just held them on just increasing the amount of abortions.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Now, where did the data come from and how did they calculate it? The research analyzed data from insurance claims for government insurers like Medicare and Medicaid between 2017 and 2023.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: So the data set only captures official complaints where treatment was sought. So if anything, it's an undercount.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: By the way, medication abortion is a two-pill regimen. Mifepristone is usually followed by misoprostol to expel all of the fetal tissue, which can cause life-threatening complications.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: We spoke to Dr. Christina Francis, a board-certified OB-GYN who has been in practice for two decades. She said women aren't being properly monitored by their doctor when they take these pills.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: The way that these pills are being dispensed now, many of them are being dispensed online where there's no relationship between the doctor and the patient who's taking them.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: And so women then are just abandoned to their local emergency room when they experience complications.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Now, how much medical oversight is there currently for this drug? You've reported before that the guidelines were recently loosened.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: That's right. So mifepristin was originally approved by the FDA in 2000. For many years, women had to see a doctor in person to obtain the abortion pill.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: But a few months before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, the FDA scrapped that requirement. So now women can get it through the mail.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: This came as abortion advocates argued that the abortion pill should be more available to order online because some Republican-led states were looking to ban abortion.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Frances, the pro-life OBGYN, said she visited her hospital's emergency room when one woman came in with severe complications from the drug.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: When the in-person dispensing requirement was lifted, I went down to the emergency room to see a woman who was suffering from pretty severe complications related to these drugs. Infection, she needed a blood transfusion, she needed surgery.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: And one of the ER doctors pulled me aside and said, what has changed? Because we're seeing so many more women come in with these complications.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Over the seven years this study looked at, the number of chemical abortions jumped dramatically from less than 100,000 to over 150,000 a year.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: The abortion pill is also likely the main factor driving up the country's total number of abortions in recent years, even with states passing pro-life laws.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Medication abortions made up 63% of all abortions in 2023, up from 31% in 2014. That's according to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Now, could data like this make the FDA reconsider those guidelines for mifepristone? Well, the new head of the FDA, Marty McCary, recently left the door open on restricting the abortion pill if new data about it came to light.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Although he said they don't currently have any plans to do that. So, look, I believe as a scientist, you've got to evolve as the data comes in.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: And as you may know, there is an ongoing set of data that is coming into FDA on mifepristone. of Pristone.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: So if the data suggests something or tells us that there's a real signal, then I, you know, we can't promise we're not going to act on that data that we have not yet seen.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Well, at the very least, informed consent is going to be important here.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Thanks for reporting. Thanks, Georgia. Thanks for waking up with us.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): We'll be back tomorrow morning with more news you need to know.
