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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Friday, February 23rd, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: President Biden promised harsh new sanctions against Russia and Vladimir Putin. The U.S. president was in San Francisco, where he met with the widow and daughter of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who recently died in a Russian penal colony in Siberia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In a speech, Biden expressed his condolences to the family and praised Navalny's courage. Biden's administration is in direct communication with Putin this week, warning the Russian leader not to put a nuclear-armed anti-satellite weapon in space, saying it would violate the outer space treaty signed by both countries.
--:-- John Kirby: This is not an active capability that's been deployed. And though Russia's pursuit of this particular capability is troubling, there is no immediate threat to anyone's safety.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Chipmaker NVIDIA enjoyed a massive stock market rally on Thursday, bringing its market value to more than $2 trillion. NVIDIA shares soared 15% on expectations that investment into artificial intelligence will continue at a record pace. The stock's quarterly earnings beat Wall Street expectations this quarter and last quarter.
--:-- Dan Ives: This is really the earnings heard around the world, the most important earnings in many years. And it shows this AI party, it's just getting started in terms relative to what we're seeing in terms of peak demand. And now, I mean, Lisa talked about it, this tidal wave of spend, it's coming to the rest of tech. And in our opinion, that's going to continue to fuel this tech bull market in what I almost view as a Taylor Swift moment for the tech bull.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A double public execution was carried out by the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Two men convicted of separate stabbings were shot by family members of the victims as thousands of people looked on in a stadium in the southeast area of the country. These are the third and fourth public executions conducted by the Taliban since they took control of the country after the U.S. failed withdrawal.
--:-- Michael Whittaker: The two men were shot from behind, one eight times, the other seven times, and ambulances took the bodies from the stadium. The UN has condemned the executions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This Saturday marks the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Daily Wire researcher Michael Whittaker offers some perspective on the years-long battle.
--:-- Michael Whittaker: At the start of the invasion, most international observers assumed that Russia would quickly overpower its much smaller neighbor. But a combination of missteps, corruption, and Ukrainian tenacity halted or reversed much of the initial Russian advance. Despite Ukrainian victories in Kiev and Kharkiv in 2022, the lines of battle have remained largely unchanged over the last year, with massive losses of men and material resulting in little territorial gain for either side.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Ukraine's war effort largely depends on foreign aid. They've received more than $100 billion since the start of the invasion, with the lion's share coming from the United States. As the war drags on, American support for continued aid has waned. President Biden has requested an additional $60 billion in aid, but that request has been stalled in Congress for months, and future support is even more uncertain.
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Birch Gold Group. Diversify your savings with Birch Gold. Their experts can help turn your 401k into a 401k in gold. Just text WIRE to 989898 today.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The trial of Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is underway in New Mexico. Gutierrez is charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in the shooting death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins on the set of the film, which was produced by star Alec Baldwin. Hutchins was killed when a bullet from Baldwin's gun went off and hit her.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by Black Rifle Coffee. Right now, you can get 20% off your order at blackriflecoffee.com with promo code WIRE. That's blackriflecoffee.com, promo code WIRE.
--:-- John Bickley: The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission adopted a rule banning the use of gas-powered lawn equipment by state agencies starting in 2025. The rule will apply every summer from June to August.
--:-- Georgia Howe: More teenagers are being prescribed popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. According to data, more than 4,000 kids age 12 to 17 are using the drugs to treat obesity. The American Academy of Pediatrics has approved the use of the drugs, but still recommends diet and exercise as the first line of defense.
--:-- John Bickley: 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 discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
