--:-- [Upbeat music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft.
--:-- Sage Steele: LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back.
--:-- John Bickley: Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- Sage Steele: This episode is brought to you by Fume. Kick your bad habits today by going to tryfume.com slash wire and you'll get 10% off with promo code wire. That's tryfum.com slash wire.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with guest co-host Sage Steele, host of the Sage Steele Show.
--:-- Sage Steele: It's Friday, April 26th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: Security concerns have forced the University of Southern California to cancel its main graduation ceremony. Anti-Israel demonstrations on campus and controversy surrounding the cancellation of the valedictorian speech have rattled USC this week.
--:-- Sage Steele: It was discovered that the student chosen to give the valedictorian address called to abolish Israel on social media.
--:-- John Bickley: Then on Wednesday, the school was forced to close down the campus after anti-Israel protesters clashed with police. 65,000 students, family, and guests were expected for the graduation.
--:-- Sage Steele: Oklahoma has become the latest state to crack down on immigrants in the country illegally.
--:-- Zach Jewell: Here with the details is Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell.
--:-- Zach Jewell: The impermissible occupation bill passed the House and Senate with overwhelming support and now awaits the governor's signature. The bill targets anyone who remains in the state after entering the U.S. illegally.
--:-- John Bickley: A first offense is punishable as a misdemeanor with up to one year in jail or a $500 fine, and a second offense is classified as a felony and punishment as up to two years in prison and a $1,000 fine.
--:-- Zach Jewell: Anyone convicted must leave the state.
--:-- John Bickley: In Tennessee, a new law that goes into effect July 1st requires law enforcement to notify federal immigration officials if they encounter someone in the U.S. illegally and include sentence enhancements for any illegals convicted of a violent crime.
--:-- Zach Jewell: In Florida, the governor signed a bill that increases prison time for illegal immigrants convicted of a violent crime or driving without a license.
--:-- John Bickley: New EPA rules could put coal plants out of business. The Environmental Protection Agency issued strict rules on Thursday that would force coal plants to capture their smokestack emissions or shut down.
--:-- Zach Jewell: The Biden administration says these restrictions will limit greenhouse gases from the power industry. The rule will likely be challenged by energy industry groups.
--:-- John Bickley: Long-term mortgage rates climbed again for the fourth consecutive month. The rate on a typical 30-year mortgage will cost you 7.17 percent today. That's up from 6.4 percent a year ago.
--:-- Zach Jewell: The high cost of borrowing, along with the short supply of homes for sale, has led to a decrease in existing home sales by just over 4 percent.
--:-- John Bickley: And experts are not expecting a rate cut anytime soon.
--:-- Zach Jewell: REMAX chairman and co Dave Linegar says buyers are in a tough position. Right now the market is hurt because there more demand than there is supply.
--:-- John Bickley: People that have two and a half, five percent mortgages, 60 percent of the people have mortgages are in that range. They won't move up and pay the seven percent that's required today.
--:-- Zach Jewell: TikTok parent company ByteDance is vowing to fight the U.S. ban signed by President Biden this week.
--:-- Sho Chiu: The CEO says ByteDance will challenge the law in court, claiming it's unconstitutional and violates Americans' First Amendment rights.
--:-- John Bickley: He went on to say that the company would rather exit the U.S. market than give up their proprietary algorithm.
--:-- Zach Jewell: TikTok CEO Sho Chiu posted a message to the app's 170 million users, saying the fight goes on. It's obviously a disappointing moment, but it does not need to be a defining one.
--:-- Sho Chiu: It's actually ironic because the freedom of expression on TikTok reflects the same American values that make the United States a beacon of freedom. TikTok gives everyday Americans a powerful way to be seen and heard. And that's why so many people have made TikTok part of their daily lives.
--:-- John Bickley: Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere.
--:-- Zach Jewell: Have you ever been stuck in a middle seat in the last row on Southwest Airlines because you forgot to check in exactly 24 hours in advance? Well, good news. The discount airline is weighing a new boarding plan that would include premium seating options.
--:-- Bob Jordan: Here Southwest CEO Bob Jordan on CNBC Thursday teasing a potential change to open seating.
--:-- Bob Jordan: There's nothing to report today except the fact that we are studying this. We always want to know what our customers expect and their preferences. So we are studying our seating and our cabin right now.
--:-- John Bickley: It was designed at a time when load factors were significantly lower than they are today. So we're working hard to understand what our customers want.
--:-- Bob Jordan: We've changed before. We've added things like Wi-Fi, power, larger overhead bins. And it's very early, but the results are interesting. And we're continuing to study this and more to come later.
--:-- Zach Jewell: It's been a long time coming, but Reggie Bush finally got his Heisman Trophy back.
--:-- John Bickley: The former USC star running back won the Heisman, which annually honors college football's best player, back in 2005. but he was forced to return it five years later after an investigation discovered he'd been paid several thousand dollars and given a car.
--:-- Zach Jewell: Of course, at that time, it was against NCAA rules. But now that college players can earn compensation, the Heisman Trust reviewed Bush's case and decided to reinstate his award, citing enormous changes in the college football landscape.
--:-- John Bickley: In August, Bush filed suit against the NCAA for defamation and says despite the trophy being returned, he will not drop the case.
--:-- Zach Jewell: 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.
