--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by Babbel. For a limited time, get 60% off your Babbel subscription at babbel.com slash wire. Rules and restrictions may apply.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Tuesday, September 17th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon exploded simultaneously today, injuring over 2,700 people and killing at least eight. Daily Wire managing editor Tim Rice has the latest.
--:-- Tim Rice: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Iranian-backed group recently received the pagers, with suspected malware causing the devices to overheat and detonate. Videos online show the moments when the explosions occurred in Lebanon and Syria, where Hezbollah operates.
--:-- Aryeh Lightstone: This incident follows a year of escalating tensions, including thousands of rocket attacks by Hezbollah against Israel. According to me, those tensions have reached a new level with this attack. This is potentially a crippling attack on their leadership that they require for the response, and we don't know that information yet. And it is unlikely that Israel has fired its best shot So Hezbollah must be anticipating if they fire back further what can Israel do that would be worse than this? And that becomes the delicate balance that has really taken place since October 8th.
--:-- John Bickley: Secret Service agents failed to sweep the outskirts of Donald Trump's Florida golf course, where an alleged would-be assassin hid for nearly 12 hours. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. revealed that round of golf was not on President Trump's official schedule. The impromptu nature resulted in lighter security around the course that day. 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Ruth was arrested after agents spotted the muzzle of his rifle protruding from a fence overlooking the course.
--:-- Donald Trump: Trump, who was within 300 to 500 yards of the gunman, later reassured supporters that he was, quote, safe and well.
--:-- John Bickley: The incident marks the second assassination attempt on the former president in just two months, intensifying scrutiny on the Secret Service's protective measures.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meta announced it's banning Russian state media globally from its social media platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The move is intended to limit the reach of alleged covert propaganda efforts by the Kremlin.
--:-- Dmitry Peskov: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rebuked the move as unacceptable and accused Meta of discrediting themselves through their selective censorship.
--:-- John Bickley: The move follows allegations from U.S. officials that the Kremlin-linked network Russia Today was running fundraising campaigns to arm Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Texas Governor Greg Abbott is taking action against the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has spread fear across several states. Abbott has declared the gang a foreign terrorist organization and introduced a database to track and verify the arrests of its members. He pledged to use the courts civil asset forfeiture and enhanced criminal penalties to dismantle the gang Texas operations.
--:-- Greg Abbott: We want to get ahead of that process and cut this off right now and make sure TDA understands when they come to the state of Texas, they're going to face the heavy hand of law enforcement with a robust, literally hundreds, if you count all the local law enforcement, thousands of law enforcement officers who are focused on TDA. They have a target on their back and we're going after them. We have one goal and that is to arrest them and make them understand that Texas is the wrong state for them to be trying to do business in.
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Birch Gold Group. For one final month, Birch Gold is offering an exclusive 24-karat gold-plated truth bomb on qualifying purchases. But you need to text WIRE to 989898 to claim your eligibility before September 30th. That's WIRE to 989898 today.
--:-- Georgia Howe: An illegal Venezuelan migrant who went viral for mocking America and encouraging squatting has been ordered to leave the U.S. According to the New York Post, 27-year-old Leonel Moreno was ordered deported on September 9th by an Ohio judge.
--:-- John Bickley: Moreno, who crossed into Texas illegally in 2022, gained infamy for his inflammatory TikTok videos flaunting cash and mocking hardworking migrants. Despite his deportation order his future remains uncertain as Venezuela has stopped accepting flights of migrants.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A conservative watchdog group has filed a Freedom of Information request against NASA, seeking documents related to the extended stay of two U.S. astronauts at the International Space Station. The group targets emails between NASA and the White House, including Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging political motives behind the delay.
--:-- John Bickley: The probe follows issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule, which recently returned to Earth unmanned.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And ABC's World News Tonight, anchored by David Muir, saw a decline in viewership after what many viewed as Muir's biased moderating of last week's presidential debate.
--:-- David Muir: I believe it was our duty to ask the issues that Americans care about. You know, the economy, are we better off than we were four years ago? immigration, what are you going to do about the border? Why did you wait so long before you act on the border? Those types of questions. Reproductive rights, Afghanistan, do you bear any responsibility? Peaceful transfer of power with the next election coming. These are all really important issues, the issues of our time, really.
--:-- John Bickley: 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 in to our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
