--:-- [Theme 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. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, August 8th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Donald Trump held a press conference at his home in Mar-a-Lago today in which he made a major announcement and took a ton of questions from reporters.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the details.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The former president began the event by making a clear distinction between the direction of the country under his leadership and that of Kamala Harris. particularly hammering the issues of safety and economic security. He then made a major announcement. He's agreed to three debates. The first scheduled for September 4th with Fox News, the second on September 10th with ABC, and the third debate on September 25th with NBC. The other side has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don't know if they're going to agree. She hasn't done an interview. She can do an interview. She barely competent and she can do an interview. But I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight.
--:-- Georgia Howe: To this point Harris has only agreed to the ABC debate on the 10th.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Trump also announced that his running mate J.D. Vance has agreed to a debate with Tim Walls on CBS. He then went on to take a series of questions from reporters on a wide range of topics, repeatedly making the point that his opponent has yet to hold a single press conference or sit-down interview, despite being the presumptive nominee for more than two weeks.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is discontinuing just two days after Elon Musk's ex and Rumble filed antitrust lawsuits against the group.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: GARM, as it's called, is run by the World Federation of Advertisers. The Federation's CEO, Stephen Lork, said in an email to staff that the decision to shutter GARM was not made lightly, but that the group has very limited resources. He added that GARM intends to fight the suit's allegations in court and is confident they will be proven false.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A series of Taylor Swift concerts in Austria have been canceled after the uncovering of a terror plot.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Police in Austria have detained three teenagers in connection with an alleged plot to commit a terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert. The main suspect, a 19-year-old ISIS sympathizer, was arrested after investigators found explosives and chemicals in his home. Officials report that he has confessed to a plot to "kill as many people as possible" outside the concert venue. Two younger suspects, aged 17 and 15, were also taken into custody. Authorities aided by foreign intelligence uncovered the scheme after receiving a warning from U.S. officials.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Organizers have canceled three upcoming concerts in Vienna amid heightened security concerns.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Chaos continues to spread in Bangladesh amid a changeover of government leadership.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: The former prime minister of Bangladesh resigned and fled to India on Monday after a violent crackdown failed to quell protests against her government. Reports have begun to emerge of retaliation against members of her party and those seen as her allies, including the Hindu minority in the Muslim-majority country. Several Hindu families have attempted to flee to neighboring India, while Hindus in India have begun to hold solidarity marches to raise awareness of the persecution in Bangladesh. The Indian government has responded by providing assistance and temporary shelter to those seeking asylum, though the influx of refugees has put a strain on resources in the border areas of India.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's been one year since the devastating fires in Maui and the island is still struggling to recover.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The 2023 fire claimed over 100 lives and wiped out thousands of homes and local businesses, particularly in the historic town of Lahaina. More than 6,000 people are still displaced, living in hotels, temporary housing, or even tents on the beach. Last week, Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced a $4 billion settlement for residents affected by the fires. Meanwhile, tourism on Maui is slowly rebounding with increased visitor numbers signaling economic recovery. However, local officials remain focused on ensuring that tourism does not negatively impact the recovery process for local communities.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The stock market seems to be regaining its footing after a rocky week.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Positive labor market data appeared to restore investor confidence, causing a surge in stocks Thursday. The S&P 500 rose 2.4%, marking its largest daily gain since February of 2023. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.9%, while the NASDAQ Composite gained 3.1%, both on track for their best days in over a year. Weekly jobless claims fell to 233,000, down 17,000 from the previous week and better than forecasts, easing some concerns about the labor market.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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. We'll be right back.
