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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): This episode is brought to you by Beam. Groggy and exhausted is no way to start off your day. Which is why we're introducing Beam's Dream Powder, a science-backed, healthy hot cocoa for sleep. Head to shopbeam.com slash wire and use code wire at checkout for up to 40% off.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Friday, February 21st, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): New York Governor Kathy Hochul will not remove Eric Adams from his mayoral position. The governor said in a statement, quote, "My strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of Democratic elections preclude me from any other action. I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make the decision for themselves."
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Calls for Adams' resignation came amid allegations from Democrats that he had worked out a deal with the Trump administration to drop corruption charges against him.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Senate Republicans approved a $342 billion budget blueprint this morning. The bill passed with a 52 to 48 vote after an all-night voting session and includes $150 billion for military spending and $175 billion for border security.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The Senate bill is not as extensive as the House version championed by Speaker Johnson, which includes tax cuts and major cuts to federal programs to cover new funding. The House bill will likely be put to a vote next week.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The state of Maine will be cut off from federal funds President Trump announced this Thursday after the state defied his executive order preventing male athletes from competing in girls and women sports.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Speaking to Republican governors in Washington, Trump called out Maine. "I heard men are still playing in Maine. Is anybody here from Maine? Who is that? Is that the governor? That's, well, I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to give many federal money. They are still saying we want men to play in women's sports, and I cannot believe that they're doing that. So we're not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up."
--:-- Host (John Bickley): President Trump has called for the federal government to take control over Washington, D.C., citing concerns about crime and homelessness.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump criticized the city's current leadership under Mayor Muriel Bowser and says he wants the federal government to crack down on crime and beautify the city.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): "I think that we should govern this District of Columbia. It's so important to the D.C. situation. I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawlessly beautiful. And I like the mayor. I get along great with the mayor. But they're not doing the job. Too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns. It's a sad thing. You know, homeless people all over the place."
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Argentina's President Javier Malay and Elon Musk appeared together on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference yesterday afternoon.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Malay brought along a popular stage prop from his unorthodox presidential campaign, a chainsaw, which he then gifted to Musk. The symbolism was unmistakable. Argentina's libertarian president passing the torch of government reform to Musk in his Department of Government Efficiency.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Here's what that sounded like. "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy Chainsaw"
--:-- Host (John Bickley): An attorney working for Sean Diddy Combs has quit the rapper defense team. In a motion filed in New York on Friday, Anthony Ricco stated, quote, "under no circumstance can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs."
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): There was no further explanation given and prosecutors were informed. Rico says his withdrawal will not delay Combs' May 5th trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Despite Rico's departure, Combs' lead counsel, Mark Agnifilo, remains on the case.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): President Trump's approval rating remains higher than it averaged at any point during his first term. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the numbers.
--:-- Host (Tim Rice): According to the RealClearPolitics average of major polls, the president's job approval rating is hovering around 49 percent, with 47 percent disapproving.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): A recent CNN poll found that about a third of Americans view Trump's single most significant action thus far to be securing the southern border. Slashing government spending is next, while 62 percent of respondents say they want the president to do more to bring down everyday prices.
--:-- Host (Tim Rice): While Trump's at new heights, Democrats are hitting new lows. Quinnipiac found that just 21 percent of voters approve of the way Democrats in Congress are handling their job, an all-time low, while 68 percent of voters disapprove.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): A terror attack rocked Israel yesterday when two buses exploded in a parking lot in Bat Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv. The buses were empty and had been returned to the lot for the evening. No injuries were reported.
--:-- Host (Tim Rice): All bus and train services were halted Thursday as firefighters searched the vehicles for bombs Additional explosives were found on other buses
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Microsoft researchers claim they discovered a new state of matter which could be used to create a, quote, "quantum leap in computer science."
--:-- Host (Michael Whitaker): Microsoft's new quantum chip, Majorana 1, reportedly uses extremely thin topoconductors to manipulate subatomic particles, creating a state of matter which, according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, is neither solid, liquid, or gas.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Qubits can encode and process exponentially more information than a classical bit by taking advantage of superposition, a property of quantum particles that allows them to exist in several states at once.
--:-- Host (Michael Whitaker): Creating stable qubits has proved to be extraordinarily difficult. Right now, even the most advanced quantum computers only use about 1,000 qubits. Microsoft claims that they now have a clear pathway to delivering a million qubit chip that can, quote, "fit in the palm of one's hand."
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): All the world's current computers operating together can't do what a 1 million qubit quantum computer will be able to do.
--:-- Host (Michael Whitaker): And retail giant Forever 21 is closing 200 more stores as it plans for its second bankruptcy since 2019. At its peak, the chain had more than 500 stores nationwide and 800 internationally.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The rise of Timu and Shein, as well as growth from other fast fashion brands like Zara and Uniqlo, are thought to be the cause of Forever 21's sagging sales. The closures come as mall retail stores are struggling nationally.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): All right, those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some important stories, including Trump's record first 30 days in office, Doge's continued progress and California's insurance crisis.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another edition of Morning Wire.
