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--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump smacks China while pausing tariffs for other countries. Illegal immigrants will soon see hefty fines if they choose not to self-deport. and Maine loses out on more federal funding over its transgender policies. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley.
--:-- John Bickley: It's Wednesday, April 9th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Trump paused the sweeping reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries this week, saying many have reached out to make deals, though one country, he says, won't be so lucky. Daily Wire's senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: While the president paused tariffs for other countries, He upped the ante on China, raising duties on goods from the country to 125%. The move comes after Beijing slapped an 84% tariff on U.S. goods, in response to the president adding a 50% tariff on Chinese imports on top of several others.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Trump took to Truth Social, saying he hopes China will soon realize that, quote, the days of ripping off the USA are over. Earlier today, China's commerce ministry vowed to, quote, fight to the end, while slapping export bans on several U.S. companies, including Shield AI and Sierra Nevada Corporation.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: On Fox News this morning, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson dismissed the move from China as a, quote, losing proposition for Beijing. They have some very smart economists, the academicians technocrats within their bureaucracy and they would be telling the leadership that we do not have the edge here They are the surplus country Their exports to the U are five times our exports to China So they can raise their tariffs, but so what?
--:-- Georgia Howe: For their part, the European Union also responded with retaliatory tariffs this morning, proving 25% duties on American goods like almonds, orange juice, and steel. EU officials say a second round of countermeasures is expected next week.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump's nominee for NASA administrator vowed that the U.S. will dominate the new space race with China without needing a bigger budget. Astronaut and billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman pledged simultaneous moon and Mars missions, defended NASA's financial strength and warned that space is the ultimate high ground that America must not surrender.
--:-- Jared Isaacman: Do you believe it is possible to stand up a full mission to the moon and a full mission to the Mars simultaneously?
--:-- Jared Isaacman: Senator, as I mentioned, my prepared remarks, I think we can absolutely do that. We can figure out the space economy and low Earth orbit. We can run more scientific missions. This is the agency that went from sending Alan Shepard on a suborbital mission and eight years later, we saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon. Do I think that we can get back to the moon, chart a course for Mars and do all the other things? Absolutely, Senator.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Trump administration is set to fine illegal aliens nearly $1,000 a day for refusing to self-deport. Daily Wire reporter Spencer Lindquist has the story.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: The Trump administration will enforce a 1996 law that allows it to fine illegal aliens $998 every day that they stay in the United States past the date that they are ordered to be removed from the country.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: The administration plans to enforce the law retroactively for up to five years, meaning that illegal aliens could be charged over $1 million each for remaining in the country illegally. The government could even seize and sell off the property of illegal aliens who are unable to pay the fine
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Associated Press will once again be allowed in the White House briefing room. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo has the details.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: A federal judge has ruled that the White House's ban on the AP from Oval Office events is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled yesterday that the White House violated the First Amendment by discriminating based on a viewpoint.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The dispute is over the AP's refusal to use the term Gulf of America instead of the now officially defunct Gulf of Mexico. McFadden, who is a Trump appointee, wrote that the administration offered no other plausible explanation for how it treated the AP and that the Constitution forbids viewpoint discrimination even in a non-public forum like the Oval Office.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Maine is in the headlines again over its transgender policies. The Justice Department has pulled over $1 million in federal funding from the Department of Corrections in the Pine Tree State after its decision to hold a trans-identifying man and double murderer in a women's prison.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the funding cut as a path toward protecting women, citing Andrew Balser's placement in the female facility. Here's Bondi on Fox News earlier this week.
--:-- Pam Bondi: They were letting him be housed in a female prison. No longer. We will pull your funding. We will protect women in prison. We will protect women in sports. We will protect women throughout this country. No more of that.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Bolser was sentenced to 40 years for stabbing his parents to death. The DOJ's move follows a series of federal warnings to Maine on transgender policies. The Education Department has also given the state until April 11th to comply with Title IX or face further legal action
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new poll shows that 66% of Americans oppose the use of federal money for transgender medical procedures. A new poll from Signal commissioned by the American Principles Project, found swing voters and even 42% of Democrats disapprove of taxpayer-funded gender transitions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Voter support shifted 14 points toward Republicans when told a Democrat backed such policies. The findings come as transgender issues dominate political debate. There's a Texas-sized showdown shaping up in the Lone Star State.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he's running for the Senate, challenging Republican John Cornyn in 2026. Speaking on Fox News, Paxton slammed Cornyn's positions on gun control, Ukraine aid, and border security.
--:-- Ken Paxton: It's definitely time for a change in Texas. We have another great U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. And it's time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas. and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he's focused on in a very significant way. And that's what I plan on doing.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Paxton pledged to take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment, while Cornyn noted Trump's endorsement would be important. Trump once considered Paxton for attorney general, but has not yet weighed in. A recent poll shows Paxton leading Cornyn by 20 points.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some big stories, including Trump's recent legal wins, the stock market turbulence amid the trade war and the administration's plan to hold talks with Iran. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
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