--:-- Host: John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, executive editor of the Daily Wire, with co-host Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, June 25th.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We have a lot to cover today.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: President Trump is in Europe for high-stakes NATO meetings after brokering a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here with more.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Thanks, John. Yesterday morning, hours after the ceasefire deal went into effect, Iran reportedly launched a series of missiles at Israel, prompting the Israelis to respond with strikes of their own, targeting a radar facility north of Tehran.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: For a moment, it looked like the war was back on, but then Donald Trump intervened. With Israeli planes reportedly en route to Iran for more strikes, the president called Prime Minister Netanyahu directly with what the White House called a, quote, exceptionally firm and direct warning to abide by the ceasefire.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: He also made a public appeal on social media, writing, quote, Israel, do not drop those bombs. If you do, it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home now.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: And that message and that phone call seemed to work, as Netanyahu said he would refrain from further strikes and abide by the deal.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Moments later, Trump added another post saying, quote, Israel is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home while doing a friendly plane wave to Iran. Nobody will be hurt. The ceasefire is in effect.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: But while further escalation was avoided, the president made clear that he was not happy with either country. Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: The biggest load that we've seen. I'm not happy with Israel. You know, when I say, okay, now you have 12 hours, you don't go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: So I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with Iran either. But I'm really unhappy if Israel's going out this morning.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: And while he took aim at both sides there, it's certainly nowhere that he publicly slammed Israel. We've not seen much of that from the administration to date.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Gives an idea of just how badly Trump wants this peace deal to hold up.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Later on, he added this blunt assessment of the situation that quickly went viral. You'll see why.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f they're doing.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: But then hours later Trump struck a more optimistic tone saying both sides wanted peace and he was happy to facilitate it.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Here he is talking about the future for Iran if they abide by the ceasefire. They're not going to have enrichment and they're not going to have a nuclear weapon.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: And they know that they're going to get on to being a great trading nation.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Now, while there does appear to be real progress in the Middle East here at home, there's a lot of fear of terror attacks.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: What is the latest on that front?
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Yeah, the Iranian government appears to be playing ball, but authorities around the country are on high alert for a terror attack here at home.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Remember, of the 10 million plus people who crossed the border illegally under President Biden, authorities say at least 500 were on the terror watch list, and those are just the ones we know about.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: With that in mind, over the last 48 hours, ICE agents have cracked down on Iranian nationals living here illegally.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Specifically, they've arrested at least 16 folks, including a former sniper in the Iranian military, a man on the, quote, known or suspected terrorist list, a former Iranian soldier with admitted connections to Hezbollah, and a man carrying a loaded handgun at the time of his arrest.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Now, as we said at the top, this comes as Trump has traveled to Europe for this big NATO summit.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: What is the agenda there?
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Well, the president's main goal is to push NATO members to up their defense spending.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Trump has long lamented that America is being taken advantage of by our allies who benefit from our military without, he says, paying their fair share.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: At the moment, NATO members are expected to spend at least 2% of their GDPs on defense.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Trump wants that number at 5%.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Here's U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker on Tuesday.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Tomorrow, we expect that all 32 NATO allies will agree to a new path.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: And that path, that commitment is going to be 5% of their GDP on defense.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: For too long, Europe has been taking advantage of the American taxpayer to provide their traditional security.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: Now, this will be the first gathering of world leaders since President Trump intervened in Iran.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: A number of NATO members who arrived at the summit early have slammed him for that intervention.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: So there could be some fireworks at The Hague over the next few days.
--:-- Host: Cabot Phillips: I will not be surprised if that proves true.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Kevin, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Host: Kevin: Absolutely.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Do you have an ancient mattress with a crater in the middle that sucks you in like quicksand, leaving you with throbbing back pain that no amount of stretching can fix?
--:-- Host: Kevin: Maybe you've tried flipping it, adding foam toppers and even sleeping sideways, but nothing helps.
--:-- Host: Kevin: If a solid night's sleep keeps eluding you, then you need to check out Helix.
--:-- Host: Kevin: Helix improves your nights and keeps you sleeping well all night long so you can wake up each morning ready to be your best self.
--:-- Host: Kevin: Whether you're a side sleeper, back sleeper, or somewhere in between, they have you covered.
--:-- Host: Kevin: All you have to do is take their sleep quiz and find your ideal match.
--:-- Host: Kevin: And trust me, when you find the right match, you'll wonder how you ever slept on anything else.
--:-- Host: Kevin: I just received my California King Dusk Lux Helix mattress and have already felt the difference.
--:-- Host: Kevin: I'm 6'4", so that extra space is an absolute game changer.
--:-- Host: Kevin: They have so many great options perfectly tailored for me and my unique sleeping needs.
--:-- Host: Kevin: Right now is the perfect time to upgrade your sleep because Helix is offering a fantastic summer sale.
--:-- Host: Kevin: Head over to helixsleep.com slash wire to get 20% off sitewide.
--:-- Host: Kevin: That's helixsleep.com slash wire for 20% off sitewide.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: New Yorkers went to the polls yesterday to decide the Democrat candidate for mayor, bringing an end to a wild primary season.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Here with the state of the race is Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Thanks, John.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: So a lot of national attention on this race in part because of Cuomo, but even more so because of his key opponent, a Democratic Socialist.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Then there's also the messy process.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: So where should we begin?
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Well, John, first things first, it actually wasn't that messy of a process.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: It took two weeks for this primary to be decided in 2021.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: But last night, Zoran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist you mentioned earlier, easily locked up 44% of the vote.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Cuomo called Mamdani shortly after 10 p.m. to congratulate him and essentially conceded.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: I say essentially because we still have to wait for the Board of Elections to declare an official winner and because Cuomo has hinted that he may still run as an independent in November.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: But either way, the scandal former governor essentially threw in the towel Tuesday night.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mondani's night, and he put together a great campaign and he touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: And he really ran a highly impactful campaign.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who received the New York Times endorsement, came in third.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: He was reportedly very happy that Cuomo lost, leading a goodbye Cuomo chant at his election night party.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: That's not entirely surprising, considering Lander and Mamdani made waves a few weeks ago when they endorsed each other, urging voters not to rank Cuomo.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: We both love New York City.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: And that's why it's so important to not send scandal-ridden, corrupt Andrew Cuomo to City Hall.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: New Yorkers deserve so much better than a disgraced creep.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Agreed.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Early voting starts tomorrow, and we both know what we need to do to save our city from Andrew Cuomo.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: What is the latest on that front?
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Yeah, the Iranian government appears to be playing ball, but authorities around the country are on high alert for a terror attack here at home.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Remember, of the 10 million plus people who crossed the border illegally under President Biden, authorities say at least 500 were on the terror watch list, and those are just the ones we know about.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: With that in mind, over the last 48 hours, ICE agents have cracked down on Iranian nationals living here illegally.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Specifically, they've arrested at least 16 folks, including a former sniper in the Iranian military, a man on the, quote, known or suspected terrorist list, a former Iranian soldier with admitted connections to Hezbollah, and a man carrying a loaded handgun at the time of his arrest.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Now, as we said at the top, this comes as Trump has traveled to Europe for this big NATO summit.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: What is the agenda there?
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Well, the president's main goal is to push NATO members to up their defense spending.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Trump has long lamented that America is being taken advantage of by our allies who benefit from our military without, he says, paying their fair share.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: At the moment, NATO members are expected to spend at least 2% of their GDPs on defense.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Trump wants that number at 5%.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Here's U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker on Tuesday.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Tomorrow, we expect that all 32 NATO allies will agree to a new path.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: And that path, that commitment is going to be 5% of their GDP on defense.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: For too long, Europe has been taking advantage of the American taxpayer to provide their traditional security.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: Now, this will be the first gathering of world leaders since President Trump intervened in Iran.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: A number of NATO members who arrived at the summit early have slammed him for that intervention.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: So there could be some fireworks at The Hague over the next few days.
--:-- Host: Tim Rice: I will not be surprised if that proves true.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: The nation's largest medical association is standing by its controversial guidance to promote transgender medical procedures for minors.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: That's despite mounting evidence against it and a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Here with the details is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Thanks, John.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: So the American Medical Association has a new president, and he recently made a statement indicating the organization's stance on transgender procedures for minors.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: So what exactly are they saying these days?
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, so the group's new president released a statement signaling against the recent ruling in United States versus Scrimetti.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: As we covered here, that decision basically allows states to ban things like puberty blockers and other so-called gender procedures on minors.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Those procedures have been shown to be damaging and often irreversible.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: The new president of the AMA, Dr. Bobby Mukamala, condemned the Supreme Court decision and said that all patients deserve access to high-quality, evidence-based medical care.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: And he added that decisions about medical treatments must be made through a shared decision-making process between the patient and their physician.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Okay, so the AMA has new leadership. Is this a departure from their previous guidance?
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: No, this is just a continuation of where they've been in the past.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: The AMA has long supported trans procedures for minors.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Here's a conversation hosted by the AMA about a year and a half ago on what doctors should know about so-called trans teens.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: What we know about gender identity formation for all human beings, regardless of whether you identify as LGBTQ or not, is that young people really do know their gender by about age four.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: It's that young female assigned at birth who says, mom, I am a boy, or mom, I'm like my brother, you know, I'm a boy too.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: And they keep saying that over and over and over again.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Those are the folks that likely, but not always, will go on to really have a very firm, gender-diverse identity.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: In 2023, the AMA passed a resolution to commit to working with legislators to oppose policies that curb access to these treatments or prioritize parental rights.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: The resolution also promised to collaborate with other organizations to, quote, educate the Federation of State Medical Boards about the importance of gender-affirming care.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: The AMA also enthusiastically supported Dr. Rachel Levine's nomination as assistant secretary for HHS during the Biden era.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, Levine, who's a man who identifies as a woman, is a proponent of all types of trans drugs and procedures for minors.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Here's Levine talking about children going through the wrong puberty.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: What if you're going through the wrong puberty?
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: What if you inside feel that you are female, but now you're going through a male puberty?
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: As John mentioned, the AMA is the largest medical association in the United States, and it has significant influence in shaping policy and common medical practices.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: So it sounds like the AMA is digging in on this issue.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: That's despite divergent opinions coming out across the pond and some of the more long-term studies.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Are there any other medical groups that are changing their stance on this?
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, the medical establishment in the U.S., all the biggest medical organizations, they're standing behind this position to support trans procedures for minors.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: This would include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, are there any groups that are actively opposing these treatments?
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, we are starting to see individual medical professionals speak out about this.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: And now we're seeing organizations forming and they're calling for evidence-based medicine.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: One group called Do No Harm has 16,000 members.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: And one of their stated goals is to curtail the unscientific and individually harmful practice of so-called gender-affirming care.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: And, you know, of course, the Trump administration is firmly opposed to these procedures.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Trump ran on that and went in a landslide.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: During his second week in office, Trump signed an order saying that the U.S. will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support gender transitions for children.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Since Trump took office, a number of hospitals have announced that they're either curtailing or fully stopping trans procedures on minors.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, a huge disconnect forming between these professional organizations and regular people on this issue.
--:-- Host: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.
