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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Friday, December 20th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to the show, Georgia. Let's get right into it. President-elect Donald Trump has filed an amicus brief urging a Texas court to halt the Biden administration's fire sale of border wall materials.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the latest. Tim, can you tell us more about this?
--:-- Tim Rice: Thanks, Georgia. According to the brief, Trump accuses the outgoing administration of undermining his plan to complete the southern border wall. The brief cites the Daily Wire's exclusive report on the Biden administration hauling off border wall pieces, claiming the materials are being auctioned for pennies on the dollar, potentially in violation of federal law.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big deal, Georgia. What's the Biden administration's response to this?
--:-- Tim Rice: The Biden administration defends the sales under a 2023 defense bill, saying it's a legitimate way to dispose of excess materials. But Trump's attorney argues the sales obstruct the incoming administration's border security priorities and calls for an investigation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, House GOP leaders are pushing a new plan to avoid a government shutdown. Can you tell us more about that, Tim?
--:-- Tim Rice: Yes, Georgia. The new proposal includes separate votes on a $3 billion spending plan for disaster relief and $1 billion for farm aid, but excludes action on the debt ceiling. Speaker Mike Johnson says discussions with the Republican conference are ongoing.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big development, Georgia. Will this plan pass?
--:-- Tim Rice: It's unclear, John. Earlier attempts to pass spending bills failed, with nearly 40 Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. President-elect Donald Trump has called for immediate action, saying any shutdown should happen under the Biden administration, not his own.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a interesting twist, John. Now, let's move on to another story. Will TikTok get banned in the U.S. next month? The Supreme Court will likely decide.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Thanks, Georgia. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on January 10th over TikTok's bid to block a federal ban that could take effect on January 19th unless the platform is sold to an American company.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big deal, Georgia. What's at stake here?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: TikTok, with 170 million U.S. users, argues that the ban violates First Amendment rights. A lower court recently rejected TikTok's request for a pause, citing security concerns over potential Chinese government data access.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The ban's fate hangs in the balance just days before President-elect Trump's inauguration. Trump, once a critic of TikTok, has since warmed to the platform and has credited it with helping him connect to younger voters.
--:-- John Bickley: That's an interesting development, Georgia. Now, let's move on to another story. The Federal Aviation Agency is cracking down on New Jersey's airspace following a rise in drone sightings.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks, John. The FAA's temporary restrictions exclude operations supporting defense, security, and emergency missions, but 5,000 tips have been reported since November, with fewer than 100 requiring further investigation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The FBI says there's no evidence of large-scale drone activity. House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the Biden administration, saying answers on the drones remain elusive despite meetings with federal agencies.
--:-- John Bickley: Meanwhile, experts continue to say the drones are likely coming from within the U.S.
--:-- William Dunn: I believe they're being used by government agencies or other agencies to support a specific mission that the government is not telling us about.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The greater concern, according to Dunn, are the small drones that can be carried in a backpack or knapsack over the southern border by a nefarious actor that plans to do harm to the United States.
--:-- John Bickley: The flight restrictions over the Garden State remain in effect until January 17th.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, let's move on to another story. Concern has grown for one of the astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station.
--:-- [Audio clip of NASA's Suni Williams]
--:-- Georgia Howe: A holiday photo shared by NASA shows astronaut Suni Williams looking gaunt, sparking worried reactions online. 59-year-old Williams and astronaut Butch Wilmore, who've been on the station since June, were scheduled for an eight-day stay but have faced repeated delays due to issues with their Boeing spacecraft.
--:-- John Bickley: NASA now says their return is delayed until late March.
--:-- Georgia Howe: California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency after outbreaks among cattle in nearly 650 dairies since August.
--:-- [Audio clip of news report]
--:-- Georgia Howe: The first severe U.S. case of H5N1 bird flu was detected in a Louisiana patient, now hospitalized after exposure to a backyard flock. The CDC confirmed the case Friday, marking the first linked to backyard birds in the U.S.
--:-- John Bickley: While 61 cases have been reported nationwide this year, the CDC stresses there is no evidence of human-to-human spread, and the public risk remains low.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A former high school volleyball star who suffered serious injury after a spike to the head from a trans-identifying male player is speaking out.
--:-- Peyton McNabb: I couldn't understand or comprehend my work as well at school, so I had to get extra help and accommodations to help with testing and tutoring and stuff. And, of course, the headaches. And I was having to have someone with me at all times. I couldn't drive for a few months. It was really bad at first. But thankfully, I've grown a lot since then.
--:-- Georgia Howe: McNabb says she hopes her story inspires change to protect female athletes.
--:-- John Bickley: And finally, LA Times' Dr. Patrick Soon-Chiang is making headlines lately for a few notable shake-ups at the paper.
--:-- Sun Xiang: When I first started this, obviously, Norm Polstein was the executive editor with me, and really seasoned, and we had that same mission. Unfortunately, COVID happened, and I had to take my eye off the paper to focus on what I was doing on cancer and COVID.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Tune in tomorrow morning for our full interview with Dr. Soon Chiang, in which we discuss his thoughts on the incoming administration and his research in cancer treatment.
--:-- John Bickley: 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 reporting on the biggest stories of the day, tune into our full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow.
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