--:-- [Upbeat music fades out, and the host, John Bickley, speaks]
--:-- John Bickley: 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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--:-- John Bickley: President Trump announces a massive shift to U.S. trade policy with plans to match what other countries charge the U.S. on imports. In other words, they charge us a tax or tariff, and we charge them the exact same tax or tariff. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, February 14th, and this is Morning Wire. For 20 years, I've gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I can end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country. On August 23rd, God sent me President Trump.
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--:-- John Bickley: RFK Jr. is sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, becoming Trump's latest pick to cross the finish line. Where do the other nominees stand? And the Trump DOJ files charges against the state of New York and its governor for sabotaging ICE efforts to deport illegal immigrants. Violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, human smugglers will no longer terrorize the American people. And that is why we are here today. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- John Bickley: On Thursday, President Trump laid out his plans for new reciprocal tariffs that will match rates other countries currently charge the U.S. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here to break down the latest salvo in this brewing trade war.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hey, Cabot. So as promised, Trump rolling out more tariffs yesterday, and he definitely delivered. What did we see from the White House?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, the president posted early yesterday on Truth Social, quote, three great weeks, perhaps the best ever. But today is the big one, reciprocal tariffs. And he was not kidding. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump announced that the U.S. would be revolutionizing our trade policy, implementing customized tariffs for each country we trade with that'll be based on the rate they charge us. Thus, the word reciprocal. And if other countries don't want to lower their tariffs on American goods, Trump says they can bring manufacturing here to the U.S. to avoid them.
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--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here he is elaborating on that decision. I have decided for purposes of fairness that I will charge a reciprocal tariff, meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them. In almost all cases, they're charging us vastly more than we charge them. But those days are over.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And to his point, the White House released a memo with examples of tariff imbalances from around the world. For example, U.S. tariffs on ethanol imports are 2.5%, but Brazil charges the U.S. 18%. Our tariffs on imported cars are 2 but the European Union charges us 10. The list goes on.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The Trump administration says that on two of all goods the United States faces higher tariffs than we charge others. And it's worth noting these tariffs will not go into effect immediately. And that intentional Trump is essentially trying to give other countries time to lower their own tariffs and negotiate with the U.S., similar to what we saw with Canada and Mexico last week. So he's giving them a little runway here before raising costs.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. What is his rationale for shifting to this particular approach now? Well, there are a few reasons. First, he says the tariffs will increase tax revenue and help offset the federal deficit, cutting into the national debt. It's important to remember the U.S. has relatively low tariff rates on imports coming into the country. Right now, it's around 2% for industrial goods. That's basically everything except food. And if you zoom out, about half of all imports face no tariffs.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, for decades, Republicans embraced a free trade approach and said that was a good thing because it kept prices low for consumers and encouraged other countries to take part in our economy. But President Trump says those low tariffs have encouraged companies to move their manufacturing elsewhere in search of cheaper labor while allowing the U.S. to be taken advantage of. This move is, in many ways, the culmination of a shift in Republican orthodoxy away from a free trade at all costs mindset.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, major shift in philosophy that's certainly been gaining momentum quickly under Trump. Now, this news all came as Trump sat for important meetings with India's prime minister, Narendra Modi. Tariffs, no doubt, came up there. What took place there?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, the Trump administration views India as a vital partner in countering the rise of China. But the relationship could be strained with these new tariffs. In the past, Trump has referred to them as the, quote, tariff king and a, quote, very big abuser on trade. On average, goods entering India face a 14% tariff. That's one of the highest in the world and more than six times the U.S. rate.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And because the value of Indian exports to the U.S. is twice the amount they import, India could be hit harder than almost any other country by these tariffs. But Trump and Modi appeared to have a productive and friendly conversation. The two shared a giant bear hug in the White House before holding a public press conference where Modi praised Trump saying, quote, we missed you a lot. Trump called him a, quote, great leader.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The president reportedly urged Modi to lower tariffs on American imports and increase the amount of American products purchased by India. He specifically brought up energy and weapons in particular. Here's Trump after their meeting. Starting this year, we'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We're also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters. In our meeting today, the prime minister and I reaffirmed that strong cooperation among the United States, India, Australia, and Japan. And it's crucial really to maintaining peace and prosperity, tranquility, even in the Indo-Pacific.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, as we find ourselves saying a lot here, never a slow day with Trump. To your point, Kevin, thanks for keeping us up to speed.
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--:-- John Bickley: President Trump picked up more key confirmations to his cabinet this week, including two of the most high-profile. Former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. Here with the details is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, things are moving along very smoothly for Trump. Even some of his long-shot picks are moving through. So let's start with RFK. He was confirmed yesterday. Tell us about that vote.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: RFK was confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary with 52 yes votes in the Senate. The vote was basically along party lines, except Republican Mitch McConnell voted no for Kennedy. In a statement, McConnell cited RFK's position on vaccinations, and he noted that he's a survivor of polio. McConnell has voted against Trump cabinet picks more than any other Republican, a total of three times so far.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, this confirmation of RFK is really significant, especially given the fact that not a single Democrat voted yes. In August, Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race and really laid into the Democrat Party in a speech announcing his endorsement of President Trump. Kennedy said that the Democrat Party disenfranchised voters and they used Democrat-aligned judges to throw him off ballots and to try to throw Trump, another political opponent, in jail.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: He said that the party was unrecognizable and he called Democrats the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big ag, and big money. As we followed here, Democrats flipped in that moment. And instead of using lawfare to keep RFK off presidential ballots, they worked to keep him on ballots in an effort to hurt Trump.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Right. Well, RFK brought over a lot of disaffected Democrats as well. Now, another notable confirmation pick-up this week was Tulsi Gabbard. A lot of people thought she was a real long shot. How did she manage to get through?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Right. So out of all of Trump's nominees, aside from Matt Gaetz, who dropped out very early, Gabbard was seen to have perhaps the toughest road to confirmation. Gabbard was a former Democrat congresswoman and presidential candidate, and she faced a lot of scrutiny over her past comments supporting former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in a 2017 meeting she took with Syria's then-president Bashar al-Assad.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Like RFK, Gabbard picked up 52 yes votes in the Senate along party lines. She picked up all Republican senators except McConnell and zero Democrats. Now, what nominees are still outstanding at this point?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Lyndon McMahon, who served in Trump's first administration, she's the president's nominee to lead the Department of Education. She appeared before the Senate Education Committee on Thursday, just one day after Trump publicly called for the Department of Education to be closed, calling it a, quote, complete con job.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: McMahon, who was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, she addressed those comments from Trump during the hearing. I am really all for the president's mission, which is to return education to the states. I believe, as he does, that the best education is closest to the child and not certainly from Washington, D.C.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: If the department is downsized, would the states and localities still receive the federal funding, which they currently receive? Yes. Okay. It is not the president's goal to defund the programs. It is only to have it operate more efficiently. If the committee approves McMahon, she'll proceed to a full Senate vote. And right now, she is expected to be confirmed.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: There's also Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Yesterday, he won the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a 12-to-10 party-line vote, the panel approved Patel's nomination. Next, Patel is headed to the Senate for consideration, and he too is expected to be confirmed.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, overall, a very anti-establishment cabinet. It's going to be interesting to see how this term goes.
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--:-- Tim Pierce: The Department of Justice has filed charges against the state of New York and several top officials over its effort to protect illegal aliens from deportation. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the legal action against New York.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So another showdown in effect between Trump and New York. First, what exactly is the DOJ alleging against the state and these officials?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hey, John. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the charges on Wednesday. The lawsuit names New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and Mark Schroeder, the head of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's Bondi. This is a new DOJ, and we are taking steps to protect Americans, American citizens, and angel moms like the mom standing right behind me who you're going to hear from in a moment. New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The lawsuit centers around New York's green light law that was signed in 2019. The law allows illegal aliens to buy cars and obtain driver's licenses. It also blocks the New York DMV from passing on most information on licensees to federal authorities. On top of that, the DMV notifies any licensee whose information is requested. That covers any alien's information requested by ICE.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Justice Department said the Greenlight Law was passed to directly impair the enforcement of federal immigration laws in New York. We've heard responses from some New York officials. What are they saying?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hochul put out a statement Wednesday night that called Bondi's announcement dramatic and smoke and mirrors. The governor said the law has already survived multiple legal challenges and does not expect a different outcome this time.
--:-- Tim Pierce: For her part, James called the lawsuit an attempt to weaponize the Department of Justice to intimidate political opponents. Now, the Trump administration has had some problems from within the federal government in deporting aliens related to leaks and other issues. What's the latest there?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Right. ICE has dealt with a constant stream of leaks to the media about its planned raids. Those leaks have either drastically cut the effectiveness of major operations or forced ICE to delay or cancel jobs. This has happened multiple times now in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and it's frustrating officials in the White House.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Up till now, the biggest single day for ICE arrest has been 1,100 people, and the average day is, of course, lower than that. If ICE aims to deport, say, a million people in the first year, the daily average would have to be over 2,700. According to recent reports, the current pace has frustrated Trump and other top officials.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Right. They set out very ambitious goals on this. We've seen some competing claims about the leaks. Where does the administration think they're coming from?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pointed at the FBI over the weekend. On Sunday, she wrote in a post on X, quote, the FBI is so corrupt, we will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Borders are Tom Homan went on Fox News on Monday and he agreed with her. Here's some of that. She's correct. Some of the information we're receiving tends to lead toward the FBI. But I talked to Deputy Attorney General all this weekend. They've opened up a criminal investigation and they have promised that not only this person will lose their job and lose their pension, they're going to go to jail. They're going to criminally prosecute.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So we're all over it. Holman echoed comments made by Bondi over the weekend. Here was Bondi on Fox News on Sunday. If anyone leaks anything, people don't understand. That jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement. And if you leaked it, we will find out who you are and we will come after you. And it's not going to stop our mission. It's not going to stop the president's mission to make America safe again.
--:-- Tim Pierce: We were very clear with the lawsuit that we filed in Chicago that if you don't follow the law, you will be prosecuted by the Department of Justice. The pressure is building. The latest leak was printed in the Los Angeles Times last week. The Times reported on a leaked memo that described large-scale ICE operations plan in L.A. that were supposed to take place by the end of the month.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, polling shows a majority back Trump's deportation plan. We'll see if they're able to tighten up the process.
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--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
