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--:-- Host: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- Host: President Trump faces setbacks on tariffs and Harvard and sets a peace deadline for Putin. This isn't my war. This is Biden's war, Zelensky's war, and Putin's war. This isn't Trump's war. I'm only here for one thing to see if I can end it. Has President Trump drawn a red line with Russia? I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, May 30th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host: Months after their sweeping election defeat, Democrats continue to struggle, losing ground among their most reliable voting blocs. The party that sees itself as the party of working people came to be seen by so many working people as a party of the elites. And Caitlin Clark continues to score big ratings for the WNBA, but the league is being rocked by racial controversy. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Host: In a flurry of activity, the president appeared to give Vladimir Putin an ultimatum this week and vowed to push ahead with tariffs despite a roadblock in the courts. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here to get us up to speed.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it seems clear President Trump is done taking the good cop approach with Vladimir Putin. After those unprecedented Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian cities, the president has become far more critical of his counterpart in Moscow, accusing them of intentionally stalling on peace negotiations.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: To that point, Putin promised last week to deliver a peace proposal to get formal talks going. But we've yet to see anything come out. The Kremlin will only say that their proposal is in its, quote, final stages. And now Trump appears to be giving Putin an ultimatum. We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not. And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently. But it'll take about a week and a half, two weeks.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But look, it's worth noting, President Trump multiple times in the last few months has given Putin two weeks to come forward with the deal. And it hasn't happened. Now, last weekend, he said he was strongly considering new sanctions against Moscow. But in recent days, he has walked back that idea, saying he did not want to hinder potential peace talks.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that. Let me tell you, I'm a lot tougher than the people you're talking about. But you have to know when to use that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, on the economic front, the Trump administration was dealt some potentially significant blows in court this week. What's going on there?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So two parts here. First, on Wednesday night, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of International Trade struck down dozens of President Trump's tariffs on countries worldwide. Remember, Trump invoked the Emergency Economic Powers Act to implement those tariffs. He argued that fentanyl trafficking and trade deficits constituted a national emergency and therefore he had power to act.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But the court ruled that Trump quote exceeded any authority granted to the president by that Emergency Powers Act. So then Thursday morning a second federal court in D issued a similar ruling again saying Trump's tariffs were unlawful. Now, that first ruling was put on hold Thursday afternoon by a federal appeals court. They ruled in Trump's favor, saying that all tariffs can remain in place while the court reviews the case.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Regardless of how they ruled, though, the Trump administration says they are not slowing down. They called the rulings a hiccup. Here's White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett making that case.
--:-- Kevin Hassett: If there are little hiccups here and there because of decisions that activist judges make, then it shouldn't just concern you at all. And it's certainly not going to affect the negotiations. So the administration is still pushing ahead on tariffs. Feel very confident about that still.
--:-- Kevin Hassett: They're also very confident about revoking student visas. Tell us more about that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, big move here. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing this week that the administration will work to, aggressively revoke the visas of Chinese exchange students who they deem to have ties with the Communist Party, as well as those studying in, quote, critical fields.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Keep in mind, Chinese students account for about 20% of all student visas. The State Department has been warning for years now that many of those students work with the CCP to smuggle sensitive research data and other intellectual property back to Beijing. In response, China said, quote, this political and discriminatory practice of the U.S. has exposed the lies of the so-called freedom and openness that the U.S. has always advertised.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Rubio, though, says we will also create a new process to enhance scrutiny on all future applications on Chinese students. So they're really cracking down on the CCP.
--:-- Host: Yeah, they clearly are. Now, one big piece of news before you go from the administration, a major departure. What's happening there?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, Elon Musk announcing that he will be leaving his role at the Department of Government Efficiency to focus on his many, many business endeavors. Musk helped carry out Trump's campaign pledge to cut back the bureaucracy in Washington. He slashed tens of thousands of government jobs during his short tenure. And while at times he certainly clashed with some cabinet members and other officials, by all accounts, he leaves in very good standing with President Trump.
--:-- Host: That's sort of a bittersweet moment there. Kevin, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Kevin Hassett: Absolutely.
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--:-- Host: The party itself has increasingly become a smarty pants, suburban, college-educated party, and it lends itself to the kind of backlash that we've seen. That was Democrat strategist David Axelrod discussing the Democrats' struggle to connect with American men, a demographic that played a crucial role in putting Trump in the White House.
--:-- Host: A recent report leaked to The New York Times highlights the party's $20 million plan to win them back. Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham joins us now with the details.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Megan, the New York Times article paints a pretty grim picture for Democrats. And then there's other data out now showing they've lost 20 points among Black adults and about the same with Hispanics. So just how bad is the Democrats relationship with young men specifically?
--:-- Megan Basham: You know, Georgia, what I would say is that the Democrats are facing a problem of both perception and policy. And overall the party approval rating has now plummeted to 27 percent. That's the lowest that it's been since 1990. Young men in particular are shifting rightward, with many feeling alienated by the Democrat Party's current messaging.
--:-- Megan Basham: This was something that Jake Tapper captured recently. I went on a left-leaning podcast, and they asked me about my son, and I said he was, you know, he's a football player, and he wants to be a policeman. And their joke was, about my 15-year-old son, oh, how does he feel about minorities? Like, the idea that he wants to be a policeman, therefore he's racist, my son. And, like, you know, that was the big laugh.
--:-- Megan Basham: So a focus group cited in that Times report found that these voters, specifically young men, tend to see Democrats as sloths or tortoises, whereas they see Republicans as, quote unquote, apex predators. And that's something that's particularly drawing them to Donald Trump, that perception gap.
--:-- Megan Basham: It's the GOP's bold, unapologetic style. And of course, it is exemplified by the head of the GOP, Donald Trump himself. So that's perception. But what about specific policies that are pushing young men away from the Democratic Party?
--:-- Megan Basham: So a few issues stand out. First, there's the economic angle. Working class counties with lower median incomes have seen young men gravitate toward the GOP, which they perceive as better addressing their economic concerns, like job security, cost of living, some important things like that.
--:-- Megan Basham: And then second, there's also this cultural component. So young white men, particularly those who do not have college degrees, feel that the Democrats focus on progressive social issues, things like gender identity and DEI, something that was heavily pushed by the last Biden administration, demonizes them.
--:-- Megan Basham: Meanwhile, you have the GOP's presence on platforms like Joe Rogan and other popular podcasters with young men, and that has really created a pull that the Democrats are struggling to counter. This was what pollster Carly Cooperman told me.
--:-- Megan Basham: There are groups of voters who just really feel like they have been ignored and left behind. I think you see with Hispanics in particular, the issue of immigration was something that was huge. I mean, these are people who feel like there has been too much immigration into the country, and it is impacting their day-to-day life in terms of jobs and cost of living and the like.
--:-- Megan Basham: Okay, so let's talk about the $20 million plan that Dems hope are going to bring these men back. What is that plan?
--:-- Megan Basham: So they have a multifaceted strategy, but I would say it's being met with just a little bit of skepticism. So a key initiative here starts with this $20 million plan that you mentioned that's led by activist David Hogg's organization. So it's called the American Men, a Strategic Plan, and it will study, I'm quoting here, the syntax, language, and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces of male voters.
--:-- Megan Basham: So the focus is on digital outreach, emphasizing platforms like TikTok, YouTube, also X to some degree, and also on podcasts like Joe Rogan, which were so prominent and influential in that last election. That was a huge shift in the way the media landscape worked. You know, I think we saw Democrats wary of going on some of these podcasts that lean, you know, culturally conservative or where Republicans were going on. But that is the shifting landscape.
--:-- Megan Basham: And that is where people are reaching men and particularly younger men. So beyond the digital campaigns, they're also amplifying younger voices, people like Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. So really hoping that these will be the leaders of 2028.
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, you know, if they don't diagnose the root issue, it's going to be very hard to fix it.
--:-- Host: Megan, thanks for reporting. Absolutely.
--:-- Host: My pleasure. Caitlin Clark continues to draw strong ratings for the WNBA while the league finds itself engulfed in racial controversy The league has just completed an investigation into racial discrimination Here to tell us more is David Cohn from Crane & Company.
--:-- David Cohn: Hey, David. So tell us about this situation with Kaitlin Clark.
--:-- David Cohn: Yes, the WNBA season is only two weeks in so far to 2025, but it only took one game for accusations of racism to be investigated by the league. By now, many of our listeners know that Kaitlin Clark and her team, the Indiana Fever took on the Chicago Sky on May 17th to kick off this year. And Clark was called for a flagrant foul against Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
--:-- David Cohn: Angel Reese came after Caitlin Clark, had to be restrained by her teammates. Now, neither team mentioned any accusations of fan remarks in the postgame news conference, but allegations of hateful remarks began to surface on social media afterwards. And those remarks were directed towards Angel Reese, who is black.
--:-- David Cohn: And Reese and the WNBA announced within a few hours that it would investigate those claims. And Reese commented on the supposedly racist behavior against her here.
--:-- David Cohn: Basically, there's no place in this league for that. I think the WNBA, our team and our organization has done a great job supporting me. But the league has now wrapped up this investigation and the story doesn't quite hold up, correct?
--:-- David Cohn: Correct. So after an investigation that lasted about a week long, The WNBA says they found no evidence to support this. I'll read their quote here verbatim. Based on information gathered to date, including from relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well as audio and video of the game, we have not substantiated it.
--:-- David Cohn: How is the conclusion of this investigation being responded to so far?
--:-- David Cohn: Well, many across the country are calling out the league for having a full-blown investigation based off social media comments. It is unclear whether Reese herself notified the WNBA to prompt this investigation. Many observers of the WNBA have said the real racism is being directed against Caitlin Clark for being one of the few standout white stars in the league.
--:-- David Cohn: Now, Caitlin Clark, for her part, has spoken out against racial discrimination multiple times. She said last week there is no place for that in our game or in our society. I appreciate the league doing that. I appreciate the Fever organization has been at the forefront of that since day one. and what they're doing.
--:-- David Cohn: A pretty gracious response there. And I assume social media, a little bit less gracious about this whole situation. Tell us about that.
--:-- David Cohn: Certainly. So one notable example is Dave Portnoy, the Barstool Sports founder, who is an avid Kaitlin Clark fan and who was at the game in question on May 17th. He posted a fiery message following the inquiry and he told Indiana Fever, Clark's team, that it's okay to have a spine and defend its fans. He also slammed the league's investigation as BS.
--:-- David Cohn: So a very portnoy response there. Just stepping back a little bit, how is the WNBA doing, especially with all these controversies?
--:-- David Cohn: Here's some context for you. The top five most watched regular season WNBA games over the past two years feature Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. And two of those have come so far in this initial 2025 season. That's 2.7 million people tuned in to watch the Fever take on the sky. That's where this whole situation began. and then 2.2 million watched the Fever take on the New York Liberty just a few days ago.
--:-- David Cohn: In that game against the Liberty, Caitlin Clark suffered a quad injury that will likely keep her sidelined for two weeks, which means she will miss her first game action since high school. But many in the sport insist that the league's ratings have nothing to do with Clark whatsoever, so it'll be very telling to check those ratings if Caitlin Clark is indeed sidelined for multiple weeks.
--:-- Host: Yeah, Will, and meanwhile, this controversy is getting a lot of buzz. We're talking about it now, a lot of other outlets talking about the WNBA because of it. Dave, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- David Cohn: Thank you for having me.
--:-- Host: Before you go, we're on YouTube now. Watch and subscribe to the video version on our Morning Wire channel. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
