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--:-- Georgia Howe: USAID is gutted as the State Department slashes thousands of programs within the department. It doesn't mean that we're not going to be doing foreign aid. It's a matter of how are we going to be doing the aid. What programs were cut and what happens to the few that remain?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, March 11th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A pro-Hamas agitator is detained by ICE as the U.S. opens phase two ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. It's time for Hamas to come to the table. Hamas has very little leverage. They have the hostages and that's really it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And the suspected murder of a man in Los Angeles County by two illegal immigrants sparks blowback against sanctuary policies. These aliens need to be deported. And at the very least, we've got to have the cooperation from these blue city mayors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- John Bickley: The State Department formalized sweeping cuts to USAID Monday, canceling programs that President Trump says did not serve American interests. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here with the specifics.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So this all started back on Inauguration Day when President Trump signed an executive order freezing all funding for foreign aid and ordering a review of the tens of billions of dollars going out the door.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: According to Trump, the program was rife with fraud and poured the taxpayer funds into causes that he said did not serve the interests of the American people.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So for the last seven weeks, the State Department and Doge have been reviewing all 6,200 programs within USAID. And on Monday, before he left for Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83% of them had been cut.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Writing on X, Rubio said, quote, the 5,200 contracts that are now canceled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, and in some cases even harmed, the core national interests of the United States.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping, approximately 1,000, to now be administered more effectively under the State Department.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here's Rubio speaking last month about his efforts to reform USAID
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Who gets the money? We won't tell you. We don't need to tell you. We are apolitical American foreign policy isn't apolitical. American foreign policy is to further the interest of the United States.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: If someone wants to spend apolitical dollars they should spend private dollars, go start a charity, and you can fund anyone you want. But if you're going to spend taxpayer money, then you need to spend it in furtherance of the national interest of the United States.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, for context, last fiscal year, USAID dispersed about $40 billion to more than 100 countries. While it was initially created in 1961 to promote humanitarian interests, Republicans say that in recent decades, more and more funding has gone to overtly political or just downright wasteful programs.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: What do we know about the programs that are being cut? Well, the White House issued a memo with some of the more controversial examples. It included $1.5 million for DEI inclusion in Serbian workplaces, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala You get the idea
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The Trump administration has also raised concerns over USAID funding making its way into the hands of American enemies For example, federal prosecutors say up to $10 million worth of USAID funds went towards food for the Nusra Front an al-Qaeda-linked terror group in Syria In Afghanistan, the White House says millions of taxpayer dollars went towards farming equipment and fertilizer used for poppy cultivation and heroin production, ultimately benefiting the Taliban.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: During a recent Oversight Committee hearing, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett questioned Greg Roman, the executive director of the Middle East Forum, about U.S. foreign aid making its way to terror groups. Are you aware that we are sending $40 million a week to the Taliban? Yes, sir. Can you name other instances of foreign aid going to terrorist organizations? We have assisted al-Shabaab in Somalia. There's been instances of the Hamzi network in Sudan, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Kapa'i Ba' Hezbollah, Hayat al-Shams in Syria. Dozens of terror organizations have received indirect assistance from U.S. foreign aid.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, Democrats, though, have made it very clear that they're not happy with Doge and these efforts to slash spending. What sort of response are we seeing from them regarding these USAID cuts?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, the left, as you can imagine, has expressed outrage, saying foreign aid is an effective means of stabilizing regions, building alliances, and fostering goodwill abroad. They view USAID as a means of exerting soft power and argue that China will gladly step in to fill the void left by these cuts.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And there's also been plenty of legal pushback, as aid groups have sued the Trump administration, alleging these cuts have violated existing federal contracts.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, for their part, the administration says they're still keeping the most important aid programs. Sources within the State Department have told The Daily Wire the secretary, quote, retained programs critical to protecting U.S. interests overseas, including food assistance, life-saving medical treatments for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and critical support for nations like Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, and others.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, hopefully the long-term impact will be better oversight of this kind of spending. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The State Department has detained a former Columbia University graduate student on accusations that he supported Hamas, a designated terror organization. The former student Mahmoud Khalil led disruptive protests last year against U.S. support for Israel. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about Khalil arrest and the latest on Israel war against Hamas
--:-- Tim Pierce: So, this arrest over the weekend is getting a lot of attention. What happened?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, immigration authorities arrived at Khalil's university apartment on Saturday and took him into custody. Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer, said that she spoke with one of the arresting agents and the agent said Khalil's green card has been revoked and he will be deported.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The legal fight over Khalil's arrest has already started and a federal judge yesterday blocked the Trump administration from deporting him.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, what's the administration's case for deportation? So President Trump signed an executive order to crack down on foreign nationals agitating for terrorist groups while in the U.S. The State Department says Khalil supported terrorists, namely Hamas, and led protests that occupied and damaged campus buildings and caused major disruptions to campus.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's Khalil leading a protest last year.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Khalil supporters say that this is an unjustified crackdown on Khalil's freedom of expression. Technically, as a foreign national, Khalil may not have the full freedoms that a citizen has, or at least that's the legal argument behind the deportation.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That question will likely go to the courts. Morningwire spoke about this with Victoria Coates, the vice president of national security and policy at the Heritage Foundation. Here's what she said.
--:-- Tim Pierce: In this case, we have a non-U.S. citizen who is saying things that are incredibly disruptive, that are attempting to incite violence, and who is here on a visa under very different circumstances than an American citizen. So he is now being held responsible for his actions, for his speech over the course of the last now more than a year plus. And he has valued much more highly his dedication to the Palestinian cause, then he has his legal presence in the United States. And so I think the State Department is entirely justified in taking this action.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Trump administration is cracking down on Columbia, too, over these protests. The administration has canceled $400 million in grants and contracts over what it says is the university's failure to protect Jewish students on campus.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, where will Khalil be deported to? He's of Palestinian descent and a Syrian national. That could make deporting him difficult with the instability still going on in Syria. So according to Coates, he may be sent to Egypt or Jordan or some other third-party state in the region.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Khalil's wife, who is a U.S. citizen, may choose to join her husband overseas or stay in the United States.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now finally, let's get a quick update on Israel. What's the latest in the war against Hamas? Well, an Israeli delegation traveled to Qatar on Monday to negotiate with Hamas on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. The U.S. envoy Steve Whitcoff is expected to travel there today. Israel wants more hostages released before the ceasefire plan moves forward. In the meantime, Israel has cut off electricity, food, and fuel to the Gaza Strip to increase pressure on the terrorist group.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, this is the first Gaza ceasefire negotiations since Trump took office. Right. So we'll have to see how that goes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Tim, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A man was shot and killed last month in Inglewood, California, after confronting thieves outside his home. The suspects have now been arrested, and their immigration status and long rap sheet are adding fuel to an already heated debate over public safety and sanctuary city policies. Joining us now to discuss is Daily Wire contributor Micah Parker.
--:-- Micah Parker: Hey, John. So sanctuary policies have been in the headlines in recent days with several mayors being grilled on Capitol Hill on their policies. Now we have this tragic situation in Los Angeles What do we know so far about this situation?
--:-- Micah Parker: Hey John Yeah so this one hits especially close to home for me Many of our listeners might remember that we spoke last June about my friend and actor Johnny Wachter who was shot and killed during a catalytic converter theft in downtown LA. His story gained national attention at the time, but unfortunately, he wasn't the last victim of this type of crime.
--:-- Micah Parker: Just a few weeks ago on February 27th, 36-year-old Juan Johnny Sanchez, his father of two, was fatally shot outside his home in Inglewood, California, after confronting two men trying to steal his neighbor's catalytic converter. His son doesn't want to be named, but remembered his father as a hero. It marks who he is. He's very heroic. He always wants to do the right thing.
--:-- Micah Parker: Now, the men accused of killing him, Wilbur Alberto Rabinales and Jose Christian Servia Sanchez, fled the scene but were arrested earlier last week. Now, both have lengthy criminal records and multiple arrests for violent crimes. And most alarmingly, authorities confirmed that both suspects are, in fact, illegal immigrants. Robinales is a Guatemalan national, while Sergio Sanchez immigrated illegally from El Salvador.
--:-- Micah Parker: Now, as Georgia noted at the top, the murder has intensified criticisms of Los Angeles' longstanding sanctuary city policies. And while I do want to note for our listeners that Inglewood is technically a separate city from Los Angeles, It is still part of L.A. County, where sanctuary policies have had a significant impact.
--:-- Micah Parker: I mean, just weeks before Sanchez's killing, the city of Los Angeles formally codified its sanctuary status. And L.A. County has long limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities, even in cases involving criminal suspects.
--:-- Micah Parker: So the biggest question still remains, if the county had cooperated with immigration enforcement, would these men have even been in the county to commit this crime in the first place?
--:-- Micah Parker: Right. Now, the crackdown over sanctuary city laws is a major priority for the Trump administration. But how are supporters of these laws in L.A. trying to make the case for them?
--:-- Micah Parker: Yeah, well, they argue that protecting illegal immigrants fosters trust between communities and law enforcement. But critics say these policies are downright dangerous, allowing repeat offenders to stay in the country and continue committing crimes. Sanchez's death is now being held up as yet another tragic example of what happens when public safety takes a back seat to political ideology.
--:-- Micah Parker: And of course, this is coming at a time when public frustration with Los Angeles leadership is at an all-time high. Right. That leads us to the news about Mayor Karen Bass. She's really under fire now. What's happening there?
--:-- Micah Parker: Yeah. So the recall effort against Bass is gaining serious momentum. It's been brewing for a while over issues like rising crime, homelessness, and of course, her handling of the city's response to the recent wildfires.
--:-- Micah Parker: But this outrage over Sanchez's murder has added fuel to that fire. And here's the big development. Former vice presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan has thrown her support behind the recall, donating a reported $4 million to the effort. So she's now one of the biggest financial backers of the recall, signaling that this isn't just a fringe movement.
--:-- Micah Parker: Now, final question. What's your sense on the ground there about what's next? Where's this heading?
--:-- Micah Parker: Right. Well, the recall effort against Bass is still in the very early stages. But if it gains enough traction, it could be a major political shakeup for L.A. And as for the Sanchez case, it's sure to keep the spotlight on the city's sanctuary policies as more people start asking who is really being protected here.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And no doubt Astoria will be keeping a close eye on Micah. Thank you so much for your time.
--:-- Micah Parker: Anytime, John. Thanks for waking up with us we'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
