Morning Wire XX
[0] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[1] It's Wednesday, October 18th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
[2] Still no Speaker of the House as Ohio Republican Jim Jordan was unable a second time to get the 217 votes needed to secure the gavel.
[3] Once again, Democrats voted in lockstep for New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who earned 212 votes, while Jordan received 199 one vote short of his total yesterday.
[4] Some Republicans have suggested making Patrick McHenry speaker pro -Tim on a more permanent basis.
[5] Jordan is pushing back on that idea.
[6] I don't think that's the right way to go.
[7] I think we should get a Republican speaker.
[8] I got 90 % of the Republicans in the conference to support to me. Would that help buy you more time?
[9] No, I think we should get a Republican speaker.
[10] I've been very clear about that.
[11] I think that's where the conference is.
[12] That's what our rules suggest.
[13] So let's get a Republican speaker and get about the people's business.
[14] President Biden made an official visit to war -torn Israel today, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the nation's temporary wartime government.
[15] Biden made brief remarks from a script but took no questions from the press.
[16] I want you to know you're not alone.
[17] You are not alone.
[18] We will continue to have Israel's back as you work to defend your people.
[19] We'll continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians.
[20] The president also, also announced $100 million in humanitarian funding for Gaza where Hamas is located, as well as the West Bank, but warned the terrorist group against poaching the resources.
[21] Let me be clear.
[22] If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people.
[23] And it will end.
[24] Meanwhile, in reaction to false reports that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza, anti -Israel and anti -American protests broke out at Israeli and U .S. embassies around the globe.
[25] Both the U .S. and Israeli governments have confirmed that the explosion damaged mostly a hospital parking lot and was launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Group.
[26] It's also suspected that far fewer people were injured than the 500 initially reported.
[27] Biden commented on the incident Wednesday morning.
[28] Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.
[29] But there's a lot of people out there not sure.
[30] So we've got to overcome a lot of things.
[31] A Daily Wire investigation has revealed that the U .S. Immigration Enforcement Agency hired a former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization and put her in a position to determine who gets into the country as an immigrant or asylum seeker.
[32] Meanwhile, the U .S. is facing pressure from the political left to welcome Palestinian refugees into the country.
[33] GOP officials, including several presidential candidates, have said that no refugees from Gaza should be accepted.
[34] My position is very clear.
[35] It's the first presidential candidate to say, no Gaza refugees, period.
[36] We're just not going to do it.
[37] We aren't bringing in anyone from Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, or Libya, or anywhere else that threatens our security.
[38] A judge announced Wednesday that Joran van der Sloot, the primary suspect in Natalie Holloway's 2005 disappearance, admitted that he killed her in a room.
[39] and disposed of her remains.
[40] Fander's Lute has not been charged in that death, but pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud in that case.
[41] He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
[42] Arkansas has now become the first state to force a Chinese -owned company to divest its land.
[43] Arkansas's Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law that bans certain foreign parties from owning agricultural land in the state.
[44] Now one company, Syngenta Seeds, located in Craig Head County and owned by the Chinese Communist Party is being forced to pay a $280 ,000 fine for failing to divest in the time given and must sell its properties.
[45] Here's Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday.
[46] This isn't about where you're from.
[47] We welcome Chinese Americans, Russian Americans, and anyone else who's given up foreign oppression for American freedom.
[48] This is about where your loyalties lie.
[49] We simply cannot trust those who pledge allegiance to a hostile foreign power.
[50] The attorneys of Sam Bankman -Fried, who's on trial for allegedly defrauding customers and investors of FTX, says that the 31 -year -old would like to testify in the coming weeks, but needs more Adderall in order to do so.
[51] His lawyers say that he has a prescription to take the ADHD drug and does so each morning while at the Metropolitan Detention Center, but the dosage wears off by the time the trial starts each day.
[52] They add that neither his legal team nor U .S. Marshals are allowed to bring more Adderall to the court and requested to adjourn until Thursday due to their client's prescription needs.
[53] The judge has rejected that request.
[54] All right, those are your drive -home updates this afternoon.
[55] To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire .com and for more in -depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.