Morning Wire XX
[0] Israel takes out key Hamas targets in Gaza, while new evidence confirms the terror group deliberately targeted Israeli civilians, including children.
[1] This wasn't the civilians being in the wrong place.
[2] This was the civilians were the target.
[3] We discussed the latest from Israel and the pro -Hamas protests erupting in Western countries.
[4] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Vickley, with Georgia Howell.
[5] It's Monday, October 16th, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] I just share with my colleagues, and I'm withdrawing my name as a candidate for the Speaker -designee.
[7] The House of Representatives is still without a speaker after the GOP nominee failed to get enough votes on the chamber floor.
[8] We break down the latest in the search for someone worthy to wield the speaker gavel.
[9] And as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken meets with officials from Qatar, the cozy relationship between Qatar and Hamas comes under scrutiny.
[10] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[11] Stay tuned.
[12] We have the news you need to know.
[13] More than a week after terrorists claimed the lives of 1 ,300 people, Israel has stepped up its war on Hamas, launching targeted airstrikes as the military prepares for an imminent ground invasion of Gaza.
[14] Here with the latest is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
[15] Cabot, first, we learned new details about the terror attacks over the weekend.
[16] Tell us what we learned.
[17] Yeah, as the Israeli military is retaking the areas infiltrated by Hamas, the full scope of the attack is finally coming into focus.
[18] At latest count, the death toll stands around 1 ,300, mostly civilians, including 27 American citizens with another 14 still missing.
[19] Over the weekend, officials announced they'd found detailed maps of military bases in Israeli towns on the bodies of Hamas terrorists, really underscoring the sophistication of this attack.
[20] Also found among the dead were detailed orders marked top secret in Arabic, with instructions to target elementary schools and a youth center in one town to, quote, kill as many people as possible, take hostages and then flee back to Gaza.
[21] The plans show that certain Hamas units were to focus on slaughtering civilians, while others were specifically tasked with rounding up hostages.
[22] Right.
[23] This obviously contradicts the claims made by Hamas and their supporters.
[24] Yeah, it absolutely does.
[25] So Hamas spokesmen have released videos of their terrorists caring for Israeli children during the attack as supposed proof that they had not targeted children.
[26] Pro -Palestinian activists have parroted those claims on social media saying Israeli officials had lied about children being killed in an attempt to spread propaganda and then drum up international support.
[27] But this latest evidence removes any doubt.
[28] On Friday, Prime Minister Nanjahou also released graphic images of dead infants in pools of blood, along with others showing the charred remains of a small child.
[29] Other documents recovered after the attack show that Hamas have been surveilling towns along the border for some time now, noting where children gathered throughout the week, and specific times a day that they'd be vulnerable.
[30] Yeah, just horrific confirmation of all of that.
[31] Now, Israel has continued their war on Hamas in Gaza.
[32] What's the latest on that front?
[33] Well, throughout the weekend, the Israeli military continued to launch air strikes against Hamas strongholds.
[34] On Saturday, the IDF announced that they'd killed a top Hamas commander who personally took part in the attack last week and led one of the terror group's elite units.
[35] Also, over the weekend, Israel announced for the first time that they'd begun ground operations in Gaza, sending a small number of troops in for targeted raids.
[36] And that is just the beginning.
[37] The IDF has massed hundreds of thousands of troops along the northern border of Gaza in preparation for an imminent ground invasion.
[38] As part of that preparation, Israel urged all civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south away from the airstrikes and the looming ground swell.
[39] In one message, Israeli military officials said, quote, civilians of Gaza City evacuate south for your own safety and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields.
[40] But Hamas has urged their people to stay put.
[41] Exactly.
[42] So throughout the weekend, speaker systems in mosques around Gaza blared orders from Hamas for residents to stay where they are, as satellite images showed roadblocks set up on highways preventing residents from fleeing south.
[43] As a spokesman for Hamas put it, quote, we tell the people of northern Gaza, stay put in your homes.
[44] We will die and we will not leave, he later added.
[45] And sadly, civilians have died as a result.
[46] According to authorities in Gaza, which again is run by Hamas, over 1900 Palestinians, including.
[47] including 700 children have been killed so far, though again, those numbers have not been confirmed.
[48] While Hamas claims Israel is trying to starve Palestinians, cutting off access to water, the terror group actually posted a video to social media showing their terrorists digging up water lines around Gaza and then using the pipes to create rockets to fire back into Israel.
[49] It underscores the total disregard for civilians in the region, even as the war appears set to intensify.
[50] Right.
[51] Now, throughout the weekend, we saw an outpouring of support for Hamas, So for the terrorists, give us some more context on that front.
[52] Yeah, we saw massive demonstrations on a global scale that really shocked a lot of people.
[53] So in London, for example, thousands of demonstrators took to the street Saturday, chanting in support of Hamas and calling on the UK and U .S. to end their support of Israel.
[54] Police made a number of arrests after protesters turned violent, scuffling with police, and also shooting fireworks into their ranks.
[55] In Paris, where thousands gathered in similar events, the French government actually issued a nationwide owner banning pro -Palestinian demonstrations, citing a number of anti -Semitic attacks on Jewish residents throughout the last week.
[56] Hundreds of protesters, though, defied that order and turned violent, hurling rocks and bottles of police who responded with tear gas and water cannons to break up the chaotic scene.
[57] Yeah, really alarming shows of support for extremists in Western countries.
[58] Kebett, thanks for reporting.
[59] Any time.
[60] The battle to replace Kevin McCarthy, a speaker of the House of Representatives, has entered its second week, with no immediate end in sight.
[61] Here to discuss where it all stands is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
[62] Hey, Dave.
[63] So with a strong sense of deja vu here, I ask you again, are we any closer to having a speaker of the house?
[64] Good morning, John, and happy Groundhog Day.
[65] A lot has happened since last week, but we do not appear to be much closer to having a speaker.
[66] If you recall when we last left off, we were waiting to see if Majority Leader Steve Scalise could get to 217 votes.
[67] He did not.
[68] Now Jim Jordan has been nominated by the GOP.
[69] caucus, but about 50 members also cast votes saying they would not support Jordan on the floor.
[70] Representative Mike Rogers from Alabama, who listeners might remember for almost getting into a physical altercation with Matt Gates back in January during the first speaker battle, he's also entered the race to challenge Jordan.
[71] Meanwhile, there's increasing talk of a power sharing deal with Democrats to keep Speaker pro tem Patrick McHenry in place for the immediate future, and it looks like some Democrats are ready to deal.
[72] The bottom line remains the same.
[73] Nobody has 217 Republican votes.
[74] A House floor vote is scheduled for Tuesday at noon, and at the very least, Jordan and his allies want the opposition on the record.
[75] Right.
[76] Now, there's a lot of public support among Republicans for Jordan, including the endorsement of McCarthy.
[77] Is this enough to get him past this finish line?
[78] A couple things here.
[79] Yes, McCarthy has endorsed Jordan.
[80] But if you will, recall, Jordan endorsed Scalise, and Scalise endorsed McCarthy before he was vacated.
[81] This is a little like Julius Caesar turning down the crown three times.
[82] Nobody wants to look too lean, hungry, and ambitious, but they all likely want to be speaker.
[83] As to what the anti -Jordan forces want, it's tricky because while the anti -McCarcy crowd wanted a big public fight on TV and social media, the anti -Jordan crowd does its work behind closed doors.
[84] They don't post on X every 10 minutes, but rather keep their cards clung pretty close to their vests.
[85] Some are concerned about maintaining Ukraine funding.
[86] Some worry that Jordan is viewed as extreme by moderates in swing districts.
[87] And listen, some just don't want Matt Gates to be rewarded for causing all of this by giving Jordan, who Gates calls his mentor, the gavel.
[88] Yeah.
[89] And finally, where do Democrats stand in all of this?
[90] Are they potentially the beneficiaries of all this GOP chaos?
[91] Democrats have gone hard against Jordan, painting him as their favorite thing to say, a MAGA extremist.
[92] There's at least two goals here.
[93] One, just to poke a stick at the GOP as it appears to haplessly be running around with the Benny Hill theme music in the background.
[94] But also, should Jordan secure the speakership, they're laying the groundwork to attack Republicans in swing districts who have to vote for Jordan for him to win.
[95] Polling shows Democrats losing on the economy, foreign policy, the border, crime, you name it.
[96] So Biden and the Democrats are trying to run against supposed GOP extremism.
[97] If Jordan wins, they'll try to make him a focus of that.
[98] A very familiar tune at this point.
[99] We've heard this song before.
[100] Yes, we have.
[101] Dave, thanks for joining us.
[102] Thanks for having me. Cutter's longstanding ties to terror groups are under scrutiny after one of those groups, Hamas, launched its brutal attack against Israel.
[103] Despite pressure from the U .S., Qatar seems likely to keep those ties in place for now, claiming it can be a moderating influence on extremism.
[104] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to break down Cutter's ties to terrorists and its influence on Hamas.
[105] So Tim, first off, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Qatari officials last week.
[106] What happened there?
[107] Yeah, the Secretary met with top officials in Qatar as part of a diplomatic blitz across the Middle East.
[108] He'll be back in Israel today after traveling to half a dozen Arab countries, mainly to try and prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas from, spreading.
[109] Here's him talking about that from Cairo yesterday.
[110] We came here to make clear that the United States stands with Israel to prevent the conflict from spreading to other places, to work on securing the release of hostages, including American citizens, and to address the humanitarian crisis that exists in Gaza.
[111] Qatar operates in this middle ground on the region.
[112] On the one hand, it's been friendly with the U .S. for decades.
[113] President Biden designated Qatar a major non -NATO ally last year.
[114] On the other hand, Qatar has long -standing ties to numerous terror groups in the region, including Hamas, and it's a close ally of Iran, the world's largest state backer of terrorism.
[115] Well, and the State Department is now pushing Qatar to sever ties to those terrorist groups, correct?
[116] Right.
[117] Blinken told Cutter's prime minister that there can be no more business as usual with Hamas.
[118] But when asked about Cutter's plans for top Hamas officials who are headquartered in Cutter's capital, Doha.
[119] The Prime Minister said it's important that they stay.
[120] Here's a clip from a joint press conference on Friday.
[121] Regarding your question about Hamas political office in Doha right now, actually this office since it started, it's been used as a way of communicating and communicating and bringing peace and calm to the region, not to investigate anymore.
[122] Now, when Blinken says business as usual, what does that mean?
[123] What is Qatar's business with Hamas?
[124] They are close enough that Hamas's main decision -making body is located in Qatar.
[125] The Hamas Politburo is a council of 15 officials led by chairman Ishmael Hanyi, and it directs Hamas' social, political, and military policies from its headquarters in Doha.
[126] Those officials reportedly live extremely lavish lifestyles there.
[127] On top of that, Qatar has deep pockets from oil and gives a reported $30 million in aid every month to Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas.
[128] About a third of that money is used to buy Egyptian fuel that is shipped to Gaza and then sold by Hamas for money.
[129] Another third is supposed to be used to support the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and the last third is used to pay Hamas civil workers.
[130] And Qatar has had relationships like this all over the Middle East to the Muslim Brotherhood, to al -Qaeda, and to the Taliban.
[131] Now, what is Cutter's rationale for keeping those ties in place?
[132] Whenever the issue is pushed, the Qatari government says it's more useful to have these inroads because it can be a moderating force on the extremists.
[133] And Qatar has taken the lead in negotiations with Hamas, which is currently holding Israeli and American hostages.
[134] But nothing has come of that yet, and a lot of people are skeptical generally of Qatar's claims of influence among terror groups, including in the Middle East.
[135] Most believe Qatar's dealings with terrorists are an attempt to stay on good terms with the most extreme groups in the Arab world.
[136] Unfortunately, what that means for the Israel -Hamas conflict is just better -equipped terrorists and more rockets to fire at Israelis.
[137] Now, does the U .S. intend to pressure Qatar into cutting ties?
[138] Maybe, but Blinken hasn't said anything publicly about that.
[139] That said, the U .S. has plenty it could threaten Qatar with.
[140] The U .S. backing has given Qatar extensive economic inroads to the West, which means big markets to sell its oil to.
[141] The U .S. has demonstrated some pull with the Qatari government, the State Department got cutter to freeze a $6 billion Iranian humanitarian fund, for example.
[142] But the Biden administration has been pretty quiet about pressuring Qatar.
[143] Well, it'll be interesting to see if that lasts.
[144] Tim, thanks for coming on.
[145] Great to be on.
[146] Thanks for waking up with us.
[147] We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.