Morning Wire XX
[0] Three U .S. soldiers were killed and dozens more injured in a drone attack that the Pentagon blames on Iran -backed militants.
[1] This administration has pulled his punches, and it can't do that anymore.
[2] It has to make a hard strike.
[3] Will the deadly attack change how the U .S. approaches the escalating conflict in the Middle East?
[4] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Vickley, with Georgia Howell.
[5] It's Monday, January 29th, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] December sets yet another record for in -Keelew.
[7] counters at the border as a new report shows that the U .N. and taxpayer -funded NGOs are facilitating mass migration.
[8] They just want to help as many illegal immigrants as possible move to the United States, and they know it and they say it in the budget document.
[9] We discussed the report's findings and the latest on the ground in Texas.
[10] And the mounting costs of the legal cases against Trump spike by a stunning $83 million.
[11] We break down the fallout of the latest legal.
[12] judgment against him.
[13] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[14] Stay tuned.
[15] We have the news you need to know.
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[23] Three American soldiers are dead after a drone attack on a U .S. base in Jordan.
[24] The incident marks the first American troops killed since Iran -backed militias began to attack U .S. installations in response to Israel's war on Hamas.
[25] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the attack in Jordan and what it could mean for U .S. operations in the Middle East.
[26] Hi, Tim.
[27] So a major escalation here.
[28] What do we know about the three Americans killed?
[29] We have the top line details.
[30] And like you said, this is a serious escalation.
[31] So according to U .S. Central Command, three American soldiers were killed and at least 25 others were wounded on Sunday in this drone strike.
[32] The attack came from Iranian -backed militias in Syria.
[33] And this incident marks the first time U .S. troops have been killed since Iran's terror network began to attack American installations in mid -October.
[34] casualties so far have been largely limited to Israel and Hamas, but now we have Americans dead and many injured.
[35] Washington is typically drawn a red line over Americans being killed, so we're about to see if things really change here.
[36] Up to now, the U .S. military has generally telegraphed its strikes to minimize casualties, so that when it hits a Houthi site in Yemen, for instance, Iranian personnel have a chance to pull out and avoid direct harm.
[37] The Biden administration said its strategy would eventually wear down the group's capacity to attack.
[38] Others said the strategy was too soft and always likely to end this way.
[39] Here's retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg on Fox News on Sunday.
[40] Anybody who didn't see this coming in the national security area is a fool.
[41] We knew it was going to happen with the amount of attacks that had been occurring.
[42] We were just dodging the bullet.
[43] We were getting lucky.
[44] And it was caused primarily because of our normalization of activities.
[45] What have we seen so far from the White House?
[46] What has the president's response been?
[47] Well, he released a statement afterward condemning the attack.
[48] and thanking the fallen soldiers and their families for the sacrifice.
[49] He also promised to hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.
[50] He said that while the military is still gathering the facts of this attack, they know that it was carried out by, quote, radical Iran -backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.
[51] As Reuters reports, the Islamic resistance in Iraq has claimed attacks on three bases, including one on the Jordan -Syria border.
[52] Now the Biden administration has been reluctant so far go after Iran, despite acknowledging that Iran is backing all of these militia groups.
[53] They appear to have felt their warnings against Iran would be enough of a deterrent.
[54] Here's President Biden just a few weeks ago.
[55] I've already delivered the message to the man. They know they're not to do anything.
[56] Yet here we have further escalation from Iran -backed groups.
[57] How is the rest of Washington responding to this?
[58] What are we hearing from Republicans?
[59] Right.
[60] The Republican response in Washington has been more blunt.
[61] Many of them, such as South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, called for a direct strike on Iran.
[62] Here's more from Kellogg making the same case.
[63] My concern is this administration you're going to take the hard option it needs to take and strike hard against the Iranians.
[64] Does that mean personnel?
[65] Sure.
[66] It could mean everything from going after Ismail Ghani, who's the current leader of the Quds Force, or even the Supreme leader, Kamenei, or going after facilities that build the drones within Iran, take out their naval facilities, they're going to have to make those decisions, but if they don't strike hard, they're making a big mistake, and I believe we're going to see a repeat of this in the future.
[67] So we're seeing a lot of pressure for more decisive action from the president on what's becoming an even more volatile situation in the Middle East.
[68] We'll see how he handles this in the coming days.
[69] Tim, thanks for reporting.
[70] Thanks for having me. In the wake of yet another record -setting month at the southern border, a new record.
[71] reporter shining a light on the U .N.'s role in funding and encouraging illegal immigration into the United States.
[72] Here with the latest from the border is Daily Wire Reporter Amanda Prestoge -Ocamo.
[73] So Amanda, let's first start with the numbers.
[74] How many migrant encounters did we see in December?
[75] Well, we now know that more people cross our border illegally in December than in any month in U .S. history.
[76] New federal data shows that in December we saw 302 ,000 migrant encounters, and that shatters the previous record of 269.
[77] back in September.
[78] That's roughly equal to the entire population of Orlando, and again, just a single month.
[79] Among those who came in were 19 individuals on the terror watch list.
[80] For some context there, as recently as 2021, just 23 people on the terror watch list were caught trying to cross the border in the entire year.
[81] Now, there's also a new report from the United Nations that has people asking whether the UN actually has a role in driving this crisis.
[82] Tell us about that new report?
[83] Yeah, the United Nations just released their 2024 budget, which included a program called the Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela.
[84] While the program only mentions Venezuela, it actually offers more than $1 .7 billion in funding that goes toward helping migrants in 17 countries across Latin America.
[85] Included in that package is $372 million to help migrants fund their journeys through the region up to the United States.
[86] So funding their actual travel to the U .S. That's right.
[87] How is that money distributed?
[88] According to the U .N., that money is distributed in the form of prepaid debit cards and even cash in envelopes.
[89] The document notably refers to the Biden administration's lax border laws, saying migrants are being driven by newly established opportunities for regular pathways to move to the United States of America.
[90] It's also worth noting that the U .N. is partnering in that effort with nearly 250 NGOs across the region who are helping facilitate the mass migration up through South and Central America into the U .S. In total, that program is planning to offer direct funding to more than 600 ,000 migrants in the year 2024, so more than half a million.
[91] Here's Todd Benzman, Senior Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, speaking on Fox News about the role U .S. taxpayers play in all of this.
[92] Look, a lot of the money is earmarked by the White House, by the State Department, and goes straight to the United Nations High Commission on refugees.
[93] Now, all of this comes amid a showdown of sorts at the border between the Biden administration and the state of Texas.
[94] What's the latest on that front?
[95] So quick refresher there.
[96] Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that Border Patrol could remove barbed wire barriers erected by Texas National.
[97] Guardmen throughout the last year if they needed to to do their jobs.
[98] But Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered Texas National Guardsmen to keep installing new security fencing in those heavily trafficked portions of the border.
[99] Daily Wire reporter Spencer Lindquist is on the ground in Eagle Pass, where this has all really come to a head.
[100] And he's been posting video showing Texas pushing forward with its border security efforts, including installing more razor wire.
[101] Here's Governor Abbott speaking on Fox News about that decision.
[102] Because the Biden administration has really truly abdicated its responsibility to secure the border and enforce the laws.
[103] Texas very simply is securing the border.
[104] Following that move, Democratic lawmakers have demanded President Biden step in.
[105] Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, for example, publicly called for the White House to force the guardsmen to stand down and take control of the border themselves.
[106] But Republicans across the country are rallying around Abbott's, urging him to stand firm.
[107] Five GOP governors have issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with Texas.
[108] They commended Abbott for stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country.
[109] Now, the question becomes how hard President Biden is willing to push back, especially given the fact that a majority of voters want him to crack down on the crisis.
[110] The latest polling from CBS shows 63 % of Americans want the president to be tougher.
[111] and immigrants crossing the border.
[112] So we'll see how that reality plays into his decision -making in the coming days, especially with the election looming.
[113] Right.
[114] It feels like we're reaching a sort of breaking point on this issue.
[115] Yeah, sure does.
[116] Amanda, thanks for reporting.
[117] You're welcome.
[118] Donald Trump was ordered to pay an astonishing $83 million to writer E. Gene Carroll by a New York jury late last week.
[119] The stunning penalty was far more than the lawyers representing Carroll demanded, and has sparked widespread accusations of political targeting.
[120] The massive fine was part of the final phase of a case brought by Carol against Trump in which he alleged he defamed her by denying that he sexually assaulted her decades ago, which another trial found him liable for.
[121] Here to discuss the fallout in its political circumstances is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
[122] First, just how extreme was this decision by the jury to make Trump pay tens of millions of dollars?
[123] This was a rather stunning dollar amount.
[124] to see in this case.
[125] $83 million is 10 times what E. Jean Carroll's attorneys had asked for.
[126] And many legal scholars think that the penalty here is far too high to stand up on appeal, especially because a full $65 million of that total is for punitive damages, which is to say to punish Trump and try to ensure that he ceases his defamation of Carol.
[127] Obviously, Trump is a very wealthy man, but $83 million is $83 million, especially at a time when Trump is defending multiple legal cases with his legal fees racking up literally by the hour.
[128] This is exactly the kind of thing that Trump's defenders point to when they say he's a victim of lawfare meant to keep him out of the White House.
[129] Speaking of which, Trump's lawyer Alina Haba gave some fiery remarks outside of the courthouse after the penalty was announced.
[130] What arguments did she make?
[131] Hobba was very upset and absolutely made that known in a dramatic speech to assembled reporters on the sidewalk in which She said that she was proud to represent Donald Trump, but basically ashamed of her New York legal license, given what she views as the malicious prosecution of her client.
[132] Here's some audio in which she clearly argues that the judge in the case did not allow her to even make a defense.
[133] It is in writing, and I encourage the journalist, the real journalist, to take the minute to look at his orders.
[134] There was no proof.
[135] And I couldn't prove that she didn't bring in.
[136] the dress.
[137] There was no DNA.
[138] There was no expert.
[139] My experts were denied.
[140] Two of them.
[141] Two of them were denied to come in.
[142] So these are ideas that failed in actual court, but which may have some purchase in the court of public opinion, especially among Trump supporters.
[143] Yeah.
[144] As far as the actual payout of this money to Carol, how soon could she actually see this windfall?
[145] Should she be shopping for yachts yet?
[146] Can you get a yacht for eight mail, John?
[147] I've never checked.
[148] But the short answer is no. Carol will not see any of this money anytime soon.
[149] And this is something that's been a subtext to all of Trump's legal issues between long trials and appeals.
[150] These cases drag on sometimes for years.
[151] It's not a law and order episode where the trial wraps up by bedtime.
[152] As a candidate that kind of cuts both ways for Trump, because on the one hand, he lives to fight another day.
[153] But on the other, the legal clouds just keep mounting and mounting around his head, and it's getting heavy.
[154] Yeah, now about the politics of all this, do those legal clouds and all these court dates for Trump make it important for him to score a decisive victory in the South Carolina primary next month and just in the challenge by Nikki Haley?
[155] Yes.
[156] First off, from a financial perspective, any money that Trump doesn't have to use to win the nomination he can use to pay his lawyers, so that would be a big benefit.
[157] But more broadly, Haley's biggest knock on Trump is that he courts chaos.
[158] If she's able to linger into Super Tuesday and beyond, she can point her finger and say, oh, look, Trump's back in court again today and tomorrow, et cetera, which could help make her case about that chaos.
[159] Meanwhile, when and if he secures the nomination, and most people suspect that he will, it will be Joe Biden and Democrats trying to score points off of Trump's legal woes.
[160] We are 281 days away from the November 5th general election, and a whole bunch of them are going to feature Donald Trump in a courtroom.
[161] Right.
[162] More and more time, not on the campaign trail.
[163] Yeah.
[164] Meanwhile, you've got me curious.
[165] I'm going to look up yacht prices.
[166] Let me know.
[167] Dave, thanks for joining us.
[168] Thanks for having me. Thanks for waking up with us.
[169] We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.