Morning Wire XX
[0] I'm Georgia Howe with DailyWire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[1] It's Wednesday, April 19th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
[2] On Wednesday, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, John Sopko, warned before a House hearing that U .S. taxpayers may be aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan.
[3] Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
[4] Sopco told Congress that since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the U .S. government has sought to support the Afghanistan.
[5] people without providing benefits for the Taliban.
[6] Those efforts have failed, however, Saupko said, quote, it is clear from our work that the Taliban is using various methods to divert U .S .A. dollars.
[7] Unfortunately, as I sit here today, I cannot assure this committee or the American taxpayer, we are not currently funding the Taliban.
[8] Sopko said that one of the hurdles to a solution is that key U .S. agencies such as USAID don't comply with oversight requests.
[9] The lack of cooperation by the Department of State and to a lesser extent, USAID, is unprecedented in the nearly 12 years that I have been the cigar.
[10] In the two decades that I did congressional oversight, both in the Senate and the House.
[11] The U .S. House Republicans will propose lifting the debt limit by $1 .5 trillion or until March 31, 2024, whichever comes first.
[12] The proposal comes after months of stale, between Congress and the Biden White House.
[13] The president has demanded that the GOP offer a compromise, but has refused to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to discuss any potential action to prevent the U .S. from defaulting on its debt.
[14] Now, the Biden administration is saying that there will be no negotiations.
[15] We've heard that there's something coming out today, a plan coming out today.
[16] Speaker, Speaker McCarthy is engaging in dangerous economic hostage -taking.
[17] Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, threw cold water on critics who questioned why the alleged classified documents leaker, National Guard airman Jack Tashara, would have access to U .S. secrets, given that he's only 21 years old.
[18] Austin said that age is not a concern, as evidenced by the average age of military members.
[19] The vast majority of our military is young.
[20] It's not exceptional that young people are doing important things in our military.
[21] That's really not the issue.
[22] Tachara was arrested last week in Massachusetts after being identified by the New York Times and the Washington Post as the discord leaker.
[23] He's been charged on two counts, and now a U .S. court is determining whether the airmen should be kept in jail as he awaits trial.
[24] Police in Maine say that the man who killed four people in a home and then shot three others randomly on a busy highway had reportedly been released from prison just a few days before.
[25] Correctional officials say the man had been serving time for a probation violation.
[26] The shootings started in the town of Bowden on Tuesday where four people were killed.
[27] Police say the suspect then fired shots at vehicles on an interstate highway over 20 miles away in the community of Yarmouth.
[28] Three people were shot there and one remained in critical condition on Wednesday.
[29] Authorities have arrested two suspects who have been charged with killing four and leaving 32 injured at an Alabama Sweet 16 party Saturday night in Dadeville.
[30] The two suspects are aged 16 and 17 and will be tried as adults.
[31] The two teenagers from Tuskegee are charged with four counts of reckless murder each.
[32] Dadeville's police chief promised justice for the victims while speaking to the press.
[33] This is the tip of the iceberg.
[34] This is the very beginning.
[35] But we have one chance to get this right.
[36] In a few days, most of you are going to be gone.
[37] Our community is still going to be here.
[38] Our victims, people that are affected, are still going to be here.
[39] We're going to be here with them.
[40] A Manhattan parking garage collapsed on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring five others.
[41] According to the City Department of Building Records, the Financial District Area Garage had six open building violations, three of which were classified as hazardous.
[42] Officials say they believe it was a structural collapse, but the local district attorney has not confirmed.
[43] A witness says she thought the noise was coming from a freight elevator.
[44] There was a movement noise that was not the usual sound.
[45] So then all of a sudden the building was starting to shape tremendously and the noise also was quite loud.
[46] The state of Florida has expanded its ban on teaching about sexuality and gender identity to all grade levels in the public schools.
[47] Here with more is Daily Wire's senior editor, Joel Needler.
[48] The decision comes after a law signed last year by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis banned such topics for K through third grade students.
[49] The board voted Wednesday to adopt a new rule that says Florida teachers in grades 4 through 12, quote, classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, unless it is required by the state as a part of a sexual education course that requires parental permission.
[50] Those are your drive home updates this afternoon.
[51] To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire .com.
[52] And for more in -depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.