Persecution reaches a fever pitch in the “Christian Murder Capital” of the world, Russia ratchets up its saber-rattling with a nuclear drill, and an illegal immigrant honored by the City of Los Angeles allegedly rams an ICE vehicle.
It’s Thursday, October 23, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Christian Genocide You Probably Haven’t Heard Of</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990063" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Christian genocide ongoing in Nigeria has claimed thousands of lives this year alone, but human rights advocates say the Nigerian government has turned a blind eye.
In the first nine months of this year, advocacy groups estimate that more than 7,000 Christians have been killed across Nigeria, many in attacks that leave entire communities burned to the ground.
For more than a decade, this pattern of violence has gone largely unnoticed. But American lawmakers — including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) — are calling for Nigeria to be reclassified as a “country of particular concern” for religious persecution.
“Many in the media share the same woke mindset that they will not call out radical Islamic terrorism for what it is, especially when it&#8217;s Christians who are the victims. And so it takes the rest of us to highlight this needs to end,” Cruz told Morning Wire.
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Judd Saul is the founder of Equipping the Persecuted, a group that has been on the ground trying to minister to Nigerian Christians. He said the crisis has been building for decades as radical Muslim groups have been taking control of the area.
“What they have done is they move in, they populate, and once they gain population, they start taking political control. And once they gain political control, the killing starts,” Saul told Morning Wire.
These deaths often occur among women, children, and the elderly who can’t easily flee their small villages.
Why the silence: One of Saul’s biggest frustrations is how little the world knows about the ongoing genocide. The Nigerian government effectively controls what gets reported. Western outlets too often repeat official denials without sending reporters to see the devastation themselves.
“The mainstream media never shows up. They just take the government’s word for it, and every time Christians are killed, it’s always ‘unknown gunmen.’ But we know who’s doing it,” Saul said.
Now footage is emerging of burned churches, mass graves, and displaced families living under tarps in camps with no food or medicine.
Response from Washington: Cruz introduced legislation this month: the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025. It will impose sanctions on Nigerian officials accused of facilitating violence against Christians and other religious minorities.
Response from Nigeria: Nigerian officials continue to deny that Christians are being targeted for their faith. They’re framing the violence as clashes between herders and farmers. But many international watchdogs like Open Doors and International Christian Concern say that’s false.
Saul says the Nigerian military has repeatedly failed to respond to warnings of attacks. It’s because of this inaction that many Nigerian Christians are calling on the United States government to use its international influence to shine a spotlight on these atrocities.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Push For Peace In Ukraine</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990061" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump canceled a second summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and hours later, a fresh barrage of Russian missiles rained down on Ukraine.
Moscow doesn’t appear to want to end the war. It recently launched another major missile and drone attack on Ukraine that killed seven people – part of Russia&#8217;s campaign to knock out Ukraine’s energy supplies ahead of winter.
According to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-lifts-key-restriction-on-ukraines-use-of-western-long-range-missiles-5a15c12d?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqdQ8iMn0Xl6WlTrEflM-qAdv5sTUs7vuBvNZqNHOO44yer9ClOXnPh5RoBrwOw%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68f9bcbf&amp;gaa_sig=bR0aCbBe-iAb62JlmwUtP7EmQ0bOUlbyBoNFYlO5isMUbFBJT0FTYJFJG1PtWOXrVgGcUK2uNDoFNFO31R14WQ%3D%3D">The Wall Street Journal</a>, the United States has given Ukraine the green light to launch its own attacks inside Russian territory. Trump has <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115419686256202789">denied</a> that report, but on Tuesday, Ukraine used a British Storm Shadow cruise missile to hit a plant in Bryansk, Russia.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced on Wednesday a “substantial pickup” in sanctions against Russia.
The exchange in missile attacks came as Trump backed out of a second peace summit with Putin. It was supposed to be held in Budapest, Hungary. The White House canceled the summit after a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Trump said Tuesday he <a href="https://x.com/Osint613/status/1980741977000821245">canceled</a> the summit because he did not “want to have a wasted meeting.”
Foreign policy experts <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/10/22/russia-does-not-feel-enough-pressure-ukraine-bombarded-over-2-deadly-nights-as-trump-sours-on-meeting-with-putin/">say</a> this was a necessary move by Trump, recognizing that Putin does not feel enough pressure for peace talks to be productive.
Ceasefire deal?: Trump said this week that the battle lines should be frozen where they are as a precondition to peace talks. Europe has backed that position, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I think that was [a] good compromise, but I’m not sure that Putin will support it,” Zelensky told reporters after landing in Oslo.
The Ukrainian president has continued to press his case for Tomahawk missiles after his meeting at the White House last week. Zelensky said in a <a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1980683702448386417">post</a> on X that “Russia continues to do everything to weasel out” of a ceasefire, and “as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for Ukraine became less immediate, [Moscow’s] interest in diplomacy faded. This signals that deep strike capabilities may hold the key to peace.”
Israel: Vice President JD Vance paid a visit to Israel this week, primarily signaling the Trump administration’s commitment to holding together the ceasefire and moving forward with Trump’s 20-point peace plan. While there, Vance recognized some of the limits of the current situation.
“You basically have two regions in Gaza, one of which is relatively safe – I wouldn&#8217;t say very safe – and one of which is incredibly dangerous, and part of ensuring that we get to a durable peace is to broaden the scope of the area that&#8217;s safe,” <a href="https://x.com/AdamMilstein/status/1980692659422576716">said</a> Vance. “The international security force is a big part of that. We don&#8217;t yet have the international security force set up. That&#8217;s something we&#8217;re working towards.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Illegal Alien TikToker Nabbed In Los Angeles</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990059" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: An illegal immigrant and well-known TikToker was shot by federal authorities in Los Angeles after he tried to evade arrest for a second time and allegedly rammed a federal vehicle.
The illegal immigrant allegedly behind the attack is Carlitos Ricardo Parías, 44, who is known on TikTok as Richard LA and who regularly exposes ICE operations online to his more than 132,000 followers.
The suspect allegedly tried to impede an ICE operation months ago, but got away. He was seen in handcuffs being hauled into a vehicle by bystanders while federal authorities were trying to arrest him for allegedly interfering with immigration operations, federal law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire.
U.S. Marshals encountered him again this week, arresting him while he attempted to flee a second time. During the attack on ICE agents in which Parías allegedly rammed a federal vehicle, agents responded with gunfire, hitting Parías in the elbow. A U.S. Marshal was wounded by a ricochet bullet that hit him in the hand.
Parías has been charged with assaulting a federal officer, which carries a sentence of up to eight years in prison.
Parías has been considered somewhat of a local hero, being honored by the Los Angeles City Council for his “tireless efforts to safeguard our neighborhoods from illegal raids” in exposing ICE operations on TikTok.
He is being prosecuted aggressively by U.S. attorneys in part because federal officials get so little support in deep blue, sanctuary areas that protect illegal aliens.
New York City riot over deportations: Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday raided New York City’s Canal Street, notorious for illegal immigrant crime, as a mob of rioters attempted to stop them.
Law enforcement arrested illegal aliens of African origin, each with a lengthy rap sheet. Five of the aliens entered the United States illegally and were let go under former President Joe Biden.
The raid on Canal Street came after Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez exposed African immigrants selling counterfeit designer handbags along the sidewalk. The aliens would take off running wherever the police showed up.
Sanctuary policies have protected the illegal immigrants, as well as facilitated their illicit activities on Canal Street, according to federal officials.

MRN_251023_V1

Morning Brief: Nigerian Christians Slaughtered, Russia Standoff, & Illegal Alien TikToker Nabbed

Christianity

Donald Trump

genocide

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Los Angeles

Media

Nigeria

Politics

Russia

Ted Cruz

TikTok

Ukraine

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

WASHINGTON—A bill to honor a prominent Cuban anti-communist has bipartisan congressional support.
Cory Booker isn&#8217;t having it.
The New Jersey Democrat blocked a bill that would rename the street outside the Cuban Embassy after the late anti-communist Cuban activist Oswaldo Payá. Payá, who founded the Christian Liberation Movement in the 1980s, died in a 2021 car crash, that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights determined to be an intentional act by the Cuban government against Payá, according to the New York Times.
The bill to name the street “Oswaldo Payá Way” in his honor has been introduced multiple times, most recently by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). Cruz described the late activist as a “Cuban dissident who fought against the communist regime and who stood up and fought for free speech for democracy and for human rights. He was a thorn in the side of the Cuban communist regime his entire life.”
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Booker called Payá an “extraordinary hero&#8221; who should be honored, but said it should be up to the Washington, D.C. City Council to rename the street.
“His work should be recognized more by our nation, and I would support the D.C. Council, their elected representatives, if it decided through their democratic process to work with the senator and the Democratic sponsor to rename the street,” Booker said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
“My objection is simply right now about Washington, D.C.’s, right to control their own local affairs. This objection is about home rule and self-governance. Now it is true, as my colleague said, that this has passed through this chamber multiple times,” the Democrat continued.
Cruz, whose family fled Cuba&#8217;s communist regime, rebutted Booker’s argument. The Texas Republican said Booker&#8217;s opposition is simply about opposing President Donald Trump, who faced Democratic pushback for the federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.
“The purpose here is to put pressure on the Cuban Communist regime, and naming the street does that. Now, Mr. President, as I pointed out, Sen. Booker voted for this identical legislation just two years ago, this bipartisan legislation that leads to the obvious question, what has changed?” Cruz said on the floor.
“And one thing has changed. The resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when Senator Booker voted for this bipartisan legislation, Joe Biden was the president. Today, Donald J. Trump is the president, and unfortunately, our Democrat colleagues have decided bipartisan cooperation is no longer something they&#8217;re interested in. Their party is instead unified behind one principle, which is that they hate Donald J. Trump,” the Republican continued.
Booker, who recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spartacus-cory-booker-breaks-record-for-longest-senate-floor-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke the record</a> for the longest-ever Senate floor speech, has a history of grand political gestures.

Meet the Press – Season 74

Booker Blocks Bipartisan Bill Honoring Anti-Communist Hero

Communism

Cory Booker

Cuba

Dick Durbin

Senate

Multiple people are dead after what appears to be an anti-ICE attack in Dallas, red state homeowners are suing over a COVID-era bailout program, and Senate Democrats stall a funding bill that would keep the lights on in Washington.
It’s Thursday, September 25, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="ICE Facility Assault &amp; Government Funding Standoff" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5NJbw8GV1NY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If you would rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ice-facility-assault-government-funding-standoff-9-25-25/id1576594336?i=1000728365797" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">ICE Targeted In Dallas</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-976679" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Texas-Anti-ICE-Assault-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Texas-Anti-ICE-Assault-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Texas-Anti-ICE-Assault-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Texas-Anti-ICE-Assault-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Texas-Anti-ICE-Assault-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Texas-Anti-ICE-Assault.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: A shooter opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas on Wednesday, killing multiple immigrant detainees.
The gunman shot three detainees. Two of them died from their wounds. The shooter then turned the gun on himself and died at the scene.
Photos of the aftermath of the attack showed that bullets struck windows and walls inside the facility, but no law enforcement personnel were injured.
Federal law enforcement sources tell The Daily Wire that authorities believe that the shooter was trying to shoot at ICE officers when he aimed at an unmarked van. That van was holding illegal immigrant detainees who were being walked in for processing.
The shooter: Reports indicate the alleged shooter was 29-year-old Joshua Jahn. While not much is known about his history, authorities say he did give a glimpse into his motive after leaving shell casings behind, one engraved with the words “ANTI-ICE.” The FBI is investigating the targeted shooting, and the agency’s director, Kash Patel, says the casings prove that there was “an ideological motive” behind this attack.
Step back: The fatal shooting comes amid an uptick in left-wing violence targeting law enforcement and conservatives. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke about that during a press conference on Wednesday, where he called for his left-leaning colleagues in Congress to stop fanning the flames of the violence with their rhetoric.
“To every politician who is using rhetoric demonizing ICE and demonizing CBP, stop. To every politician demanding that ICE agents be doxxed and calling for people to go after their families, stop,” said Cruz. “This has very real consequences. Look, in America, we disagree. That&#8217;s fine. That&#8217;s the democratic process. But your political opponents are not Nazis. We need to learn to work together without demonizing each other, without attacking each other.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Biden Housing Bailout Sparks Racial Backlash</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-976677" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Race-Based-Bailout-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Race-Based-Bailout-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Race-Based-Bailout-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Race-Based-Bailout-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Race-Based-Bailout-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Race-Based-Bailout.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: A $10 billion coronavirus-era housing bailout paid Americans&#8217; mortgages and even their HOA dues. But 40% of the funds went to black Americans, due to the program including explicit racial preferences.
Now, some white residents are suing their states, saying the government illegally withheld assistance from them based on their race.
The significance: This is one of the largest race-based government wealth transfers in history. And it happened because it came during the COVID pandemic, when the United States was hemorrhaging billions of dollars.
The program is called the <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/homeowner-assistance-fund">Homeowner Assistance </a><a href="https://www.ncsha.org/homeowner-assistance-fund/">Fund</a>, and it provided people up to $50,000 to pay housing-related bills. It was passed by Congress and required about half the money to go to homeowners at or below the median income, while the remainder could be allocated to wealthier individuals, with priority given to “socially disadvantaged” homeowners.
“Socially disadvantaged?” Congress didn’t define it, and the program was run separately by each state, which received money after submitting a plan to the federal government. But the Biden administration heavily suggested a definition for the states to include in their plans: “those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias.”
The “presumption,” the administration said, is that “the following individuals are socially disadvantaged: Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.”
How it played out: In Alabama, 85% of the funds went to black residents. In Georgia, it was 82%. That’s surprising because, just based on the fact that half the money was supposed to be doled out based on income, you should have seen more people of other races. Only about half of Georgians below the median income are black. 
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit say that’s because Georgia deliberately ensured that white people didn’t even know it existed. The state’s plan included texting residents to inform them about this opportunity for $50,000 – but only residents of counties with high minority populations.
The Biden administration was never clear about the criteria, but many states used the definition provided by the Biden administration. Now, Georgia, Missouri, and Oklahoma are being sued by residents for going along with it, despite politicians in those states claiming to oppose DEI.
The lawsuits: In Missouri, the program was administered by a housing commission, where the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general serve as commissioners. Missouri partnered with the Black Chamber of Commerce to advertise the program, and 44% of the money went to blacks, who make up less than 12% of the population. A spokeswoman for Missouri Republican Governor Mike Kehoe declined to comment on the ongoing litigation but called him “a strong advocate for removing DEI.”
In Oklahoma, plaintiffs include a massage therapist who was forced out of a job by COVID policies and her disabled-veteran husband. They point out that the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency said prominently on its website that “African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, [and] LGBTQ+” residents would get preference.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Budget Deadline Looms Over Congress</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-976675" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Budget-Battle-Rages-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Budget-Battle-Rages-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Budget-Battle-Rages-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Budget-Battle-Rages-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Budget-Battle-Rages-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Budget-Battle-Rages.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with Democratic congressional leaders this week to discuss government funding. The president blasted Democrats’ demands as “unserious and ridiculous” as government funding is set to expire at the end of the month.
The deadline to avert a partial government shutdown is September 30, giving lawmakers less than a week. House Republicans have already passed a clean, 7-week funding extension. However, the bill is currently stalled in the Senate. Even though the GOP holds the majority, Republicans need 60 votes, which means they need some Democrat support.
Trump had planned to meet this week with Democratic leaders – Sen. Chuck Schumer and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries – but scrapped the meeting over the Democrats’ demands. The president doubled down on Wednesday, writing on Truth Social that Democratic demands include free healthcare for illegal aliens, half a billion dollars for “Radical Left News Outlets,” leaving “DEAD PEOPLE on Medicaid and Social Security rolls,” and “men playing in women’s sports.” 
What Democrats are saying: Democrats say they won’t back down. Schumer and Jeffries have been on a media blitz this week following the meeting&#8217;s collapse. The main line of attack from Democrats is centered on healthcare.
“Republicans have engaged in an unprecedented assault on the healthcare of the American people throughout this year. The largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Millions of people are going to lose coverage because of what Republicans have done,” said Jeffries during an appearance on <a href="https://youtu.be/CLm2OIhjkUo?t=228">MSNBC</a>.
State of play: According to some reports, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) urged Trump to cancel the meeting. Congressional Republicans thought that Democrats were unserious and that meeting with them would only erode Republicans’ leverage.
Johnson sent the House into recess after it passed its 7-week extension, and he said he won’t recall lawmakers back to DC until after the September 30 deadline. If Democrats don’t agree to a clean bill, there will be a fight over who takes the blame for the shutdown.
&nbsp;

MRN 9.25.25 Thu Thumbnail V4

Morning Brief: Dallas ICE Attack, Housing Bailout Sparks Racial Lawsuits & D.C.’s Budget Standoff

Chuck Schumer

COVID-19

Dallas

Hakeem Jeffries

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

John Thune

Mike Johnson

Morning Wire

Pandemic

Texas

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) refused to let it go when CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins claimed that no one could really speak to the motive in last week’s assassination of conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Cruz joined Collins to discuss the still-unfolding case after charges were officially filed against suspected assassin Tyler Robinson, 22, and text messages between Robinson and his live-in boyfriend — who is transitioning to identify as a woman — were released to the public.
“We don&#8217;t have a motive yet. We don&#8217;t know yet. We&#8217;re waiting,” Collins said, noting that several officials have spoken about the shooting and the subsequent arrest, as well as a number of interviews with people who knew Robinson.
“Of course we know. Come on. &#8216;We don&#8217;t have a motive yet. We know we don&#8217;t have a motive yet.&#8217; Really, that&#8217;s CNN&#8217;s position? He happened to fire the gun in celebration?!” Cruz pushed back.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH:
CNN&#8217;s Kaitlan Collins on the Charlie Kirk assassination: &#8220;We don&#8217;t have a motive yet. We don&#8217;t know yet. We&#8217;re waiting&#8230;&#8221;
Sen. Ted Cruz: &#8220;Of course we know. Come one. &#8216;We don&#8217;t have a motive yet. We know we don&#8217;t have a motive yet.&#8217; Really, that&#8217;s CNN&#8217;s position? He… <a href="https://t.co/n2ERQpoa73">pic.twitter.com/n2ERQpoa73</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1968130142867189846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Collins continued to claim that the motive was unknown, and Cruz continued to push back as the segment progressed.
“With all due respect. You know exactly what I&#8217;m saying. I&#8217;m not arguing with you politically. I&#8217;m saying that law enforcement has not put a specific motive. You know that there&#8217;s a difference of what they&#8217;re putting in a legal argument and what you&#8217;re talking about,” Collins argued.
“What you just said is false,” Cruz said, and the two continued to talk over each other before moving on to discuss political violence in more general terms.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DA: Charlie&#8217;s killer &#8220;had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans rights oriented&#8221; &amp; was dating his transgender roommate.
The killer also wrote in a message: &#8220;I had enough of his hatred. Some hatred can&#8217;t be be negotiated out.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/5A3pinqBG6">pic.twitter.com/5A3pinqBG6</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1968283635536277910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As Cruz noted, the district attorney had said that Robinson had been radicalized with far-Left ideology. Robinson himself had allegedly told his roommate and boyfriend that he’d shot Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred. Some hatred can&#8217;t be negotiated out.”

Pam Bondi Swears In Kash Patel As FBI Director

‘That’s CNN’s Position?’: Ted Cruz Dismantles Kaitlan Collins Over Motive In Kirk Assassination

'That's CNN's Position?': Ted Cruz Dismantles Kaitlan Collins Over Motive In Kirk Assassination

assassination

Charlie Kirk

Congress

Kaitlan Collins

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) read Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) the riot act after his colleague claimed that it was &#8220;extremely troubling&#8221; to hear a nominee for a federal post claim that rights were given by God, not governments.
The nominee in question was Riley Barnes, who previously worked in the U.S. State Department and has been nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Barnes said that he agreed with his boss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently said &#8220;that all men are created equal because our rights come from God, our Creator; not from our laws, not from our governments.&#8221;
Kaine took issue with Barnes&#8217; statement, and argued that only a theocratic government — such as the one in Iran — would attribute the source of rights to God rather than the law.
&#8220;The notion that rights don&#8217;t come from laws and don&#8217;t come from the government, but come from the Creator — that&#8217;s what the Iranian government believes. It&#8217;s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Bahá&#8217;ís, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities,&#8221; Kaine claimed. &#8220;And they do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their Creator. So the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling.&#8221;
&#8220;I think the the motto over the Supreme Court is &#8216;equal justice under law,&#8217; — the oath that you and I take pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, not arbitrarily defined natural rights,&#8221; Kaine continued.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our rights don’t come from government or the DNC.
They come from God. <a href="https://twitter.com/timkaine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@timkaine</a>, I suggest the Dems go back and read the words of our Founding Fathers. <a href="https://t.co/QRmhTcbbOH">pic.twitter.com/QRmhTcbbOH</a>
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1963299914034663825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cruz pushed back on Kaine&#8217;s claims a short time later in the hearing, saying that it was the Virginia Senator&#8217;s comments that were of concern rather than Barnes&#8217;.
&#8220;I just walked into the hearing as he was saying that, and I almost fell out of my chair, because that &#8216;radical and dangerous notion&#8217; — in his words — is literally the founding principle upon which the United States of America was created,&#8221; said Cruz.
Quoting former President Thomas Jefferson&#8217;s words from the Declaration of Independence, Cruz added, &#8220;&#8216;We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator&#8217; — not by government, not by the Democratic National Committee, but by God — &#8216;with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'&#8221;

Senate DCA Crash Hearing

‘Stunning’: Ted Cruz Reads Tim Kaine The Riot Act Over Claim That Rights Aren’t God-Given

'Stunning': Ted Cruz Reads Tim Kaine The Riot Act Over Claim That Rights Aren't God-Given

Thomas Jefferson

Tim Kaine

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts tumbled on the Senate floor on Thursday after a desk she leaned on toppled under her weight.
Warren fell awkwardly backwards to sit on one of the Senate’s tiered platforms before being helped back to her feet. The fall appeared to cause quite a commotion, as over half a dozen senators rushed to help Warren after she fell.
GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was the first to reach Warren’s side. Warren appeared to give him a few pats of appreciation for his assistance. Warren appears to be unharmed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨WATCH: Elizabeth Warren FELL DOWN on the Senate floor and knocked over a table. <a href="https://t.co/1vF9hOlsLO">pic.twitter.com/1vF9hOlsLO</a>
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1950992008299864434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
Video of the fall quickly went viral online as users poked fun at Warren’s ungraceful display.
“This puts the Tip in Tippecanoe. (I’ll see myself out),” conservative sports commentator Clay Travis <a href="https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/1950996091861717345">posted</a>, a veiled reference to Warren’s past claims of Native American heritage.
Dave Rubin, host of “The Rubin Report,” <a href="https://x.com/RubinReport/status/1950990987846705588">posted</a> that “Warren’s Indian name was Falls On A**.”
“Looks like Senator Warren has been hitting the peace pipe,” another user <a href="https://x.com/sean_spicier/status/1950996074430185785">posted</a>.
Warren’s claims to Native American ancestry trace back decades and she has faced criticism for using a thin genetic connection to Native Americans to identify as a Native American on applications. For instance, in 1986, Warren <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/elizabeth-warren-apologizes-for-calling-herself-native-american/2019/02/05/1627df76-2962-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html">identified</a> as a Native American on her registration card for the State Bar of Texas.
Seeking to tamp down criticism of her heritage claims in 2018, Warren released a blood test that said she had a Native American ancestor between six and 10 generations back. That would make Warren anywhere between 1/64th and 1/1,024 Native American.
Warren’s use of the blood test to silence her critics earned her a rebuke from the Cherokee Nation, of which Warren claimed to be.
The Cherokee Nation’s then-secretary of state, Chuck Hoskin Jr., <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/warren-faces-ancestry-question-at-town-hall-i-shouldnt-have-done-it-i-am-not-a-person-of-color">said</a> that the use of “a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong … dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is [proven].”
Warren later apologized for claiming to be Native American. In a town hall in December 2019, she said she “shouldn’t have done it. I am not a person of color; I am not a citizen of a tribe; and I have apologized for confusion I’ve caused on tribal citizenship, tribal sovereignty, and for any harm that I’ve caused.”

Elizabeth Warren

‘Puts The Tip In Tippecanoe’: Elizabeth Warren Tumbles Over Table In Senate

U.S. Senate

While visiting a Middle Eastern nation, I met with a highly placed Muslim official. He leaned toward me and said, “Doctor Youssef, can you tell me why the Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed as a terrorist organization in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt — but is allowed to flourish in America?”
I said, “I can think of no answer except foolishness and ignorance.”
This man saw the Muslim Brotherhood as not only a threat to Western civilization, but to the stability of his own Muslim nation. He couldn’t understand why the United States permitted such a threat within its own borders. It’s time to change that — and you can help.
Here are six little-known facts about the Muslim Brotherhood you need to know:
<h3>1. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mission Is World Domination</h3>
The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist organization founded in 1928 by Egyptian schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna. Frustrated over the decline of Islam in Egypt in those days, he decided it was time to erase all non-Islamic influence from that country.
<div id="attachment_951585" style="width: 920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-951585" class="size-large wp-image-951585" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-469146782-910x576.jpg" alt="Picture from the 1950s shows Egyptian Gamal Abdel Nasser (R, 2nd row) and next to him his right hand man Abdel Hakim Amer, pray in Cairo with unidentified leaders of the Moslem Brotherhood. Nasser turned against the Brotherhood two years after the 1952 free officers revolution, sending scores of them to prison after accusing them of standing behind the failed attempt against his life. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)" width="910" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-469146782-910x576.jpg 910w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-469146782-300x190.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-469146782-768x486.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-469146782.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 910px) 100vw, 910px" />AFP via Getty Images</div>
Al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in Ismailia, a city near the Suez Canal. He began with seven men — himself and six Suez Canal Company workers. He taught them that the key requirement of the Quran and Sharia law is the establishment of a global Islamic caliphate — a world government led by a Muslim ruler.
From this small beginning, the Muslim Brotherhood grew to an estimated two million members by the late 1940s. Today, the Muslim Brotherhood is an international organization with chapters throughout the Muslim world, Europe, and across the United States.
The logo of the Muslim Brotherhood depicts two crossed swords and the command (in Arabic script) Wa-aiidu, “Get ready!” from Quran 8:60, a call to prepare for jihad (armed struggle) against the unbelievers.
<div id="attachment_951587" style="width: 867px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-951587" class="size-large wp-image-951587" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-542362580-857x576.jpg" alt="Emblem of the fundamentalist Islamic movement founded in 1928, Society of the Muslim Brothers, on display during a press conference in their Cairo office. (Photo by Maher Attar/Sygma via Getty Images)" width="857" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-542362580-857x576.jpg 857w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-542362580-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-542362580-768x516.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-542362580.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 857px) 100vw, 857px" />Maher Attar/Sygma via Getty Images</div>
In 2001, the Muslim Brotherhood’s London publication, Risalat al-Ikhwan (“Epistles of the Brethren of Purity”) featured the slogan “Our Mission: World Domination.” After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the editors removed this slogan from the publication — but world domination is still the mission of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 2004, the former Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Muhammad Mahdi Othman Akef, declared, “I have complete faith that Islam will invade Europe and America, because Islam has logic and a mission.”
<h3>2. The Muslim Brotherhood’s History is Drenched in Blood</h3>
In 1939, Hassan al-Banna and the Brotherhood’s inner circle created a military wing called the Secret Apparatus. During World War II, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt worked hand-in-hand with the Nazis. The Brotherhood organized mass demonstrations against the Jewish community in Palestine and helped distribute Arabic-language versions of anti-Jewish writings, including Mein Kampf and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
After the War, the Brotherhood’s Secret Apparatus carried out assassinations and terrorism against Jews, Christians, and Egyptian politicians. In December 1948, the Brotherhood assassinated Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi. In response, the Egyptian government ambushed and killed Hassan al-Banna in Cairo in February 1949.
In 1952, the Muslim Brotherhood supported a military coup that overthrew the Egyptian monarchy — but were disappointed when the military junta refused to share power with the Brotherhood. In October 1954, the Brotherhood attempted to assassinate Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, head of the ruling military junta — but Nasser survived the attempt. As a result, he became more powerful than ever — and many Brotherhood members were executed or imprisoned. Others fled to neighboring countries, especially Qatar.
<h3>3. The Muslim Brotherhood Pretends to Want Peace</h3>
Since the 1970s, the Muslim Brotherhood has been aggressively whitewashing its image. By doing charitable work, the Brotherhood pretends to be a humanitarian agency. The charitable work, however, is camouflage for the Brotherhood’s real mission — undermining Western society, promoting Sharia law, and pursuing global domination.
Though the Brotherhood claims to be a peaceful, democratic organization, it has spawned and inspired many brutal terrorist groups, including Hamas, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Egyptian Islamic Jihad. According to the BBC, Al Jazeera — the TV network headquartered in Qatar — serves as an Arabic-language megaphone for the Muslim Brotherhood’s propaganda.
Few Westerners understand the Brotherhood’s willingness to patiently, persistently follow its dream of conquest over a span of generations. Its strategy starts with molding public opinion and influencing government policies — but it doesn’t stop there. The Brotherhood will use any tactic, including subversion and violence, to dismantle Western societies.
<h3>4. The Muslim Brotherhood Should Be Designated a Terrorist Organization</h3>
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has spent over a decade pushing to label the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization. He introduced four previous bills that would have formalized this designation, but critics blocked each bill. The Brotherhood’s powerful allies have argued that, since not every Brotherhood branch is violent, it would be wrong to condemn the whole organization.
On July 16, Senator Cruz announced a new bill, the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act. He was joined by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.). Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) have introduced companion legislation in the House.
<div id="attachment_951593" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-951593" class="size-large wp-image-951593" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224518539-865x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 10: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) rides in an elevator outside of the Senate Chambers in the U.S. Capitol on July 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. The U.S. Senate has begun working to complete the business week ahead of returning home for a weekend recess. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224518539-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224518539-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224518539-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224518539.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</div>
<h3>5. The Muslim Brotherhood Hides Its Links to Hamas</h3>
Few Americans have heard of the Brotherhood’s close ties to Hamas. Senator Cruz wants to change that. He said, “The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization, and it provides support to Muslim Brotherhood branches that are terrorist organizations. One of those branches is Hamas, which on October 7 committed the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, which included the murder and kidnapping of at least 53 Americans.”
Cruz added that the Brotherhood “poses an acute threat to American national security interests. American allies in the Middle East and Europe have already labeled the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, and the United States should do the same.”
Senator Cruz’s legislation would not only expose the Brotherhood’s true nature, but would disrupt its financial networks. It would also help counter the spread of anti-Western and Islamist propaganda.
<h3>6. The Muslim Brotherhood Has Many Powerful Allies</h3>
Senator Cruz’s bill will face well-financed opposition. We can expect Qatari-backed think tanks, journalists, university centers, and PR firms to flood the media with claims that the Muslim Brotherhood is a “moderate” and “peaceful” organization. They will call supporters of the bill “Islamophobes.”
For this legislation to succeed, its sponsors need our support. I urge you to tell your friends about the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act. Post a link to this page on your social media. Write to your representatives in Congress and the Senate, and ask them to support the bill. Talk to friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Support organizations that back the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, such as FDD Action (<a href="https://www.fddaction.org/">https://www.fddaction.org/</a>).
We can all do our part in making America stronger and safer. Start spreading the word today.
* * *
Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D., born in Egypt, is senior pastor of Church of The Apostles in Atlanta and founder of the radio broadcast “Leading The Way,” reaching 190 countries. With degrees from Moore College, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Emory University, he’s authored over 50 books, including “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1496431502/?bestFormat=true&amp;k=the%20third%20jihad%20by%20michael%20youssef&amp;ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_16&amp;crid=385NJPDUXR79B&amp;sprefix=the%20third%20jihad%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Third Jihad</a>.” He’s appeared on Fox News, CBN, and in The Wall Street Journal. His new book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Final-Call-Revelation-Ultimate/dp/1496486374/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=GjEWG&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.0fb2cce1-1ca4-439a-844b-8ad0b1fb77f7&amp;pf_rd_p=0fb2cce1-1ca4-439a-844b-8ad0b1fb77f7&amp;pf_rd_r=133-8344803-2786917&amp;pd_rd_wg=m8gZy&amp;pd_rd_r=251a523a-31f1-47f0-9867-3168baa1d786&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">God’s Final Call: How the Book of Revelation Pulls Back the Veil on Current Events and Our Ultimate Future</a>” (Tyndale, March 2025), recently released.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Gaza protest in Jordan

Six Reasons The Muslim Brotherhood Must Be Banned In America

Egypt

Islamic Jihad

Muslim Brotherhood

Opinion

Terrorists

Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz is set to introduce a Senate bill on Tuesday that would formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
The Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, which follows repeated attempts to name the group a terrorist organization, differs from previous versions as it calls for a &#8220;bottom-up&#8221; approach, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/ted-cruz-unveils-bill-to-designate-muslim-brotherhood-a-terrorist-organization-anticipates-bipartisan-support/">The Washington Free Beacon</a> reported.
According to a fact sheet provided by Cruz’s office, the previous attempts failed because “not all Muslim Brotherhood branches are currently violent and wouldn&#8217;t therefore meet the criteria for designation.&#8221; Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates already designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
The bill urges Secretary of State Marco Rubio to &#8220;catalog Muslim Brotherhood branches that are designated as terrorist groups and designate additional ones that meet relevant criteria—and mandates the designation of the global Muslim Brotherhood for its support to those terrorist groups.&#8221;
That approach mirrors President Donald Trump’s 2017 effort to sanction Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an effort that designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist group.
Cruz’s effort is openly supported by GOP senators from Arkansas (John Boozman and Tom Cotton), Florida (Ashley Moody and Rick Scott), and Pennsylvania (Dave McCormick).
“Arab allies also appear ready to back the initiative, with one official telling the Free Beacon in June that ‘any of the countries in the Middle East that have already designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization would welcome the United States doing the same,’” the Free Beacon noted.
Cruz’s bill would use three ways to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization: congressional action under the 1987 Anti-Terrorism Act, the State Department recognizing the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and specific designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio has 90 days after the bill passes to submit a report to Congress cataloguing ‘all Muslim Brotherhood branches’ around the globe,” The Free Beacon stated. “The legislation instructs him to designate any identified group that meets the criteria. The bill then authorizes a formal designation for the Muslim Brotherhood’s global operation under the 1987 ATA, creating a ‘primary embargo’ under which Americans are banned from engaging in financial transactions with the group and rendering it services.”
In April, Jordan <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/world/middleeast/muslim-brotherhood-explainer.html">banned</a> the Muslim Brotherhood from the country. According to their charter, the terrorist group Hamas is a “wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.” The Muslim Brotherhood assassinated Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1981 for making peace with Israel.
“The Muslim Brotherhood’s goal is to turn the world into a theocratic empire,” Stand With Us has <a href="https://www.standwithus.com/factsheets-the-muslim-brotherhood">noted</a>. “The  Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a revolutionary fundamentalist movement to restore the caliphate and strict shariah (Islamist) law in Muslim lands and, ultimately, the world. Today, it has chapters in 80 countries. &#8230; The Brotherhood wants America to fall. In 2010 their Supreme Guide told their followers to be ‘patient’ because America ‘is heading towards its demise.’”

GOP Senate Judiciary Members Hold Press Conference On The Supreme Court

Cruz Introduces Bill To Name Muslim Brotherhood A Terrorist Group

terrorist

President Donald Trump fields questions on tariffs, Ukraine, and Jeffrey Epstein during his sixth cabinet meeting, fallout continues from the Central Texas floods, and the Trump administration rejects amnesty but hints at flexibility for some illegal immigrant workers.
It’s Wednesday, July 9, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Convenes His Cabinet</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-944393" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-1.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline:  President Trump provided new details on tariffs, support for Ukraine, and Jeffrey Epstein during a wide-ranging cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Cabinet meetings traditionally take place behind closed doors, but on Tuesday, President Trump spent nearly two hours taking questions from reporters. While many questions addressed the recent flash flooding in Texas, the president also spent a considerable amount of time discussing his plans for new tariffs.
In April, President Trump announced a 90-day pause on his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs to offer countries a chance to negotiate lower rates — but warned that any country that didn’t come to the table would be hit with massive tariffs on July 9. However, despite early signs of optimism from our trading partners, the reality is that we have yet to see the “90 deals in 90 days” that the White House initially promised. 
To date, the only countries with formal, finalized trade agreements are the United Kingdom and Vietnam. 
The White House insists it is approaching the finish line with the European Union, India, and Cambodia, among others, but the administration clearly needs more time. On Monday, the president signed an executive order extending the tariff deadline to August 1. In an effort to expedite negotiations in the meantime, Trump sent letters to more than a dozen countries, stating that without a deal, they would face enormous tariffs on August 1, and if they raised rates in response, the United States would increase them even further. 
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced that the United States government had collected “about $100 billion in tariff income thus far this year” and projected that that figure could rise to well over $300 billion by the end of the year.&#8221;
Meanwhile, since taking office and that disastrous White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Trump administration has significantly cut its military and financial support for Ukraine. Trump said that he was worried Zelensky would avoid peace talks if he knew the United States would send an endless supply of weapons, and there were those in Washington who believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would be more willing to come to the table if support was cut off.
But with Moscow stepping up its attacks on population centers in Ukraine and Putin repeatedly backing out of peace talks, Trump has reversed himself and announced that the United States would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine. Trump later added that he’s seriously considering even harsher sanctions on Moscow.
“We want to put defensive weapons because Putin is not treating human beings right,” Trump told reporters. “We get a lot of bullsh** thrown at us by Putin — you want to know the truth. He&#8217;s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.&#8221;
President Trump also turned heads with his remarks on Jeffrey Epstein – the Trump administration essentially closed its case on Epstein this week, saying there is no evidence that he was murdered, had a client list, or blackmailed powerful individuals. 
That decision has dominated the headlines, but the president seemed irritated, even <a href="https://x.com/9mm_smg/status/1942628135263989932">exasperated</a>, when asked about it.“Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable. Do you wanna waste the time… I can’t believe you’re asking a question about Epstein at a time like this.”
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<h2>Tensions High In Texas After Flash Floods Kill Over 100 People</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-944395" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MRN-7.9.25-Seg-Head-2.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: While rescue and recovery operations continue in Texas, some are already asking why communities were so unprepared for the natural disaster.
The tragedy that has killed more than 100 people, with many still missing, has left officials to face tough questions. Searches are underway throughout Central Texas. Rains and flash flood warnings have hindered progress, and officials have had to not only look for those missing, but also protect the emergency responders and volunteers that have joined the search crews.
“In the Kerr County area alone, there are 161 people who are known to be missing,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2yquWcGJ9g&amp;t=2938s">said</a> on Tuesday. “We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for. Know this also, there is very likely more to be added to that list.”
Press conferences have started to become testy, however, with local and national reporters pushing officials to answer increasingly pointed questions about their disaster response, including but not limited to, “Was the emergency manager awake?”
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice defended the decision not to issue an evacuation order before the flooding, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgKRuDsTEyk&amp;t=1303s">arguing</a> that “evacuation is a delicate balance, because if you evacuate too late you then risk putting busses, or cars, or vehicles, or campers on roads into low water areas trying to get them out which then can make it even more challenging, because these flash floods happen very quickly.”
Critics have claimed that recent cuts to the National Weather Service led to the organization being understaffed and less prepared. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz characterized those allegations as “partisan finger-pointing” and claimed that the local NWS office had surged “additional manpower” in anticipation of possible flooding. The NWS union, which has generally been very critical of the recent cuts, has also said that the reductions did not impact the response.
&nbsp;
<h2>To Deport, Or Not To Deport</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration is again signaling a shift in how it is addressing illegal immigration in the farming industry. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to continue worksite raids on farms to sweep for illegal immigrants. That directive was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/homeland-security-immigration-raids-resume">issued</a> in June, shortly after the administration announced a pause on those raids, as well as raids at hotels and restaurants. Since then, the Trump administration has sent additional signals that it is attempting to balance its commitment to deporting all illegal aliens with more immediate economic concerns, including potential workforce shortages.
“We’re going to take care of our farmers and hotel workers, but we&#8217;re working on it right now,” President Trump said. “We have a lot of cases where ICE would go into the farm, and these are guys that are working there for 10 to 15 years, no problem. … The farmers know them. It’s called ‘farmer responsibility’ or ‘owner responsibility,’ but they&#8217;re going to be largely responsible for these people, and they know these people…They can be here legally. They can pay taxes and everything. They&#8217;re not getting citizenship, but they get other things. And the farmers need them to do the work.”
That approach has caused backlash among some of the president&#8217;s more ardent supporters, many of whom favor a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal aliens living and/or working in the United States.
In June, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://x.com/BrookeLRollins/status/1934240461717143696">expressed</a> her full commitment to the America First agenda, but said deportations were being “prioritized” in a way to avoid “severe disruptions to our food supply.” On Tuesday, after being questioned by Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, Rollins elaborated that the Trump administration will offer illegal immigrants working on farms “no amnesty under any circumstances. Mass deportations continue, but in a strategic and intentional way as we move our workforce toward more automation and toward a 100% American workforce.”
Some reports, mostly out of California, said illegal immigrant farm laborers stopped showing up to work out of fear of deportation, and crops had gone unharvested. One <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/ice-raids-crops-california-farms">report</a> cited numerous farm supervisors who stated that the number of workers dropped dramatically since raids began in California; one supervisor claimed that only 80 of 300 people showed up to work, while another saw a drop from 80 workers to 17. Recent estimates by the Department of Agriculture suggest that about <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-labor#:~:text=Roughly%20Half%20of%20Hired%20Crop,unauthorized%20is%20highest%20in%20California.">40-50%</a> of crop farmworkers are either in the country illegally or lack proper work authorization.

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Morning Brief: Trump Says No Amnesty For Illegals & Texas Flood Fallout

brooke rollins

Cabinet

California

Farming

flooding

Floods

illegal immigrants

Jeffrey Epstein

Tariffs

Trade War

Ukraine-Russia War

weapons

The Daily Beast tried to accuse Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) of vacationing in Athens while Texas experienced massive flooding, despite being told the senator returned to the U.S. as quickly as possible.
&#8220;A bulls*** piece published by a bulls*** rag outlet with no credibility, and with no regard for the tragedy in Texas,&#8221; Macarena Martinez, communications director for Cruz, <a href="https://x.com/macamrtz/status/1942294143365202406">said</a> on social media. &#8220;The Senator is on the ground in Texas and arrived as fast as humanly possible. I explained all of this to their two-faced reporter.&#8221;
By Friday afternoon, Cruz had spoken with President Donald Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the senator said on social media.
By Sunday, Cruz was on the ground in Texas.
&#8220;Texas is grieving right now,&#8221; Cruz said at a press conference today. &#8220;The pain, the shock of what has transpired the last few days has broken the heart of our state.&#8221;
The Daily Beast&#8217;s hit piece comes after multiple outlets have tried to blame conservatives for the flooding in Texas. CNN anchor Dana Bash <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dana-bash-blames-climate-change-donald-trumps-administration-for-texas-floods">said</a> climate change and the Trump administration were to blame for the flooding, and actress Rosie O&#8217;Donnell <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/libs-dragged-for-blaming-texas-flood-disaster-on-trump">said</a> Trump gutted &#8220;early warning systems&#8221; that could have prevented the tragedy.
But meteorologists <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/theres-no-evidence-to-suggest-doge-cuts-caused-texas-flood-devastation-meteorologists-say">say</a> the flooding was caused by rare circumstances, not federal cuts to the National Weather Service.
&#8220;Just looking at the actual warning services that NWS provided during the event, they were solid and provided the level of warning and alerts that the public should expect to receive for an event such as this,” Alan Gerard, a former director of the Analysis and Understanding Branch in the National Severe Storms Laboratory at NOAA, <a href="https://balancedweather.substack.com/p/balancedwx-special-tragic-flash-flooding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said.</a>
At least 90, including 28 children, have been declared dead from the flooding. Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-shares-plan-to-visit-site-of-texas-flood-damage">announced</a> plans to visit the scene of the tragedy later this week.

Death Toll Rises After Flash Floods In Texas Hill Country

Daily Beast Tries To Use Texas Tragedy To Attack Ted Cruz

WASHINGTON—During a Senate Judiciary hearing Wednesday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz exposed China’s shady efforts to infiltrate the American energy sector and leave the United States dependent on Beijing for so-called green energy.
&#8220;We are witnessing right now a systematic campaign against American energy,&#8221; Cruz said at the hearing. &#8220;There is a coordinated assault by the radical Left, backed and paid for by the Chinese Communist Party, to seize control of our courts, to weaponize litigation against US energy producers all in order to undermine American energy dominance.&#8221;
Cruz in particular <a href="https://statearmor.org/who-is-energy-foundation-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focused</a> on Energy Foundation China, a group with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The senator cited a report from State Armor, which found that &#8220;To secure U.S. dependence, the CCP has been co-opting the progressive American climate change lobby to push a transition from fossil fuels and other critical inputs…onto &#8216;green&#8217; technologies controlled by China.&#8221;
By funneling money through the foundation, the report claims, the CCP has funded many climate advocacy groups in America, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is well known for its litigious character.
&#8220;Their lawsuits are designed to destroy the American energy industry, which happens to perfectly coincide with the political objective of Senate Democrats to destroy the American energy industry,&#8221; Cruz said.
Cruz continued by exposing the Climate Judiciary Project, which claims to be impartial and uninvolved in litigation, but <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/climate-justice-group-deep-ties-judges-experts-involved-litigation-claims-impartiality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> trains and supports judges presiding over cases of climate litigation.
Cruz pointed out that Energy Foundation China, which is run by former CCP officials, is funding litigation groups working to flood the courts with cases against American energy companies. These cases then come before judges trained by leftist-funded climate advocacy groups.
&#8220;This three-pronged strategy — foreign funding, mass litigation, and judicial indoctrination — is a full-spectrum assault on American energy independence,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;And while China drills and digs, we sue and shut down.&#8221;
&#8220;While China prepares for energy dominance, the American Left prepares to attack our own domestic capability.&#8221;
Ranking Member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called Cruz’s claims a &#8220;conspiracy,&#8221; arguing that the oil industry’s &#8220;dark money&#8221; schemes were more concerning.
&#8220;The hearing ignores that the fossil fuel industry has, for decades, benefited from secret funding to wage war on the American consumer by making energy more expensive and dirtier,&#8221; Whitehouse said.
Whitehouse also dismissed the claim that China was indirectly providing funds to litigious groups. Energy Foundation China, he argued, seemed focused on addressing Chinese environmental concerns, not advocating for legislative change in the United States.
Whitehouse said, &#8220;Fighting Chinese pollution in China [&#8230;] is a very different thing than having a Chinese conspiracy that funds a litigation group here in the United States.&#8221;
From 2001 to 2020, the EFC has paid out nearly $1.02 billion in grants to hundreds of different organizations seeking climate reform, according to a <a href="https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by Influence Watch. The Climate Judiciary Project paid an undisclosed amount toward its judicial education programs.
Scott Walter, the president of the Capital Research Center, was among those testifying about the role the CCP might play among American climate lobbyists and judges.
Asked about the motives of the CCP officials who founded Energy Foundation China, Walter said he was &#8220;skeptical that former Chinese communist officials are interested in doing anything that would harm their country.&#8221;

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Examines District Judges v. Trump

Ted Cruz Exposes China’s Plot To Undermine American Energy: ‘A Coordinated Assault’

China

Energy

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Wenesday blasted conservative commentator Tucker Carlson over his foreign policy stance, saying that the former Fox News host has gone &#8220;bat crap crazy&#8221; in adopting &#8220;hardcore isolationist&#8221; views.
On his podcast, &#8220;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/israel-vs-iran-whos-winning-whats-next-will-america/id1495601614?i=1000713386485">Verdict with Ted Cruz</a>,&#8221; the Texas senator previewed an interview he had with Carlson slated to drop on Carlson&#8217;s podcast on Wednesday. During the discussion, Cruz and Carlson get into a heated debate over Iran and President Donald Trump&#8217;s position on the Middle East conflict.
&#8220;I agree with Tucker on 80% of the issues &#8230; during the idiotic COVID lockdowns, Tucker&#8217;s monologue every night on Fox was the single best thing on television, which I told him at the time, and I agree with him,&#8221; Cruz said after recording the interview with Carlson. &#8220;I will say on foreign policy, Tucker has gone bat crap crazy. He&#8217;s gone off the rails. He is suddenly a hardcore isolationist.&#8221;
Cruz added that he knew going into the interview with Carlson that it would be a &#8220;rough and tumble fight&#8221; over foreign policy, especially after Israel launched an attack on Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities and military leaders last week.
&#8220;Tucker has spent the last several days attacking Donald Trump,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;He&#8217;s blasted Trump as &#8216;complicit&#8217; in this horrible attack, and he keeps saying World War III is going to happen. He&#8217;s just been over the top.&#8221;
The senator said the two-hour interview with Carlson immediately became &#8220;combative,&#8221; with Carlson &#8220;throwing haymakers.&#8221; A <a href="https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1935136085266387417">short clip</a> of the interview posted by Carlson on X shows the conservative commentator asking Cruz about the population of Iran, a question that Cruz couldn&#8217;t answer.
&#8220;How could you not know that?&#8221; Carlson asked.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t sit around memorizing population tables,&#8221; Cruz replied.
&#8220;Well, it&#8217;s kind of relevant because you&#8217;re calling for the overthrow of the government,&#8221; Carlson said.
Cruz shot back, &#8220;Why is it relevant whether it&#8217;s 90 million or 80 million or 100 million? Why is that relevant?&#8221;
Cruz added on Wednesday morning that Carlson criticized Trump throughout the interview and &#8220;spends 20 minutes&#8221; talking about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and &#8220;how he thinks the AIPAC lobby is dominating American foreign policy.&#8221;
&#8220;It was just unhinged, and I get there are conspiracy sections of the internet that are worried that AIPAC is running the world. It&#8217;s just not reality,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And [Carlson] didn&#8217;t like it when I called him out on it, and I did.&#8221;
The senator also accused Carlson of denying that Iran has attempted to assassinate President Trump, despite the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-murder-hire-and-related-charges-against-irgc-asset-and-two">charging</a> an Iranian in November who it accuses of being &#8220;tasked by the Iranian Regime with surveilling and plotting to assassinate President-Elect Donald J. Trump.&#8221;
&#8220;He just said, &#8216;That&#8217;s not true. I&#8217;ve never heard anything about it. I don&#8217;t know anything about it,&#8221; Cruz added. &#8220;Well, it happens to be a fact. It happens to be that the DOJ has indicted Iranian hitmen for attempting to murder Donald Trump.&#8221;
Earlier this week, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-lays-into-kooky-tucker-carlson-over-opposition-to-israeli-strikes-on-iran?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Lays+Into+%E2%80%98Kooky%E2%80%99+Tucker+Carlson+Over+Opposition+To+Israeli+Strikes+On+Iran">called out</a> Carlson over his views on the Middle East conflict, writing on Truth Social, “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!’”
Later in his podcast, Cruz said that isolationism and interventionism are &#8220;both wrong&#8221; approaches to foreign policy.
&#8220;I&#8217;m a non-interventionist hawk. I am very reluctant to engage in military conflict, just like Trump is,&#8221; Cruz added. &#8220;But I also believe in peace through strength. The best way you avoid war is being strong enough that your enemies don&#8217;t want to stand up to you.&#8221;

Ted Cruz/Tucker Carlson

‘Off The Rails’: Ted Cruz Rips Tucker Carlson For Going ‘Bat Crap Crazy’ On Foreign Policy

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