Britain's Mystery Prime Minister & The Odyssey Controversy | 7.21.26
00:00Before the next track starts, have you ever wondered, who are the people in my old family photos?Or what brought them to Canada?With Ancestry, you can start finding answers.Start with a name and we'll guide you from there.For just 499, try our new 30-day Beginners Pass and uncover generations of family stories.No experience necessary.You've got questions?We've got ancestors.
00:22Offer ends July 22nd, 26.Visit Ancestry.ca slash beginners for details.Terms apply.The escalation of U.S. strikes on Iran are pushing the conflict to another breaking point.What role are U.S. allies in the region prepared to play, and how far would the U.S. have to go to force Iran's hand?They may go off to the islands, but certainly I do not see either in terms of a willingness nor fielded capacity to conduct a crime invasion.I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley. It's Tuesday, July 21st, and this is Morning Wire.The UK officially has a new prime minister.
01:13What do we know about the new PM and will he help or hurt the UK's relationship with Trump?We have to wait and see what he does policy-wise because there are a lot of issues that he just isn't talking about.And the official box office numbers are in for Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film The Odyssey.What proved essential to its success and will Hollywood learn the right or wrong lessons from its epic hall?Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.This episode is sponsored by Brickhouse Nutrition.Everybody knows someone right now who's talking about weight loss injections.
01:49And to be fair, the results can be dramatic.But a lot of people are also hesitant about weekly injections.That's why more people, including some here at the Daily Wire,have been looking into Lean from Brickhouse Nutrition.Lean is a doctor-developed weight loss supplement,and several people around the Daily Wire teamhave talked about how helpful it is for controlling cravingsand staying more consistent with healthier eating habits.
02:10The ingredients in lean are backed by research showing that they can help lower blood sugar and convertstored fat into energy and reduce those constant hunger cravings that make dieting so difficult.And this is important.Lean is not really aimed at someone trying to lose two or three pounds before a vacation.The doctors at Brickhouse Nutrition created it for people who've been struggling to lose 10 poundsor more and are looking for a realistic option that fits in their everyday life.Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so that you can add lean to yourhealthy diet and exercise plan. Visit takeleen.com and enter Wire for your discount. That's promo code
02:44wire at takelein.com. U.S. forces began a new round of strikes against Iran yesterday at PresidentTrump's direction with the goal of degrading Iran's ability to attack commercial ships in theStrait of Hormuz. This marks the 10th consecutive day of U.S. strikes against Iran.Joining us now to discuss is General Mark Kimet, former Assistant Secretary of State for PoliticalMilitary Affairs under George W. Bush.Kimmel, but thank you so much for coming on.Certainly.So first, where do things stand with the conflict between the U.S. and Iran today?
03:17Well, I think, frankly, we're sort of at a status quo with the fighting going back and forth, somewhat tit for tat.I think this can't go on for any length of time.There seems to be a necessity for some kind of breakpoint in one way or the other to this conflict.I think we might see our bombing campaign take on different tactics than we've seen up to this point.We've gone after primarily military targets up to this point.We're starting to go against dual-use targets like infrastructure, bridges that can be used by the military,but also are used by the civilian population as well.I think we'll see a ramping up of that and may even go further than just dual use.
04:07but then one wonders if that's really going to make the difference.It's going to take a lot more punishment from the error in my mindbefore they're willing to truly negotiate.What do you think is an aspect of this conflictthat is being either underreported or maybe even misreportedby the press at this point?That's a very good question.I don't think we really have a good grip
04:30on either the government or the public opinion of the Gulf countrieswhere do they stand in this? Are they at this point considering saying, look, the only way to end this is by asking the Americans to leave, closing off the status of force agreement? Or is there a chance that these countries are actually considering building a coalition to participate in operations against the Iranians? I don't think that that has been underreported. I just don't think that those conversations have been reported at all. I'd like to. I'd like to.like to see journalists dig into that.Adding to that, how much will our allies in the region potentially prove the keyif we really have to change the nature of the conflict to come to some sort of resolution?I think the Iranians are counting on the Gulf countries, their Gulf neighbors,to be forced into acquiescing to the demands of the Iranians because of the attacks,the Iranians are making on Gulf country infrastructure, the U.S. military bases that are in the region.
05:43I mean, for goodness sakes, the Iranians are attacking desalination plants of these countries.So the question is, do those countries see that as a reason to acquiesce to the demands of the Iraniansand take actions such as closing down the American bases there?or is that stiffening their spines and causing them to consider either through the Gulf Cooperation Councilor in discussions with the Americans to use their billions and billions of U.S. dollars in U.S. equipment that they purchased and put it to offensive operations rather than simply defensive.They get very, very high technology aircraft.They have high mars.they have. They've got a lot of offensive capabilities that they could bring into the fight. They
06:36haven't done it so far. They feel the best way to support their country is to support the UnitedStates and keep their heads down. But again, I don't think that's sustainable in the long run.Yeah. Any sign that the U.S. is going to ask them to actually take some action.Oh, I think that's been done behind the scenes considerably. And that's one of those areas I'd like to see thejournalists start reporting on. We will see how the Trump administration handles this. Very difficultsituation. Thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. If you've ever sold anything online,you know shipping can become a full-time job. Wrong addresses, comparing carriers, tracking packages,it adds up fast. And that's why people love Ship Station. A few people on our team have used it,
07:25and they always say the same thing. I wish I'd started using it sooner. It catches address mistakesbefore packages go out, helps you find the best shipping options, and even lets you add shipping,insurance, and seconds. And now it's powered by AI, trained on billions of shipments, making the wholeprocess even smarter. The sooner you switch, the sooner you can start saving time and money.Get started with ShipStation today and get 60 days free at Shipstation.com with CodeWire. That'sshipstation.com code wire, shipstation.com code wire. Taxes and fees apply.One thing we've learned here at the Daily Wire is that growth doesn't happen by accident.takes the right people, the right team, and a commitment to building something that lasts.
08:05And whether you're running a media company, a small business, or leading a team of your own,your time is one of your most valuable resources. That's why successful people are always lookingfor ways to eliminate unnecessary busy work and focus on the right things that actually move themission forward. One of the biggest challenges for any business owner is finding the rightpeople to bring into a team. Hiring takes time, sorting through resumes, following up withcandidates, and figuring out who is truly the right fit can become a full-time job on its own.That's where ZipRecruiter comes in.ZipRecruiter helps simplify the hiring process
08:35by quickly surfacing the most qualified,most interested candidates first,so you can spend less time searching and more time building.Because when you find the right people,you're not just filling a position.You're building the foundation for what comes next.Save time and meet great candidates sooner with ZipRecruiter.That's ZipRecruiter.com slash wire.
08:52Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiterget a quality candidate within the first day.That's ziprecruiter.com slash wire.After the collapse and support for Kier Starmer, the UK now has a new prime minister.And all eyes are watching how he'll affect the relationship with the U.S.Joining us to discuss is Bev Turner, host of G.B. News, The Late Show Live.Bev, great to see you.Nice for having me.
09:15All right, so you guys have yourself a new prime minister after a bunch of scandal and backlash against Starmor.Andy Burnham was formally appointed on Monday.First, big picture, what do we need to know about Burnham?Is there optimism about him being the new prime minister?Well, if you know anything, guys, I'd like you to tell me,because we don't actually know what we're going to get herewith our new prime minister, Andy Burden, parachuted into number 10.He wasn't an MP.
09:44Starmo was under so much pressure.He'd lost the faith of the public,and then he lost the faith of his cabinet and his team,and they started resigning.Eventually, the Labor Party said, you have to go.He didn't go.He stayed there.He waited for a by-election in a little town called Make a...
09:58a field, a little area in the northwest of England. Andy Burnham, left being Manchester Mayor,went a few miles across town, stood in that seat, became elected by about 25,000 people,and therefore effectively becomes our prime minister, sort of overnight. So he hasn't stood in ageneral election. He's taking over the mantle of the Labour Party, a very socialist partyrunning the UK, and he's now living in 10 Downing Street. If you look at what the mainstream mediaare saying, John, you would think the Messiah.has risen and he's going to save us all.Yeah, I've literally seen the word Messiah and the king of the north.
10:35I've also seen this as him referred to as.So there's not a lot we know politically about it.Something about him obviously was appealing, though, to the party.What do you think it is?Why was he appointed in so rapidly?Andy is a lovely man.I've met him on many occasions.I've known him over the years.
10:54He is so normal.He's down to earth.He went to Cambridge University, but he's a state-educated boy from a very normal kind of lowerworking-class family. He's got a proper northern accent, a bit like mine used to be before I movedto London and went a bit posh. But he sounds very mancunian. He doesn't sound like a prime minister.Now, that slightly worries me because I think he's a better salesman than Kirstama. And there area lot of controversial issues happening in the UK at the moment. And my fear, and those of us who mightsee ourselves as small-sea conservative voters, see him as a wolf in sheep's clothing. He can get
11:35things through because he's a really nice guy. His social media is completely different to Starma.He's doing all these little TikTok videos. He's very self-effacing. He's very self-deprecating. He's veryhumble. That is how he appears. But we have to wait and see what he does policy-wise, becausethere are a lot of issues that he just isn't talking about. He's talking about all the easy stuff right now.Now, his first big speech, as I understand it, was just really shredding Margaret Thatcher, is that correct?Does that tell us anything about maybe his intentions?Yeah, we know that he is a socialist, but we're just not quite sure where he's going to sit on that spectrum at the moment.He's very much talking about cleaning up Roth's sleeping.
12:17Interestingly, nobody really saw that coming, as is one of his first policy ambitions.It remains to be seen, but he's certainly talking about the cost of living, bringing down prices for people.All right, so some focus on homelessness, immigration has obviously been a massive issue in the UK.And that's something we've talked to you repeatedly about protests in both directions about immigration.Any sense at all about his position on immigration and the Labor Party in general?Have they changed it all?He said nothing, John.And that's the key.
12:51The big issues, he's just avoiding.And that is a key one for us. He's done some very soft interviews. Illegal migration, particularly, as we've discussed, is a huge issue. Does he have a solution for that? How hard is he going to be on that? My suspicion is not very hard at all. And as we talked about before, where does he sit on the thorny issue of Islamism in the UK and the potentially pernicious influence of Islamic terrorism and jihadis living amongst us in the UK? We know that the Muslim voters are very important to labour.One of the first statements he made was how he thinks that the Labour Party got it wrong on Gazaand that they should have been much more critical of Trump and critical of Netanyahu about Gaza.So that tells us a little bit about how he feels.He also was asked about how he's going to handle President Trump and he said,I'm just going to kind of meet him where he is.I don't know what that means.
13:45We understand they've had a phone call actually and I've already texted the president to say,would you like to have a conversation with me about what you and Andy Burnham talked about?So let's see if he gets back to me, because it would be interesting to know.I got the first line out of the president about who Andy Burnham was,when before he'd been parachuted in.And the president said, I don't really know anything about him.He's a mayor of a town somewhere, I think, isn't he?But he said, I know he's very liberal.
14:09And he is.Well, that relationship's going to be so crucial, as it was for Starmour.Part of the reason Starmor, I think, was ultimately dethroned.We'll see how that relationship with Trump progresses over the coming months.Thanks so much for coming on.Pleasure.Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of The Odyssey exploded onto the global box office this weekend.It's earning rave reviews with both audiences and critics, but the film continues to spark fierce debate on the political right.
14:37Daily Wire Culture reporter, Megan Basham is here now with more.So, Megan, you've been tracking this film's massive opening and the cultural firestorm surrounding it.Can you just walk us through the numbers first?How big was this debut?Yeah, it was very, very big.It is now officially Christopher Nolan's biggest global debut ever, and, you know, he's no slouch.He's been known to convince a few people to come out to theaters in the past with movies likeThe Dark Night, Oppenheimer, some other major releases.
15:06And so The Odyssey opened with an estimated $125 million in North America and another $140 million overseas,and that well-exceeded forecasts that had placed its domestic opening around $100 million.And it did this despite the fact that it was facing several potential obstacles. So the movie is three hours long. It carries an R rating. And it's based on a roughly, you know, 2,800-year-old Greek poem that most Americans have probably not even glanced at since like high school. So, you know, all that to say, not as easy of a cell as something like The Avengers. And this was only opening weekend and it's already earned back pretty much all of its production budget. So I think that settles the question of whether or not thisfilm was going to be a success. There was a lot of pre-release backlash over the casting specifically,but now the film is earning such strong audience and critical reviews, and even some high-profileconservatives are praising it. So does this mean that the concerns about wokeness were just totallyunfounded? I think it's more a question of whether or not the stronger elements of the film outweighsome of those concerns that were, you know, termed wokeness by a lot of these conservative commentators.
16:16So before the film's release, controversy especially centered on casting, particularly Lupita Nyango as Helen of Troy, and also Elliot, formerly Ellen Page, as seen on a Greek male warrior, because of course, Elliot Page is a biological woman. But I think now that the film is out, conservatives are still saying that, yes, some of those casting issues are still a concern. They were still a little bit irritating in the film, but it doesn't mean that Nolan has gone woke.And in fact, that was what The Daily Wires owned Ben Shapiro said on his show,and that made a lot of headlines among some of the Hollywood trade papers like variety.There's certain flaws in the movie that feel enormous, truly, to the viewer, they feel big.But overall, the movie is, no one's great at what he does.I mean, the movie is a masterpiece.It is.Other conservatives kind of echoed Shapiro there.
17:09Chris Rufo, for instance, put it this way.He said the film wasn't woke, but rather it was built on a therapeutic boomer,liberalism that was in constant tension with the source material. And that seems to me like a prettyaccurate summary of what Shapiro and some of these other conservative commentators are saying.Now, what has Nolan said? Has he responded to this controversy at all? He has not. And I actuallythink that Christopher Nolan has played this very, very smart, rather than rebuking conservatives forhaving some of these complaints or for turning around and denying that he was trying to have arepresentative cast, he has really just said nothing. And he said, I'm going to let him. He said, I'm going to
17:46Let this film stand on its own merits.I think that was very smart.And here's what he said to Fox about that.You know, it touches on timeless things, universal truths and everything.And so I think it's fascinated cultures for 3,000 years because each generation can find its relevance.So, yeah, bringing it to a modern cinema audience.Certainly we try to make it accessible, you know, hopefully to young people, people of all ages, really.I mean, it's just one of the great adventure stories, one of the great tales.
18:18And so in this way, I really do think that Nolan has been positioning himself as a caretaker of the Western canon and reintroducing it to new generations.And I think that's something that a lot of conservatives can understandably embrace.Well, I for one really enjoyed it, John, not so much.I do have some notes.And if you're interested in our opinions, we actually have a video out on Behind the Wire all about that.Megan, I wish you were part of that conversation.Me too. I'm going to watch it right after this.All right. Thanks a lot.
18:45Thanks, Megan.My pleasure.Thanks for waking up with us.The reporting that fuels this show is only possible because you tune in every day and because of our Daily Wire subscribers.To enjoy the show, ad-free and join our mission, become a member at DailyWire.com.We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.
There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click any sentence in the transcript to leave one.