Morning Wire - Ceasefire Deal in Limbo & WaPo’s Mission Statement | Afternoon Update | 1.16.25

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

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This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Let's get you talking in a new language. Babel is gifting our listeners 60% off subscriptions at babble.com.com slash wire. Again, that's babble. com slash wire. Rules and restrictions may apply. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, January 16th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is once again in limbo, while mediators work to salvage the deal. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on a ceasefire agreement. The deal included releasing 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Netanyahu's cabinet delayed a planned vote on the agreement, citing what it called Hamas' attempt to extort last-minute concessions. Here's Israeli government spokesman David Mensa. The Israeli cabinet cannot meet to agree this deal. it cannot convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement that were already agreed. Families of our hostages have been informed today

that Hamas has added further demands that contradict the agreement with the mediators. As of this time, the details of the agreement have not yet been finalised and the negotiation team is continuing its efforts to reach a solution. Hamas denies the claims, insisting it remains committed to the agreement.

Mediators from the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt are meeting in Cairo to address the crisis, with President Biden emphasizing the humanitarian and diplomatic importance of the deal. Former North Dakota Governor Doug Bergam faced questions about key environmental and energy policies during his Senate confirmation hearing for Interior Secretary. Daily Wire reporter Tim Rice reports.

The former North Dakota governor pledged, to advance Trump's energy dominance agenda while protecting public lands. Democrats pressed Bergam on wind farming and electric vehicle policies while Republicans focused on boosting energy production and forest management. Here's a bit of his exchange

with Maine Senator Angus King. In a former life, I developed both baseload and intermittent resources. I don't want the word baseload to be code for no renewables. That's not what you're saying, is it? No, we need a balance. If you want to call them renewables, is used as a positive word, but this is a fact of life, is they're intermittent.

And when they're intermittent, until we have storage solutions and we're years away from having significant enough cost-effective storage to support that, we need to have the baseload or the intermittent doesn't even have a life. Bergam emphasized balancing national security, economic growth, and environmental protections. With bipartisan interest in his approach, Bergam's nomination appears on track for confirmation. The incoming Trump administration is already being pressed to walk back many of the Biden administration's environmental policies. According to an exclusive Daily Wire report, a group of energy experts led by the American Energy Institute sent a memo to Trump EPA nominee and former

New York Representative Lee Zeldon outlining 10 steps they think he should take when his term begins. The list includes freezing all EPA activities pending further review and ending Biden's electric vehicle mandate among others. Zeldon's hearing before the Senate Committee on Public Works and the environment took place earlier today. Southern California is beginning the conversation around rebuilding after the wildfires destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigamo has more. Estimates for repairs are expected to reach tens of billions of dollars, so many are coming

to terms with their recovery process that could take years. Officials now are focusing on clearing toxic debris and planning reconstruction efforts. As things stand now, 25 people have been killed in the five. fires with many more missing and at least 12,000 structures have been destroyed. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has issued an executive order to streamline rebuilding as federal aid begins to provide temporary housing and assistance. Amid the already mounting criticism of Mayor Bass, a new report reveals that she did not deploy L.A.'s crisis response team to help with the fires. That team, which has hundreds of trained volunteers and a nearly $1 million

budget sat idle for a week after the Palisades Fire began. The bill that would deport illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault has passed the House 274 to 145. All Republicans supported the bill while opposition came solely from Democrats. Democrat critics say it could harm abuse victims and broaden definitions of domestic violence unfairly, but supporters argue that the bill prioritizes public safety and fills in necessary border security holes. Here's the bill's author, Representative Nancy Mace. These criminal illegal aliens freely roam our streets committing senseless acts of violence against American women and children. This includes over 100,000 illegal aliens convicted of or

charged with assault. It includes over 20,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with sexual assault and rape. It includes over 12,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with sex offenses. It includes over 3,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with kidnapping and nearly 15,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with murder. That is who the left are defending this morning, murderers, rapists, and pedophiles. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced his pick for Marco Rubio's Senate seat. DeSantis revealed today that Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will fill the seat after Rubio's expected confirmation as Secretary of State in Trump's administration.

DeSantis praised Moody's track record for delivering results and her commitment to conservative principles. She's an outspoken proponent of the state of Israel and has battled against anti-Semitism in the business world, academia, and even taken on the United Nations, which she has pledged as a senator to defund once and for all. Moody will officially take her Senate seat on January 20th following Trump's inauguration and Rubio's confirmation. Things got heated in Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's final press conference. Journalists were forcibly removed from the room after interrupting Blinken as he announced plans for a 42-day Israel Hamas ceasefire deal.

Here's a bit from that moment. From Antsion International to the ICJ saying that Israel is doing genocide and extermination and you're telling me to respect the process. Criminal! Why aren't you in the hay? Why aren't you in the hay? And the financially struggling Washington Post unveiled a new mission statement this week. Quote, riveting storytelling for all of America. The move is part of an attempt to broaden its appeal beyond coastal cities and engage blue-collar and conservative readers. The announcement comes amidstaff dissatisfaction with leadership and financial losses totaling 77 million in 2023. Owner Jeff Bezos supports the shift

with plans for more opinion content, artificial intelligence integration, and a goal to reach 200 million users monthly. All right, those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com and for more in-depth reporting on the biggest stories of the day, tune in to our full episode of Morning Wire every morning.