Morning Wire - Evening Wire: Iran Rejects Ultimatum & East Palestine Investigated | 6.20.25

Episode Date: June 20, 2025

Iran refuses to negotiate with Trump as Israel intensifies attacks, ICE corrects the record following claims from the LA Dodgers, and Florida makes a proposal that only Florida could.Get the facts first on Evening Wire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Iran refuses to negotiate with Trump as Israel intensifies attacks. ICE corrects the record following claims from the L.A. Dodgers. And Florida makes a proposal that only Florida could. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley. It's Friday, June 20th, and this is Evening Wire. One week into the conflict with Iran, Israel is ramping up its attacks on the Islamic Republic. Israel's defense minister ordered the military to intensify strikes, targeting dozens of sites overnight, including a nuclear research facility and several missile

production hubs. He called for attacks on regime power centers like the Revolutionary Guard and the Basij Militia. The IDF says more than 60 warplanes were involved aiming to destabilize Iran's leadership. Meanwhile, Iran appears to have once again shut the door on negotiations with the United States. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest. Speaking on Iranian state media, the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Iraqi declared there would be no room for dialogue until what he called Israeli aggression comes to an end. He also accused the U.S. of being a full partner in the attacks, saying Washington had sent multiple messages seeking talks, all of which Tehran has rejected. This comes after President Trump gave the regime an ultimatum yesterday.

I have a message directly from the president, and I quote, based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future. I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks. Despite the comments, the White House says President Trump is still holding out hope for a new diplomacy over Tehran's nuclear program. Iraqi is expected to meet with European foreign ministers in Geneva to discuss the crisis, but Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, will not be part of those talks. President Trump gets a major win in his tug of war with California Governor Gavin Newsom over control of the National Guard. Daily Wire Deputy Managing editor Tim Rice has more.

In a unanimous ruling yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the president to retain command of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles, reversing a lower court order that had handed control back to Newsom. The court ruled Trump acted lawfully and was permitted to federalize the Guard when regular forces are insufficient to enforce U.S. laws. While the judges rejected the idea that such decisions are beyond judicial review, they upheld the president's authority in this case, citing a federal. statute. This marks the first time since 1965 a president has taken such action without a governor's consent. Trump celebrated the decision on truth social, saying the ruling affirms the federal

government's responsibility to protect cities when local forces can't. He also questioned Newsom's competence. A new Mexico man is behind bars after allegedly plotting attacks on law enforcement during the L.A. riots. Federal prosecutors say 48-year-old Djogh Vandenberg bought mortar explosives and fireworks, telling a store clerk that he planned to use them against police and government officials. The clerk reported him helping the FBI thwart the plan. Vandenberg faces federal charges and could spend up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Federal officials are pushing back after the LA Dodgers claim to have denied ICE agents access to their stadium parking lot. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Press-Aiacomo has the details. In a statement yesterday, the Dodgers said immigration and

customs enforcement agents had requested entry, which they refused. But ICE quickly denied that, posting on social media that the claim was false, insisting they were never there. Customs and border protection later clarified that its vehicles were briefly on site, but the visit was unrelated to any enforcement activity or the Dodgers themselves. The conflicting reports triggered a protest outside the stadium with demonstrators demanding federal agents leave the city. A previously deported illegal immigrant is in custody after he allegedly attacked a U.S. attorney with a knife in New York State. Prosecutors say 40-year-old Saul Morales Garcia charged at New York's Northern District Attorney John Sarkone outside a hotel and threatened to slit his throat.

Sarkone escaped and helped to stop the suspect before deputies arrested him. As Sarkone tells Fox News, he could have just kept walking, but he just had a feeling that the man was dangerous. And I kept my eye on him, and he definitely appeared to be up to something, crazy. Instead of keep going, I went across the street, and I stood in front of the Hilton, and I kept my eye on him, didn't look at him directly. Next thing you know, he starts screaming at me in a language I didn't understand. I didn't acknowledge him. I kept looking straight ahead.

then at a corner of my eye, he starts coming towards me. Morales Garcia, who has a criminal history in multiple states, faces attempted murder and weapons charges, and is being held without bail. In what might be the most Florida thing ever, the Sunshine State's Attorney General has proposed converting a remote Everglades airfield into a detention center for illegal immigrants. In a video posted Thursday, Florida AG James Utmire dubbed the site Alligator Alcatraz, referencing the Dade Collier Training Airport.

He says the remote, swampy surroundings and native wildlife would serve as a deterrent against escape. People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. He says the nearly abandoned facility could be ready in a couple of months and hold up to 1,000 detainees. Utmire says Florida is leading the charge in immigration enforcement, echoing the Trump administration's daily arrest goals. A driver gets handcuffed after hitting a. the wrong car. A young woman allegedly clipped a black SUV belonging to security for the New York Attorney General. A TikTok video shows a member of Letitia James' security demanding the driver

get out of her car. The man then handcuffed the woman and put her in the backseat of his SUV. The woman's arrest was later voided. James's office says it's investigating the incident internally. A New York teen says he's pretty lucky after surviving a lightning strike as severe thunderstorms hit the Northeast. The teen was with friends in Central Park. The group took shelter under a tree, which was hit by lightning. The teenager was alert when the ambulance took him to the hospital. Apparently, I'm pretty lucky because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened. So I'm like not losing any sort of mud or function. So I'm pretty happy about that. He's expected to make a full recovery. Meanwhile, yesterday's storms knocked out power in the northeast

and canceled flights across the country. The Trump administration is investigating the effects of dangerous chemicals on the people of a small Ohio town following 2023's devastating train derailment. Following the East Palestine train derailment two years ago, chemicals the train was transporting were injected into the community in various ways, reportedly putting residents at risk. Vice President Vance and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the new initiative in a video posted to social media. Science had never actually tried to understand what the long-term exposure of these trace chemicals would do to people. As much as I tried as a United States Senator to work with the Biden administration, they refused to do anything to actually study the effects of these long-term exposures on the people of East Palestine. CNN faces an uncertain future as its parent company prepares for a major restructuring.

Last week, Warner Brothers Discovery announced that it's splitting into two companies with its cable network. works being cordoned off from its studios and streaming service. The split is expected to be completed next year. CNN's new parent company is expected to make big cuts to its programming to balance the books. CNN staffers told Fox News that morale is really grim and called the last few years a disaster. CNN saw its second worst month ever in May. And it's a theme that changed movie history and still sends chills 50 years later. The iconic two-note score, from Jaws debuted on June 20th, 1975, and became the defining sound of suspense. Composer John Williams won his first Oscar for the theme, which has since become a pop culture staple, terrifying in its

original form and comedic in its countless parodies. Film historian Tim Greving says the fact it's so widely recognized makes it ripe for parody and praise. Those are your drive home updates this evening. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some major stories, including Trump setting a deadline for Iran, economic optimism on the rise amid strong new data, and an alarming report on chat GPT helping minors get abortion pills. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another weekend edition of Morning Wire.