Morning Wire - Evening Wire: Trump’s NATO Pressure Campaign & Banksy Unmasked | 3.16.26

Episode Date: March 16, 2026

President Trump presses NATO allies to help protect the Strait of Hormuz, the Northeast braces ahead of severe winter weather, and two Florida teens accused of a gruesome murder plot are held without bail. Get the facts first with Evening Wire. - - - Ep. 2684 - - - Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3  - - - Today’s Sponsor: Lean - Get 20% off when you enter code WIRE at https://TakeLean.com - - - Privacy Policy:⁠ ⁠https://www.dailywire.com/privacy⁠⁠ morning wire,morning wire podcast,the morning wire podcast,Georgia Howe,John Bickley,daily wire podcast,podcast,news podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump presses NATO allies to help protect the Strait of Hormuz, the Northeast braces ahead of severe winter weather, and two Florida teens accused of a gruesome murder plot are held without bail. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley. It's Monday, March 16th, and this is Evening Wire. President Trump continues pressing NATO allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Following his call for support on Truth Social over the weekend, Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that if there's no response or if it's a negative response,

I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO. So far, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Australia have said that they will not send ships to the strait. Other allies, including France and Britain, have neither committed to joining nor ruled it out entirely. The president doubled down during an event on Monday. We spend a lot of money on NATO and all of these things to protect you. I mean, we're protecting them. We're working with them on Ukraine. Ukraine's thousands of miles away, separated by a vast ocean.

We don't have to do that, but we did it. They should be involved enthusiastically. We've been protecting these countries for years with NATO because NATO is us. White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcand has more. President Trump announced the diagnosis on Monday in a post on truth social. describing it as early stage with an excellent prognosis. The president praised Wiles for her, quote, strength and her commitment to continue doing the job she loves and does so well while undergoing

treatment. Trump also referenced the diagnosis at an event on Monday. She's an amazing person, an amazing fighter, and she announced a little, a minor difficulty, which will be in good shape, and she's going to take care of it immediately, as opposed to waiting. So she just said, started, actually. And she's going to be a great shape. Israel may soon ratchet up its fight against Iran-backed terror. Wired in live host, Cabot Phillips has more. According to an Axios report, Israel plans to invade Lebanon to take out the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. The Israeli plans are a response to hundreds of missile attacks from Hezbollah since Israeli strikes against Iran began over two weeks ago. Reports of an Israeli ground invasion have sparked concern among Lebanese officials, while the U.S. backs Israel's plans,

Washington is pushing for more communication between Jerusalem and Beirut. The operation could trigger the largest Israeli invasion of Lebanon since 2006 and represent a new stage in the war against Iran. While Iran hasn't physically reached the American homeland, they appear to be making strides virtually. A major cyber attack linked to Iran disrupted systems at Stryker, a Michigan-based medical technology company used by hospitals worldwide. The breach forced thousands of Stryker employees offline and temporarily.

interrupted some hospital data transmissions. Security experts say the attack may be one of the most significant wartime cyber operations ever carried out against a U.S. company. Officials warned that more cyber attacks could follow. Several of the Iranian women's soccer players who refused to sing Iran's national anthem have chosen to return home, and their captain is the latest to join them. Daily Wire reporter Lyndon Blake has the details. Team captain, Zara Ganbury, withdrew her asylum bid in Australia yesterday, saying she is, quote, returning to the embrace of the homeland. She's the latest player to make this decision, citing ongoing and relentless threats to family members due to her and other teammates refusal to sing Iran's national anthem at the Women's

Asian Cup in Australia. The women were branded, quote, traitors in Iran by state media, and Australian counselor Tina Kordostami said, quote, I know families have been detained, I know family members are missing. Other Australian. official said the players have been given, quote, repeated chances to consider their options, but now five of the seven have chosen to return to Iran. According to South Korea's military, North Korea fired ten ballistic missiles off its east coast on Saturday. The missiles were launched as the U.S. and South Korea held joint military drills. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is consulting with allies about the display, saying it, quote,

does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory or to our allies. U.S. and South Korea say the military drills practiced this week are purely defensive. North Korea has conducted numerous weapons tests in recent decades as Pyongyang continues its attempts to build a nuclear bomb. Russia launched a new offensive against Ukraine over the weekend, leaving at least six dead. The attack carried out with over 400 drones and dozens of missiles, targeted energy infrastructures near Kiev, but also hit multiple residential buildings as well as schools and businesses. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wrote on X, quote,

Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe in Ukraine. Neighboring NATO member, Poland, scrambled fighter jets in response but reported no airspace violations. This episode is sponsored by Brickhouse Nutrition. You've probably heard about those weight loss injections that everyone's been talking about. And for good reason. The results can be pretty incredible. They work by helping regulate blood sugar and keeping your appetite in check. But here's the thing.

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California's State Librarian is under fire this week as more than half a million dollars in funding has quietly gone missing. Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham has more. Lawmakers grilled state librarian Greg Lucas over accounting discrepancies in a taxpayer-funded reading program, associated with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. While the program was allocated $1.2 million, only $550,000 in expenditures have been reported. Now that the state Senate is digging into the issue, no one seems to know what happened to that remaining $650,000.

The California Senate Subcommittee on Budget and Fiscal Review has reportedly made multiple requests for additional documentation from the program, none of which has been provided. Republican state senator Shannon Grove from Bakersfield said that the situation, quote, reeks of horrific non-transparency and potential fraud. Famously anonymous sidewalk artist Banksy has been unmasked. Daily Wire's senior editor, Joel Needler, has more. 51-year-old Robin Gunningham of Bristol, England, who has been living under the name David Jones, was outed by Reuters after the outlet conducted a lengthy investigation. Multiple pieces of evidence linked Gunningham to being Banksy, including a 24. 22 trip to Ukraine and an NYPD police report from 2000. Gunning him was suspected back in 2008,

but the artist evaded definitive exposure at the time. His lawyer Mark Stevens issued a statement disputing some facts on the Reuters report and doubling down on the need for anonymity, saying it protects the artist's ability to quote, speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship, or persecution. A rapidly intensifying blizzard bomb cyclone is set to unleash several feet of snow across the Midwest and Great Lakes. Expect destructive winds, widespread power outage risks, and major travel disruptions into the start of the week. The blizzard could affect more than 11 million Americans in states, including South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Montana, and Michigan. Wind gusts near the center of the storm could reach 60 to 70 miles per hour,

and colder air moving in behind the system will keep much of the snow on the ground for days. So plan accordingly. Two Florida teenagers are being held without bond for plotting a gruesome blood ritual at their high school in an attempt to resurrect the Sandy Hook shooter. Daily Wire reporter Lauren Bear has a story. Authorities say two high school girls, one 14 years old and 115, planned to kill their classmate in Altamont Springs, Florida. One of the girls allegedly believed that stabbing this classmate to death would create a supernatural, quote, blood bond that could bring the gunmen responsible for the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School back from the dead. The girls went so far as bringing the supplies to the school, including gloves and a knife. Thanks to a tip from a classmate, police found those items on the girls, as well as detailed messages on their devices about the deranged plot.

The case is active in the state circuit court. And the Oscars happened last night. Among the hubbub of snipes and snubs, one particularly wholesome moment stood out. Here's actress Jesse Buckley's reaction to winning best actress for her performance in Hamnet, speaking first to her husband, Fred. Fred, I love you, man. I love you. You're the most incredible dad.

You're my best friend, and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you. I do. I do. It's Mother's Day in the UK today. So I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart. Pro-life activist Lila Rose noted the, cultural significance of Buckley's earnest appeal to family and motherhood. I think that her acceptance speech was a striking contrast to many award shows where abortion

has been praised in the past as some kind of empowerment and children are seen as obstacles or treated as obstacles to success. Instead, she's celebrating them and at the same time celebrating the beauty of marriage. We need more Jesse Buckley's in the world and we're better off because of her beautiful speech. All right, those are your drive home updates. To learn more about these stories, go to Dailywire.com. And in case you missed it earlier today, we covered some big stories, including the U.S. inviting allies to support trade in the Strait of Hormuz, sparks flying in Cuba as economic turmoil swells, and a legal procedure threatening to undercut Trump's deportation agenda. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morningwire.