Morning Wire - Jack Smith Report Released & Terror-Related Exemptions | Afternoon Update | 1.14.25

Episode Date: January 14, 2025

Developing stories you need to know just in time for your drive home. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. Good Ranchers: Visit https://goodranchers.com and subscribe to any box using code WIRE to claim $25 off, free express shipping, and your choice of free ground beef, chicken, or salmon in every order for an entire year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Good Ranchers. Tired of mystery meat at the grocery store. Make new meat your New Year's resolution at good ranchers.com. Subscribe now using Code Wire to get $25 off, free express shipping, and your choice of add-ons for an entire year. Good Ranchers, American Meat delivered. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howl. It's Tuesday, January 14th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense, Pete Heggseth, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee

today for a hearing to confirm his nomination. Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips reports. Throughout the hearing, Democrats routinely criticized TechSet's previous comments regarding women serving in the military, particularly in combat roles. Here's Senator Elizabeth Warren in one heated back and forth. If you can convert so rapidly, your long-held and aggressively pursued views

in just 32 days, that 32 days after you get confirmed, maybe you'll just reverse those views and go back to the old guy who said straight up, women do not belong in combat. I was talking about standards. Standards are what it's always been about, Senator. Let's not have this same side again. Warren also noted that Hexef had in the past supported banning retired military generals from lobbying and then asked him to make the same pledge for himself, to which he replied.

I'm not a general, Senator. Following Warren, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville jokingly addressed the nominee as General Hegsef. Hegsef also committed to upholding the, quote, rule of law when grilled about whether he would abide by the Geneva Convention. During the exchange, Senator Angus King had asked Hegset if he thought torture was okay while referencing past comments from Hegseh on the topic. Here's some of that answer. I've never been party to torture. We are a country that fights by the rule of law. But an American first national security policy is not going to do.

is hand its prerogatives over to international bodies. The DOJ has released Volume 1 of Jack Smith's final report on the investigations into President-elect Trump. Daily Wire Deputy Managing editor Tim Rice has more. The Special Counsel Report's first volume explains the decision to drop cases after Trump's 2024 election win, citing constitutional limits on prosecuting a sitting president. Smith defended the charges stating they were based on flagrant offenses and strong evidence. Trump criticized the release on social media, calling some of the court.

Smith's findings desperate. Trump said the, quote, lame brain special counsel couldn't get his case tried before the election, which I won in the landslide, adding, the voters have spoken. While Smith maintains that he believes he would have gotten a conviction, legal experts aren't so sure. Here's former federal prosecutor Andrew Tarkaski on Fox. We have here over 100 pages of Jack Smith going over all of the details as to why he think he would have obtained the conviction, but it's not rebutted. This doesn't go through the due process system. The defense doesn't have their opportunity to respond to it, certainly not to call the witnesses, or go through all of the legal hoops that are necessary to get to a fair and reasonable conclusion in a criminal case.

The report's second volume, focusing on classified documents, remains held up due to legal proceedings. The roughly 15-month war between Israel and Hamas could soon come to an end. We are close to a deal, and it can get done. done this week. I'm not making a promise or a prediction, but it is there for the taking, and we are going to work to make it happen. Officials involved in the talks say Hamas has accepted a draft ceasefire deal that includes releasing 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The agreement, mediated by Qatar and endorsed by the U.S., awaits Israeli cabinet approval. Under the three-phase plan, hostages will be freed, humanitarian aid increased, and Israeli forces

will gradually reduce their presence in Gaza. Hamas has demanded a full withdrawal for the deal's completion, while Israeli officials vow to prevent the group from retaining power. A record number of terror-linked foreign nationals entered the U.S. in 2024. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest. According to a draft DHS report first reported by Fox News, nearly 7,000 foreign nationals were granted exemptions from terrorism-related restrictions in 2024. These exemptions, which have risen sharply,

under the Biden administration, allow entry for individuals vetted as posing no security threat, such as those who provided aid-to-terror groups under duress. DHS insists all exemptions undergo rigorous security checks and are vital for supporting U.S. allies, particularly Afghan evacuees. But critics argue the policy may compromise national security, with some Republicans warning it could open the door to potential threats. A new study reveals the staggering rise in dementia risk among Americans, with nearly half of those over 55 expected to develop the condition. A study published in Nature medicine shows that 42% of Americans, 55 and older, face a lifetime risk of developing dementia, doubling previous estimates.

The increase is linked to an aging population, genetic factors, and lifestyle factors leading to hypertension and diabetes. MSNBC's president is stepping down amid the network's failing ratings. Rashida Jones announced her departure today after four years of holding the reins. Jones cited a desire to pursue new opportunities as the network grapples with declining viewership and its parent company prepares to spin off its cable properties into a new entity, SpinCo. During her tenure, Jones expanded MSNBC's streaming efforts. And the Princess of Wales announced she's in remission after completing cancer treatment last year. Kate Middleton shared the joyous news today less than nine months after announcing her diagnosis last March.

In an emotional Instagram post, the 43-year-old Royal thanked the staff at London's Royal Marsden Hospital for their exceptional care. Middleton revealed she is now joint patron of the hospital and hopes to support groundbreaking cancer research and patient care. 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.