Morning Wire - USAID Programs Slashed & Anti-Israel Activist Detained | 3.11.25

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

The Trump Administration guts USAID, ICE busts an anti-Israel agitator, and the debate over sanctuary cities circles back to center stage. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Identity Guard: Get a 30 day free trial AND 60% off when you go to https://IdentityGuard.com/WIRE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

USAID is gutted as the State Department slashes thousands of programs within the department. It doesn't mean that we're not going to be doing foreign aid. It's a matter of how are we going to be doing the aid? What programs were cut and what happens to the few that remain? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire, Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, March 11th, and this is Morning Wire. A pro-Hamas agitator is detained by ICE as the U.S. opens Phase two ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.

It's time for Hamas to come to the table. Hamas has very little leverage. They have the hostages, and that's really it. And the suspected murder of a man in Los Angeles County by two illegal immigrants sparks blowback against sanctuary policies. These aliens need to be deported, and at the very least, we've got to have the cooperation from these Blue City mayors. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.

Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Listen to this offer from Identity Guard. Did you know there's a victim of identity theft every six seconds? Don't let the next one be you. Sign up for Identity Guard. They monitor your identity, credit, and social security number in real time so you get instant alerts before the damage is done. Identity Guard is offering our listeners a 30-day free trial and 60% off when you go to

IdentityGard.com slash wire. That's 30 days free and 60% off at IdentityGuard.com slash wire. That's ID-E-N-T-Y-G-U-A-R-D-com slash wire to sign up. for 30 days free and 60% off. Certain terms apply. See site for details. The State Department formalized sweeping cuts to USAID Monday, canceling programs that President Trump says did not serve American interests. Daily Wire, senior editor, Cabot Phillips is here with the specifics. So Cabot, a monumental shift in U.S. foreign aid. What kind of changes is Trump making? So this all started back on inauguration day when President Trump signed an executive order freezing all funding for

foreign aid and ordering a review of the tens of billions of dollars going out the door. According to Trump, the program was rife with fraud and poured to taxpayer funds into causes that he said did not serve the interests of the American people. So for the last seven weeks, the State Department and Doge have been reviewing all 6,200 programs within U.S. aid. And on Monday, before he left for Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Marker Rubio announced that 83% of them had been cut. Writing on X, Rubio said, quote,

the 5,200 contracts that are now canceled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve and in some cases even harmed the core national interests of the United States. In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping approximately 1,000 to now be administered more effectively under the State Department. Here's Rubio speaking last month about his efforts to reform USAID. We would ask some questions. Who is this program fund? Who gets the money?

We won't tell you. We don't need to tell you. We're apolitical. American foreign policy isn't apolitical. American foreign policy is to further the interest of the United States. If someone wants to spend a political dollars, they should spend private dollars, go start a charity, and you can fund anyone you want. But if you're going to spend taxpayer money, then you need to spend an infurterance of the national

interest of the United States. Now, for context, last fiscal year, USAID dispersed about $40 billion to more than 100 countries, While it was initially created in 1961 to promote humanitarian interests, Republicans say that in recent decades, more and more funding has gone to overtly political or just downright wasteful programs. What do we know about the programs that are being cut? Well, the White House issued a memo with some of the more controversial examples. It included $1.5 million for DEI inclusion in Serbian workplaces,

$47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, 32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru, $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. You get the idea. The Trump administration has also raised concerns over USAID funding making its way into the hands of American enemies. For example, federal prosecutors say up to $10 million worth of USAID funds went towards food for the Nusra Front,

an al-Qaeda-linked terror group in Syria. In Afghanistan, the White House says millions of taxpayer dollars went towards farming equipment and fertilizer used for poppy cultivation and heroin production, ultimately benefiting the Taliban. During a recent Oversight Committee hearing, Tennessee rep Tim Burchett, questioned Greg Roman, the executive director of the Middle East Forum, about U.S. foreign aid making its way to terror groups. Are you aware that we are sending $40 million a week to the Taliban? Yes, sir.

Can you name other instances of foreign aid going to terrorist organizations? We have assisted al-Shabaab in Somalia. There has been instances of the Hamzhi network in Sudan, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Khaba, Hezbollah, Hezbollah, Hayat al-Shams in Syria. Dozens of terror organizations have received indirect assistance from U.S. foreign aid. Now, Democrats, though, have made it very clear that they're not happy with Doge and these efforts to slash spending. What sort of response are we seeing from them regarding these USAID cuts? Yeah, the left, as you can imagine, has expressed outrage saying foreign aid is an effective means.

of stabilizing regions, building alliances, and fostering goodwill abroad. They view USAID as a means of exerting soft power and argue that China will gladly step in to fill the void left by these cuts. And there's also been plenty of legal pushback as aid groups have sued the Trump administration alleging these cuts have violated existing federal contracts. Now, for their part, the administration says they're still keeping the most important aid programs. Sources within the State Department have told the Daily Wire,

the Secretary, quote, retained programs critical to protecting U.S. interests overseas, including food assistance, life-saving medical treatments for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and critical support for nations like Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, and others. Well, hopefully the long-term impact will be better oversight of this kind of spending. Cabot, thanks for reporting. Anytime. The State Department has detained a former Columbia University graduate student on accusations that he supported Hamas, a designated terror organization.

The former student, Mahmood Khalil, led disruptive protests last year against U.S. support for Israel. Daily Wire reporter, Tim Pierce, is here to talk about Khalil's arrest and the latest on Israel's war against Hamas. So, Tim, this arrest over the weekend is getting a lot of attention.

What happened? Yeah, immigration authorities arrived at Khalil's university-owned department on Saturday and took him into custody. Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer, said that she spoke with one of the arresting agents. and the agent said Khalil's green card has been revoked and he will be deported. The legal fight over Khalil's arrest has already started and a federal judge yesterday

blocked the Trump administration from deporting him. Now, what's the administration's case for deportation? So President Trump signed an executive order to crack down on foreign nationals agitating for terrorist groups while in the U.S. The State Department says Khalil supported terrorists, namely Hamas, and led protests that occupied and damaged campus buildings and caused major disreasonings. to campus. Here's Khalil leading a protest last year. Kalil's supporters say that this is an unjustified crackdown on Kahlil's freedom of expression. Technically, as a foreign national,

Khalil may not have the full freedoms that a citizen has, or at least that's the legal argument behind the deportation. That question will likely go to the courts. Morningwire spoke about this with Victoria Coates, the vice president of national security and foreign policy at the Heritage Foundation. Here's what she said. In this case, we have a non-U.S. citizen. who is saying things that are incredibly disruptive that are attempting to incite violence and who is here on a visa under very different circumstances than an American citizen. So he is now being held responsible for his actions, for his speech over the course of the last now, more than a year plus.

And he has valued much more highly his dedication to the Palestinian cause than he has his legal presence in the United States. And so I think the State Department is entirely justified in taking this action. The Trump administration is cracking down on Columbia, too, over these protests. The administration has canceled $400 million in grants and contracts over what it says is the university's failure to protect Jewish students on campus. Now, where will Khalil be deported to? He's of Palestinian descent and a Syrian national. That could make deporting him difficult with the instability still going on in Syria.

So according to Coates, he may be sent to Egypt or Jordan or some other third party state in the region. Killeleel's wife, who is a U.S. citizen, may choose to join her husband overseas or stay in the United States. Now finally, let's get a quick update on Israel. What's the latest in the war against Hamas? Well, an Israeli delegation traveled to Qatar on Monday to negotiate with Hamas on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. The U.S. envoy, Steve Whitkoff, is expected to travel there today. Israel wants more hostages released before the ceasefire plan moves forward. In the meantime, Israel has cut off electricity, food, and fuel to the Gaza Strip to increase pressure on the terrorist group.

Well, this is the first Gaza ceasefire negotiations since Trump took office. So we'll have to see how that goes. Tim, thanks for coming on. Thanks for having me. A man was shot and killed last month in Englewood, California, after confronting thieves outside his home. The suspects have now been arrested and their immigration status and their immigration status and long rap sheet are adding fuel to an already heated debate over public safety and sanctuary city policies. Joining us now to discuss is Daily Wire contributor Micah Parker. Hey, Micah. So sanctuary

policies have been in the headlines in recent days with several mayors being grilled on Capitol Hill on their policies. Now we have this tragic situation in Los Angeles. What do we know so far about this situation? Hey, John. Yeah, so this one hits especially close to home from me. Many of our listeners might remember that we spoke last June about my friend and actor Johnny Wachter, who was shot and killed during a catalytic converter theft in downtown L.A. His story gained national attention at the time, but unfortunately, he wasn't the last victim of this type of crime. Just a few weeks ago, on February 27th, 36-year-old Juan Johnny Sanchez, father of two,

was fatally shot outside his home in Englewood, California after confronting two men trying to steal his neighbor's catalytic converter. His son doesn't want to be named, but remembered his father as a hero. It marks who he is. He's very heroic. He always wants to do the right thing. Now, the man accused of killing him, Wilbur Alberto Rabinoles and Jose Christian Serbia Sanchez fled the scene but were arrested earlier last week. Now, both have lengthy criminal wreckers and multiple arrests for violent crimes. And most alarmingly, authorities confirmed that both suspects are in fact illegal immigrants. Robinales is a Guatemalan national, while Serbia

Sanchez immigrated illegally from El Salvador. Now, as Georgia noted at the top, the murder has intensified criticisms of Los Angeles' longstanding sanctuary city policies. And while I do want to know for our listeners that Englewood is technically a separate city from Los Angeles, it is still part of L.A. County, where sanctuary policies have had a significant impact. I mean, just weeks before Sanchez is killing, the city of Los Angeles formally codified its sanctuary status. and L.A. County has long limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities, even in cases involving criminal suspects. So the biggest question still remains. If the county had cooperated with immigration enforcement, would these men have even been in the county to commit this crime

in the first place? Right. Now, the crackdown over sanctuary city laws is a major priority for the Trump administration. But how are supporters of these laws in L.A. trying to make the case for them. Yeah, well, they argue that protecting illegal immigrants fosters trust between communities and law enforcement. But critics say these policies are downright dangerous, allowing repeat offenders to stay in the country and continue committing crimes. Sanchez's death is now being held up as yet another tragic example of what happens when public safety takes a back seat to political ideology. And of course, this is coming at a time when public frustration with Los Angeles leadership is at an all-time high. Right. That leads us.

to the news about Mayor Karen Bass. She's really under fire now. What's happening there? Yeah, so the recall effort against Bass is gaining serious momentum. It's been brewing for a while over issues like rising crime, homelessness, and of course her handling of the city's response to the recent wildfires. But this outrage over Sanchez's murder has added fuel to that fire. And here's the big development. Former Vice Presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan has thrown her support behind the recall, donating a reported $4 million to the effort. So she's now one of the biggest financial backers to the recall, signaling that this isn't just a fringe movement. Now, final question. What's your sense on the ground there about what's next? Where's this heading?

Right. Well, the recall effort against Bass is still in the very early stages, but if it gains enough traction, it could be a major political shakeup for L.A. And as for the Sanchez case, It's sure to keep the spotlight on the city's sanctuary policies as more people start asking who is really being protected here. And no doubt a story, we'll be keeping a close eye on, Micah. Thank you so much for your time. Anytime, John. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.