Mangione May Face Death Penalty & Russia-Ukraine Negotiations | Afternoon Update | 4.1.25

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Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty for accused murderer Luigi Mangione.

Russia balks at a current ceasefire deal with Ukraine.

And Maine has one last chance to remove males from female sports. It's Tuesday, March 32nd.
This guy in my chair. This guy? John, I've worked for you for like three years.
Security. Anyway, happy April fools.
I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Tuesday, April 1st, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo has the details. Mangione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside of a Manhattan hotel back in December.
The 26-year-old faces both federal and state murder charges. Prosecutors say that Mangione kept a notebook filled with anti-insurance industry writings, and he had been planning the killing for months.
Bondi called the murder a cold-blooded assassination and said that pursuing the death penalty aligns with President Trump's push to crack down on violent crime. Manjoni has pleaded not guilty to state charges and has yet to enter a federal plea.
The AG's announcement comes as a proposed California ballot initiative named after Manjoni makes its way through the state assembly. As promised by Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., thousands of employees across the agency have received layoff notices.
The move, which could terminate up to 10,000 jobs, comes after President Trump signed an executive order stripping some federal agencies of collective bargaining, including HHS. Critics, including Senator Patty Murray, claim the cuts could endanger public health, especially amid current disease outbreaks.
However, Kennedy says the move is necessary to streamline the $1.7 trillion department, making it more efficient and less bureaucratic. Here's Kennedy last week.
28 great divisions will become 15. The entire federal workforce is downsizing now, so this will be a painful period for HHS as we downsize from 82,000 full-time employees to around 62,000.
We're keenly focused on paring away excess administrators while increasing the number of scientists and frontline health providers so that we can do a better job than the American people. Russia is reportedly taking U.S.
proposals for a ceasefire in Ukraine very seriously, but won't accept the deal currently on the table. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the latest on the negotiations.
Russian deputy foreign minister told state media that the United States plan fails to address what Russia sees as the root cause of the conflict, a key sticking point for the Kremlin. The remarks, which were published today, signal a continued impasse in efforts to negotiate peace in the region.
President Vladimir Putin has insisted Ukraine must drop its bid to join NATO and recognize Russian control over four regions it currently holds. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on Moscow, saying he's pissed off with Putin and warning of possible sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if there's no movement towards a broader deal.
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Daily Wire host Matt Walsh testified before the California State Assembly today to deliver what he calls a common sense message. Girls shouldn't have to compete with boys.
Walsh spoke in favor of Assembly Bill 844, which requires participation in school sports and bathroom and locker use to be based on student sex, not gender identity. The bill applies to public K-12 schools as well as public colleges.
The current law allows students to play on teams and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupils' records. Walsh told the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism that this isn't complicated.
So why shouldn't men play in women's sports? Because they aren't women. It isn't true.
We should not allow men into women's sports for the same reason we shouldn't go around claiming that two plus two equals seven. It's just not true.
It is a lie. The man who identifies as a woman is either deluded and confused,

or he is a cross-dressing fetishist looking to play out his fantasies in public.

In either case, the claim that he's making, the claim to womanhood, is not true.

Maine is on thin ice as the state receives its final warning.

The Department of Education is giving the Pine Tree State one last chance to comply with President Trump's executive order that bars biological males from competing in girls' sports. They have until April 11th to change state policy or face action from the Justice Department.
In a sharply worded letter, the department accused Maine of violating Title IX and showing indifference to the rights of female athletes. Maine Senator Susan Collins also blasted her state stance, calling the current law allowing trans-identifying males in girls sports, quote, contrary to the spirit and intent of Title IX.
Jury selection began today in the retrial of Karen Reed after a hung jury derailed the case last year. Reed, a financial analyst and college professor, is accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe.
Prosecutors say she hit O'Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in a snow drift outside a house party. Her defense says O'Keefe was actually killed by another Boston police officer at the party and subsequently dragged outside, and that Reed has been framed by a group of crooked cops.
The sensational case began more than three years ago in January of 2022. And Hooters, the restaurant chain best known for its wings and its wings alone, has filed for bankruptcy.
The move comes as the casual dining chain struggles with inflation, higher labor costs, and reduced consumer spending. But two longtime franchisees, along with the brand's original founders, do plan to buy it and promise to return the brand back to its roots.
The deal, however, must be approved by a bankruptcy judge first. The filing follows a wave of recent bankruptcies across the dining industry, including TGI Fridays and Red Lobster.
Those are your Drive Home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.
And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some big stories, including the impact of Trump's tariffs, the fallout from France banning a presidential frontrunner, and millions of non-citizens getting social security benefits under Biden. Thanks for tuning in.
We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.

No reporters or contributors were harmed in the recording of this episode,