Zelensky’s War Ledger & Redistricting Tug-Of-War | 8.19.25

This podcast is supported by Progressive, a leader in RV Insurance.

RVs are for sharing adventures with family, friends, and even your pets.

So, if you bring your cats and dogs along for the ride, you'll want Progressive RV Insurance.

They protect your cats and dogs like family by offering up to $1,000 in optional coverage for vet bills in case of an RV accident, making it a great companion for the responsible pet owner who loves to travel.

See Progressive's other benefits and more when you quote RV Insurance at Progressive.com today.

Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates, pet injuries, and additional coverage and subject to policy terms.

Trump pushes for peace, not ceasefire, as world leaders convene at the White House.

The Alaska Summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach, and I believe that.

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley.

It's Tuesday, August 19th, and this is Morning Wire.

Outrage and heartbreak after an illegal immigrant with a California license kills three, reigniting the fight over sanctuary policies.

There's a lot more people that are holding CDLs that cannot speak or read English, and it's causing major problems.

And Texas Democrats who fled to block GOP redistricting return after a California counter move.

We're asking the voters for their consent to do midterm redistricting in 2026, 2028, and 2030 for the congressional Maps.

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.

Stay tuned.

We have the news you need to know.

In today's fast-changing digital world, proving your company is trustworthy isn't just important for growth, it's essential.

That's exactly why Vanta exists, to make building and maintaining that trust seamless for businesses everywhere.

Whether you're a startup just getting started with your first SOC2, HIPAA, or ISO 27001 certification, or you're an enterprise dealing with the complexity of vendor risk management, Vanta's trust management platform, user industry-leading AI and automation, helps companies of all sizes get compliant fast and actually stay that way.

The platform doesn't just handle compliance either.

It can help you knock out those tedious security questionnaires up to five times faster, which means you're closing bigger deals sooner.

And the impact is real.

According to a recent IDC study, Vanta customers are saving over half a million dollars annually while becoming three times more productive.

If you're ready to see how Vanta can transform your compliance process and help you build trust automatically, visit vanta.com/slash slash morningwire to sign up for a free demo today.

That's vanta.com slash morningwire today.

Days after his showdown with Vladimir Putin, President Trump hosted Vladimir Zelensky and other European leaders to discuss a framework for ending the war in Ukraine.

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here with the highlights from a packed day at the White House.

So Cabot and other high stakes sit down.

What did we see?

Yeah, it was an extraordinary scene at the White House as a large delegation of European heads of state traveled to stand in solidarity with Zelensky in DC.

Things kicked off with two men holding a joint press conference from the Oval Office, the same exact spot where their last meeting devolved into a shouting match.

Zelensky, who wore formal attire this go-round, cracked a joke to a reporter who had grilled him last time for not wearing a suit.

You look fabulous in that suit.

It wasn't good.

I said the same thing.

I said to the one that attacked you last time.

See, now he's, I remember that.

By the way,

in the same suit.

You see, I changed my

so the vibes were definitely a lot better.

Now, once the press conference started, though, most of the questions centered on whether Zelensky would agree to Trump's peace proposal.

Remember, following his meeting with Putin last week, the president has been pushing for Ukraine to accept a deal that would end the war, but result in significant territorial concessions.

European leaders, including those who were with Zelensky, have urged him to not rush into a deal and stand up to Trump.

But look, it's a tough diplomatic balancing act for Zelensky.

If he agrees to the loose deal on the table, yes, he would end the war and win a U.S.-backed security guarantee, but he'd also break his word to the Ukrainian people, who he told over and over that he would not cede any land.

But if he holds his ground and pushes back on the current proposal, he risks losing that security guarantee, dragging out the war, and also driving away his most important ally.

So he's in a tough spot.

Yeah, there's no other way of putting it.

Now, coming into these meetings, the big question was whether Ukraine would agree to a peace deal before a ceasefire.

Trump reiterated that he wants to move fast and does not believe a ceasefire was needed before reaching a peace.

Have a listen.

We can work a deal where we're working on a peace deal while they're fighting.

They have to fight.

I wish they could stop.

I'd like them to stop.

But strategically, that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.

And then importantly, Trump went on to say Monday that he was hoping for a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia very soon, potentially as early as this week.

Something Zelensky called very good.

So things are moving quickly, just not as quickly as Trump would would have liked.

To that point, in a moment of candor, Trump acknowledged that ending this conflict has been a much more difficult task than he imagined.

After that one-on-one meeting, the pair was joined for a sit-down with heads of state from France, Germany, the UK, and a host of other European countries.

The group reportedly discussed the logistics of a Western-backed security guarantee, which is very important for Ukraine, but it could be very complicated for Europe.

That's because Russia has said they will not agree to a deal that includes the deployment of NATO troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Now, more broadly, as expected, no deal was reached on Monday, but it was an important sign that Europe and Trump are on much better terms than before.

Throughout the afternoon, these European leaders, many of whom have long criticized Donald Trump's approach to this war, largely lauded the progress that he's made in the last few weeks.

Here's the president of Finland, for example.

In the past two weeks, we've probably had more progress in ending this war than we have in the past three and a half years.

And then British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a similar message.

I think today will be seen as a very important day in recent years in relation to a conflict which has gone on for three and a bit years.

And so far,

nobody's been able to bring it to this point.

So I thank you for that.

And finally, we heard this from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney.

Something is changing.

Something has changed.

Thanks to you.

And one more nugget here that's worth noting.

A recent Gallup poll shows a staggering shift in public opinion within Ukraine.

So if you look back at 2022, 73% of Ukrainians said they want to fight until they win, while just 22% supported negotiations to end the war ASAP.

Today, those numbers have completely flipped.

with 70% supporting an immediate peace and just 24% of Ukrainians wanting the war to go on.

Well, that might make Zelensky's decision a little easier.

Right.

Cab, but thanks for reporting.

Absolutely.

Do you know that feeling when you invest in something truly well-made, like those leather boots that only get more comfortable with each wear, or that solid wood table that'll outlast three apartments?

That's exactly what I discovered with Bolin Branch sheets.

They're crafted with that same philosophy of lasting quality.

While most bedding deteriorates, these sheets actually get better and softer wash after wash, making them one of those rare purchases that'll keep rewarding you long after you've made it.

What sets them apart is their 100% organic cotton in this breathable, durable weave that you can feel the quality of immediately.

You can truly feel the difference compared to your everyday box store sheets that start to wear out the second you put them on the bed.

I go camping a good bit, and while I love camping, I don't exactly love sleeping in a tent, but it makes it all that much better when I'm back in my own bed with my Bolin Branch sheets.

Feel the difference an extraordinary night sleep can make with Bolin Branch.

Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at bowlinbranch.com/slash wire.

That's Bolin Branch, b-o-l-l-a-n-d branch.com slash wire to save 15 and unlock free shipping some exclusions do apply

an illegal immigrant who entered the u.s through california has been charged with three counts of homicide in connection to a crash in florida the incident has once again sparked outrage over sanctuary policies across the nation here are the details is daily wire reporter amanda presses jacomo hey amanda so let's get into this really horrific tragedy out of florida Tell us what happened and what exactly this illegal has been charged with.

Yeah, so this illegal, a 28-year-old from India named Harjinder Singh, he was driving a commercial semi-truck and trailer on the Florida turnpike last week when he recklessly attempted to execute an illegal U-turn.

As a result of those actions, the trailer jackknifed and collided with a minivan, and all three of those occupants died.

We know that the victims were all Florida residents.

They were a 30-year-old, a 37-year-old, and a 54-year-old.

Singh, though, and the passenger he was with were not injured.

DHS says that Singh entered the U.S.

illegally into California, a sanctuary state, back in 2018.

He was almost immediately arrested and processed for expedited removal, but after he claimed fear of returning to India, he was released on bond.

Then Singh somehow obtained a commercial driver's license in California.

Florida's attorney general said on Monday that he wants Singh to pay for his crimes in Florida before any deportation actions are taken.

And so here we have California's sanctuary policy seeming to lead directly to the death of three innocent people in Florida, a state firmly opposed to those sanctuary policies.

Right.

And not only does California limit its cooperation with ICE, being a sanctuary state, but the state allows illegals to obtain driver's licenses.

And in this case, Singh had a commercial driver's license.

A DHS spokesperson said in a statement, quote, three innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom's California DMV issued an illegal alien a commercial driver's license.

This state of governance is asinine.

Now, what sort of reaction have we heard in the wake of this tragedy?

Have we heard from Governor Newsom?

Well, we have heard from Newsom's press office.

On social media, the office went after DHS and claimed that the illegal was in the U.S.

because of Trump.

A post said that it was the Trump administration that issued Singh a work permit, and that's apparently how he was able to get a commercial driver's license in California.

However, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that that's not true.

She said Singh is currently in the U.S.

illegally and said that his work authorization was rejected under the Trump administration in 2020, but said that it was later approved under Biden in 2021.

A DHS press release also stated that Singh obtained a commercial driver's license in California despite having no legal right to be in the United States.

Wow.

Now, Governor DeSantis has surely weighed in on this.

And of course, the feds, what have they said?

Yeah, DeSantis made it clear that this man should not have been in our country in the first place.

And he went off on sanctuary policies, which he called deadly.

The governor also expressed real shock that this man, who he said doesn't even speak English, was issued a commercial driver's license in California.

Here's a Florida truck driver with 30 years experience under his bell.

He told CBS 12 that this has become a major issue in recent years.

It's been a big problem in the last

five to eight years with it.

It really is.

There's a lot more people that are holding CDLs that cannot speak or read English.

There was also a tough statement issued by DHS.

It says, how many more innocent people have to die before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public?

The statement added that DHS is working around the clock to protect the public to get these criminal illegal aliens out of America.

Now, to that point, DHS recently announced another haul of criminal illegal aliens.

This included a Cuban illegal convicted of a lewd act with a child in California, another illegal who was convicted of trafficking fentanyl in Massachusetts, an illegal convicted of homicide by vehicle in Iowa, and another illegal convicted of sexual assault of a child in Texas.

And unfortunately, that list goes on.

Really a tragic scene in Florida, and a lot of people hoping that list does not continue to grow.

Amanda, thank you so much for reporting.

You're welcome.

Texas Democrats have ended their protest and returned to the state to pass a new congressional map redrawn by the GOP.

The new map is expected to net Republicans five more seats in the House in midterm elections.

Here to talk about the new map and backlash out of California is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.

So Tim, the rogue Democrats are now back in Texas.

What did they accomplish?

Well, they didn't stop redistricting.

Governor Greg Abbott has already called a new special session and the updated map is again on the agenda.

But But Democrats say they never really expected to stop a new map.

Rather, they wanted a symbolic victory of getting Abbott to end the first special session and they wanted to rally Democrats out of the state to their cause.

And to that latter point, they may have had some success.

Several Democratic governors have already voiced support for redistricting in their own states.

California being the biggest one.

Their governor Newsom has promised to get Democrats five more House seats to counter Texas.

Now, are there any consequences for fleeing the state and attempting to prevent the governor from getting a quorum?

The Democrats who have fled the state have racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

After the last time Democrats broke quorum in 2021, the state legislature passed a law to fine each lawmaker $500 a day if they did it again.

That's been adding up since dozens of Democrats took off to Illinois, New York, and other places in early August.

But some of them may also lose their seats.

We'll have to see on that.

Abbott and Attorney General Paxton have asked the state Supreme Court to vacate the seats of 13 Democratic lawmakers.

Here's Abbott last week explaining why that's necessary.

You know, if you look at the wording of the Constitution, it was intended to address situations where somebody may be absent.

You know, it was written at a time back when you had farmers and ranchers taking care of their ranches, or people could get ill, different things like that.

It wasn't even considering purposeful quorum-breaking.

If you don't show up to do your job, you'll lose your job.

Same thing should happen with regard to Texas House members.

If they don't show up to do their job, they should lose their job.

I'm seeking to vacate them or remove them from office because because they are refusing to show up and do their job.

Now, it's an open question if the court will agree.

This hasn't been tried before in Texas.

So, while Abbott and Paxton think this is legal and justified, the court will have the final say.

If it does rule in the governor's favor, those 13 Democrats, the ringleaders of this walkout, will lose their seats and be replaced through a special election.

Now, you mentioned that California is attempting to redistrict so they can squeeze out a few more seats.

Where is that at?

So, California voters put the redistricting process for House seats under the authority of an independent commission in 2010.

That was done largely in reaction to Democrat gerrymandering in the 80s up through the early 2000s.

But Newsom wants to get that power back for the state legislature, at least temporarily, where Democrats have supermajorities in both chambers.

The legislature has already drawn up a proposal for new congressional districts that would likely net Democrats five more seats in the House.

To get it enacted, though, will require consent from California's voters.

Here's the governor making that plea on Friday.

But we're asking the voters for their consent to do midterm redistricting in 2026, 2028, and 2030 for the congressional maps to respond to what's happening in Texas, to respond what Trump is trying to excite.

We believe in a national independent redistricting framework.

And we believe that's the right goal and the right thing to pursue.

Newsom is trying to harness anti-Trump sentiment in California to get his plan passed, but he's facing pushback.

Former governor and the last Republican to lead the state, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is already whipping up public sentiment against Newsom's plan.

Schwarzenegger create California's independent commission when he was governor, and he wants to stop Newsom from going around it even temporarily.

Well, it's a gamble for Newsom if he can't get this done.

Tim, thanks for reporting.

Thanks for having me on.

Thanks for waking up with us.

And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe.

We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.

These are questions that take cultures thousands of years to answer.

During Answer the Call, I take questions from people just like you about their problems, opportunities, challenges, or when they simply need advice.

How do I balance all of this grief, responsibility?

How do you repair this kind of damage?

My daughter, Michaela, guides the conversations as we hopefully help people navigate their lives.

Everyone has their own destiny.

Everyone.