Trump Honors Charlie Kirk & Letitia’s Hidden Houseguest | 10.15.25

17m
President Trump awards Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, New York Attorney General Letitia James returns to the spotlight, and Britain rolls out a new digital ID that conservatives say will curb the freedom of its citizens. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Shopify - Go to https://Shopify.com/morningwire to sign up for your $1-per-month trial period and upgrade your selling today.

ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Visit https://Zocdoc.com/WIRE #sponsored

- - -

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen and follow along

Transcript

This episode is brought to you by Life Lock.

It's Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and LifeLock has tips to protect your identity.

Use strong passwords, set up multi-factor authentication, report phishing, and update the software on your devices.

And for comprehensive identity protection, let LifeLock alert you to suspicious uses of your personal information.

LifeLock also fixes identity theft, guaranteed or your money back.

Stay smart, safe, and protected with a 30-day free trial at lifelock.com/slash podcast.

Terms apply.

Today, we're here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I've ever seen before.

President Trump posthumously honors Charlie Kirk with the country's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I'm Daily Wire, Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe.

It's Wednesday, October 15th, and this is Morning Wire.

New York Attorney General Letitia James makes a defiant return to the spotlight just days after her federal indictment.

We see powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent and yes, weaponize justice for political gain.

And you will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID.

It's as simple as that.

Britain rolls out a new digital id that conservatives say will curb the freedom of its citizens thanks for waking up with morning wire stay tuned we have the news you need to know

if you run a small business you know there's nothing small about it even the smallest decisions can feel massive that's where shopify comes in shopify is e-commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world from household names to brands that are just getting started you can tackle all the important tasks all in one place from inventory to payments to analytics and more Even even marketing becomes a breeze thanks to their built-in tools for running social media and email campaigns helping you find new customers and keep them coming back.

Plus, Shopify's global selling tools have you covered internationally in over 150 countries and their award-winning point of sale connects your online and offline sales all in the same place.

With an impressive 99.99 uptime and the highest converting checkout experience on the planet, you'll never miss another sale.

That's the Shopify advantage.

Get all the big stuff for your small business right with Shopify.

Sign up for your $1 per month trial period and start selling today at shopify.com slash Morningwire.

Head over to Shopify.com slash Morningwire.

Again, that's Shopify.com slash Morningwire.

President Trump posthumously honored Charlie Kirk yesterday on what would have been his 32nd birthday with the country's highest civilian award.

In front of a large audience in the Rose Garden, the president handed the presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk's widowed wife, Erica Kirk.

Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olahand attended the event yesterday, and she joins us now.

So, a powerful and packed event there at the White House yesterday.

Tell us what you witnessed.

Yes, so this was a beautiful event honoring Charlie Kirk, awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor that you can award a civilian.

This was to honor Charlie for his patriotic contributions to the United States of America.

He was killed for ideological and political reasons, and this was something that came up a lot today.

He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger.

America loved this country.

And that's why this afternoon it's my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk, our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Thank you.

The President also directly called out those who have been spouting aggressive leftist rhetoric, violent rhetoric in the the wake of Charlie's assassination.

We've seen that a candidate for Attorney General in Virginia boasted that he would want to see the Republican legislator in Virginia shot in the head and to see his children murdered.

He actually said this.

Especially in the wake of Charlie's assassination, our country must have absolutely no tolerance for this radical left violence, extremism, and terror.

But he always circled back to Charlie, to Charlie's legacy, to Charlie's family, his beautiful wife, and the honor that he was bestowing on him during this award ceremony.

We're entering his name forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes.

And I'm honored to be joined by a woman who has endured unspeakable hardship with unbelievable strength.

And that's Charlie's widow, Erica.

And I just want to thank you, Erica.

He loved you so much.

And what was the mood there among those who attended?

Well, I think at first the mood was a little celebratory because this is a high honor for Charlie and it's his birthday.

So this was, you know, as Erica said, the best gift that the president could have given him.

And so when we arrived, they were playing some happy music.

We even heard Dancing Queen at one point.

But when the event began, then it got a little more solemn and a little more serious.

They played the Ave Maria, which, you know, I was standing next to my colleague Isabel Brown, and we both got a little choked up when they played that, thinking of Charlie and his death.

And then when the event concluded, they were playing Amazing Grace.

And the mood was definitely much more somber towards the end.

A lot of these people who had gathered, Charlie's friends, the admin officials, were more quiet and kind of quietly greeting each other and speaking and being almost reverent, I would say, in the memory of their friend and this honor he had just received.

As we said, President Trump handed Charlie's Medal of Freedom to his wife, Erica.

Tell us about that moment.

Right.

So this was obviously a really emotional moment for Erica.

She was dabbing in her eyes with a tissue, and she was tearful and emotional.

Here's a little bit of what she said.

The national interest of the United States has always been freedom.

Our founders etched it into the preamble of our Constitution, and those words are not relics on parchment.

They are a living covenant.

Charlie often said that without God,

Freedom becomes chaos.

And he believed liberty could only survive when anchored to truth.

She also talked about how it's his birthday.

Those of you that have spouses or loved ones, you know how difficult it is sometimes to buy a gift for someone that you love because he wasn't a materialistic man so that also did not help.

But now I can say with confidence, Mr.

President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have.

Well, a truly powerful moment yesterday honoring Kirk and his family.

Mary Margaret, thank you so much for reporting and giving us a first-hand account of the event.

Thanks for having me.

You know that nagging feeling about the doctor's appointment you've been putting off forever?

Maybe it's a dentist cleaning that you're now six months overdue for, or the annual checkup that somehow turned into a three-year gap.

With ZocDoc, you can find and book the right doctor entirely online and honestly, you'll probably have an appointment scheduled before the end of this ad.

Finding the right doctor used to be such a hassle, but ZocDoc has really changed the game.

ZockDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high-quality in-network doctors and click to instantly book an appointment.

They've got over 100,000 doctors across every specialty you can think of: mental health, dental, primary care, urgent care, you name it.

The best part is you can filter for exactly what matters.

Doctors who take your insurance are nearby and have great ratings from real patients.

Once you find someone who looks like a good fit, you can see their actual available slots and book instantly, no more phone tag.

Stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to zocdoc.com/slash wire to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.

That's z-oc-d-oc-c.com/slash slash wire.

Again, that's zocdoc.com slash wire today.

New York Attorney General Letitia James may have sheltered a fugitive in her Virginia home for the past five years.

Here to tell us more is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.

So Tim, what do we know so far about James harboring this so-called fugitive?

Well, the Daily Mail dug up the documents.

James, of course, was charged last week with bank fraud for allegedly lying on mortgage papers to get a lower interest rate on a house in Virginia.

She bought that place and, as far as we know, pays all the bills, but it's actually her grandniece, Nakia Thompson, and her three children who have lived in the house since 2020.

According to the Daily Mail, Thompson is officially listed as an absconder in the database of North Carolina's Department of Adult Correction.

She's wanted by authorities in Forseth County for skipping out on her probation.

A spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Correction said Thompson was, quote, sentenced to probation for misdemeanor convictions for assault and battery and trespassing.

He confirmed that she is considered a fugitive from the state, but he added that because her crimes are considered low-level, she is non-extraditable.

Now, despite the bank fraud charges and now this new wrinkle with her niece, Letitia James is still out there attending campaign rallies.

What has she been doing?

Yeah, normally your attorney advises you to be quiet in these situations, but James is doing the opposite of that.

She seems to think that this indictment can be used to her political benefit.

And she may not be wrong.

It's arguable that President Trump is the the poster child of this ability to get political benefit out of legal problems.

James was actually out on the campaign trail with New York City mayoral hopeful Zoran Mom Donnie on Monday night.

She was claiming to be the target of political prosecution.

We are witnessing the fraying of our democracy, the erosion of our system of government.

This, my friends, is a defining moment in our history.

Now, she also released that video statement immediately after the indictment came down last week.

So she's certainly not staying silent.

But the thing I think that may make James less sympathetic in this scenario is that she's widely seen as a person who weaponized the justice system first against Donald Trump.

She made her first campaign for attorney general about prosecuting Donald Trump when she got into office.

Here she was in 2018.

I believe that the president of these United States can be indicted for criminal offenses.

And we would join with law enforcement and other attorneys general across this nation in removing this president from office.

In addition to that, the Office of Attorney General will continue to follow the money because we believe that he's engaged in a patent practice of money laundering, laundering the money from foreign governments here in New York state, and particularly related to his real estate holdings.

And then there was a civil case she eventually brought against Trump.

First, it was a victimless crime.

Trump was found liable of bank fraud, even though no bank ever said that he defrauded them.

And then second, that massive half a billion dollar judgment she eventually won, an appeals court has already overturned that.

So a lot of James's critics see a pretty big irony between the case she brought against Trump and now the straightforward fraud case being brought against her.

Now, she is in deep blue New York, though.

So are people holding this against her or are they going to give her a pass?

Well, the reaction seems to depend a lot on your political view.

Democrats have lined up to defend James, but Republicans really see her as reaping what she sowed.

Here's South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham over the weekend.

But what about Trump?

He had 91 indictments.

What about Trump?

Now, I think the grand jury is going to take care of this, but you didn't care any about this.

You didn't care that Letissa James made up charges that no one's ever faced.

But Senator Biden

made up charges no one ever faced.

He had 90.

Biden regretted that they didn't do it before the election.

Jack Smith surveilled my phone records at eight other senators.

Again, it's hard to earn sympathy as being a victim when you're seen more as contributing to the problem.

Well, as of now, she is holding on to that job, so we'll see how it goes.

Tim, thanks for reporting.

Good to be on.

This Marshawn Beast Mode Lynch.

Prize Pick is making sports season even more fun.

On prize picks, whether you're a football fan, a basketball fan, it always feels good to be right.

Right now, new users get $50 instantly in lineups when you play your first $5.

The app is simple to use.

Pick two or more players, Pick more or less on their stat projections.

Anything from touchdown to threes.

And if you write, you can win big, mix and match players from any sport on Prize Pix, America's number one daily fantasy sports app.

PrizePicks is available in 40 plus states, including California, Texas, Florida, and Georgia.

Most importantly, all the transactions on the app are fast, safe, and secure.

Download the PrizePicks app today and use CodeSpotify to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.

That's That's Code Spotify to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.

Prize picks, it's good to be right.

Must be present in a certain six.

Visit prizepicks.com for restrictions and details.

This government will make a new free-of-charge digital ID mandatory for the right to work by the end of this parliament because decent, pragmatic, fair-minded people want us to tackle the issues that they see around them.

And of course, the truth is, we won't solve our problems if we don't also take on the root causes, looking upstream to tackle poverty, conflict.

That was British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussing a controversial new law.

The UK recently approved a mandatory digital ID, supposedly as a way to curb illegal immigration.

Here to break it down for us is Guy Dan Peer, senior researcher on nationhood at the Prosperity Institute.

Hey guy, so a lot of frustration boiling over in the UK right now over immigration.

And now we have this heated debate over digital ID.

Let's start with Prime Minister Starmer.

He's defending the party's immigration policies.

He's also accusing the Conservative Reform Party of pushing supposedly racist policies.

Catch us up.

What's the story here?

So the issue has to do with the reform's new policy on residency for immigrants.

In Britain, this is called Indefinite Lead to Remain.

And what it means is that after five years in the country, you can get access to welfare and benefits the same way that British citizens can.

Now the vast majority of people that get ILR will stay forever.

And that matters because in the last few years there's been an unprecedented wave of immigration.

Over 4 million people.

Most of those have come in very low skilled occupations.

And over the course of their lifetimes they will be a net drain on the taxpayer.

Reform have announced that they will abolish indefinitely to remain, they will force all those who've come to apply for new visas instead, and that will include new checks on qualifications and language skills, which matters because the current rules are incredibly lax.

The language test only requires B1 B1 English, which for context is the equivalent of being able to read a book for toddlers, but not being able to read a newspaper.

Because most of these four million migrants have come either from Africa or the Indian subcontinent, Labour have branded the policy as racist.

Now, as I understand it, the Labour Party has actually also admitted that this indefinite leave-to-remain law needs to be reformed.

What are they suggesting?

Well, that's why this is so incoherent.

They've called Nigel Farage a racist, but they've also announced policies that are not a million miles away from it.

Shabana Mahmoud, the Home Secretary, has said that immigrants who want residency will now need to have better English skills, no criminal record, and evidence that they volunteer in the community to prove that they're integrating.

The problem for Labour is that, whilst they need to win back voters on the subject of immigration, an awful lot of them don't really believe in reducing migration.

And they definitely don't believe in tackling human rights law, which is what makes Britain's borders unprotected.

Britain is becoming a rapidly changed country.

It's over 16% foreign-born now, which is higher than the rate in America during the Ellis Island period when the country became famously a nation of immigrants.

At the same time, the economy is ground to a halt, and there's increasing evidence that migrants are overrepresented when it comes to crime and also to accessing welfare.

So as we mentioned at the top, we also have this new digital ID that's supposed to help crack down on illegal workers.

But that's been very controversial.

How would that work?

This is the so-called BRIC card.

Now, Labour have long been advocates for some form of ID card.

They're arguing that introducing a digital ID will stop illegal immigration, preventing them from being able to work and rent.

But there's already a digital visa verification system which is supposed to do exactly this, so there's no reason to think this would be particularly different.

In fact, there are a lot of European countries which already have ID cards and which still have large populations of illegal immigrants working and living there, like Germany.

So it won't fix the problem.

What it will do is it will increase the bureaucracy and further reduce the freedoms felt by your average British citizen.

There's also another danger in there.

Paul Mason, a well-known Labour activist who's close to the senior leadership, has suggested that digital ID could be used to help regularize illegal immigrants, putting them on a pathway to legal residency.

That could be anywhere between 750,000 to 2 million people.

We don't know because the Home Office refuses to find out.

So instead of discouraging illegal immigration, Digital ID could end up being used to reward it.

That's something that many people here in the U.S.

are keeping a very close eye on.

Guys, thanks so much for reporting.

Thank you very much for having me.

Thanks for waking up with us.

And if you're watching on YouTube, please like and subscribe.

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