Evening Wire: Aussie Minerals Secured & Secret Service Blocks Tree Stand | 10.20.25

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: Morning Wire – Evening Wire
Episode: Aussie Minerals Secured & Secret Service Blocks Tree Stand | 10.20.25
Date: October 20, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe
Produced by: The Daily Wire

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Episode Overview

This episode of Evening Wire delivers rapid-fire updates on pivotal global and national stories. Coverage centers on a landmark US-Australia minerals deal countering China, security concerns surrounding President Trump, law enforcement initiatives in major US cities, high-profile criminal cases, and evolving political dynamics ahead of key elections. The hosts maintain a brisk, fact-driven, sometimes sardonic tone, emphasizing Morning Wire's commitment to clear, agenda-free news.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. US-Australia Critical Minerals Deal

[00:52–01:49]

• Announcement: The US and Australia announce an $8.5 billion agreement to jointly secure rare earths and critical minerals crucial for defense and tech, directly challenging China's monopoly.
• Both countries contribute $1 billion each over the next six months for joint mining and processing.
• Focus: Strengthening Western supply chains as China tightens controls.
• Notable quote: “In about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won’t know what to do with them. They’ll be worth about $2.”
  — President Trump [01:23]
• The deal is also linked to the Aukus defense pact; submarine construction is reportedly “full steam ahead.”
• Australian authorities praise the pact as a milestone in gaining energy and defense independence.

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2. International and Domestic Security & Law Enforcement

[01:49–04:39]

Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Rejection

• Russia rejects Trump’s ceasefire proposal (freeze current lines, new borders); insists on complete Donbas control.
• Details: 75% of Donbas occupied by Russia; Zelensky unwilling to accept territorial concessions.

Hamas Ceasefire Complexity

• Vice President J.D. Vance highlights the challenge of disarming Hamas, citing internal divisions:
  • “When we talk about Hamas, you’re talking about 40 different cells. It’s disjointed. Some… will probably honor the ceasefire. Many… will not.”
    — J.D. Vance [02:32]
  • Urges Gulf Arab states to help impose order, noting inadequate on-ground security infrastructure.

Federal Law Enforcement Expands Operations

• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: Targeted law enforcement in cities like Portland, Chicago, Memphis—San Francisco up next.
• The aim: Get "criminals off the streets" in every US community.

US Military Strike on Narco-Trafficking

• War Secretary Pete Hegseth details the destruction of a Colombian drug boat linked to ELN (insurgent group).
  • “The vessel was… involved in illicit narcotic smuggling… All three terrorists were killed and no US Forces were harmed.”
    — Pete Hegseth [03:59]

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3. Major Crime and Security Incidents

[04:39–06:47]

Dallas ICE Bounties & Arrest

• Mexican illegal immigrant Eduardo Aguilar arrested after offering $10k bounties on ICE agents via TikTok.
  • “We are thankful this illegal alien who had a firearm in his possession was arrested before he could kill one of our law enforcement officers.”
    — Tricia McLaughlin, DHS [05:27]

Palm Beach Presidential Security Scare

• Secret Service discovers a hunting-style tree stand overlooking Trump’s Air Force One disembark point.
  • Eric Trump reacts sarcastically: “Hunting stand for all the whitetail on Southern Boulevard.” [06:07]
• Stand’s origins remain unknown, but it’s treated as a major security threat.

Daring Louvre Heist

• Thieves steal “incalculable” value jewelry in 7-minute raid at Paris’s Louvre Museum, using a lift and glass cutter.
• French minister calls theft "very professional"; no injuries reported.

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4. US Political & Economic Developments

[06:47–10:06]

US Urges IMF & World Bank Refocus

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant: Urges the IMF and World Bank to return to core economic missions, not “mission creep” issues like climate and gender.
  • “At a time when countries around the world are tightening their belts, we should expect the same from public institutions…”
    — Scott Bessant [07:27]

Trump Critiques Democratic Party

• Trump likens Democrats to kamikaze pilots, says they’re “destroying their own party” by supporting radical figures.
  • “They have incompetent candidates… I looked at Crockett, Jasmine Crockett. She’s a low, very low IQ person… AOC I watched her the other day. It’s like, you got to be kidding.”
    — Donald Trump [07:57–08:16]

NYC Mayoral Race Polls

• New poll shows Andrew Cuomo could close gap on Zoran Mamdani if Curtis Sliwa drops out; older voters labeled a potential deciding force.

Trump Endorses GOP Gubernatorial Candidates

• Trump offers support for VA Lt. Gov. Winsome Earl Sears and NJ’s Jack Cittarelli, criticizes Democratic rivals for “energy policies” likely to raise prices.
  • “I think the Republican candidate is excellent and I think the Democrat candidate is a disaster… She couldn’t answer the most basic question.”
    — Donald Trump [09:03–09:12]

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5. High-Profile Criminal Case: Philadelphia

[10:06–11:17]

• Soros-backed DA Larry Krasner admits loose bail policy contributed to murder of Penn State grad Kada Scott.
  • “Ultimately the buck stops here. It’s not my job to throw other people under the bus. If there’s a decision that is poor… then we have to own it…”
    — Larry Krasner [10:31]
• Perpetrator Keon King had prior violent offenses; Scott’s parents issued a statement seeking prayers and support.

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6. Business, Technology & Sports

[11:17–12:44]

Merck Factory Expansion

• Merck to invest in major plants across Virginia, Delaware, Kansas, and North Carolina, totaling $70 billion in domestic investment; 8,500 jobs promised.

AWS Outage Disrupts Major Sites

• Outage hits websites including Snapchat, Canva, Fortnite, Robinhood, Coinbase; Elon Musk taunts, “X still works.”
• AWS urges continued patience during ongoing maintenance.

College Football Shakeup

• University of Florida fires head coach Billy Napier amid poor season start; FSU’s Mike Norvell awaits board decision on his fate.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On critical minerals proliferation:
  “In about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won’t know what to do with them. They’ll be worth about $2.” – President Trump [01:23]

• On disarming Hamas:
  “When we talk about Hamas, you’re talking about 40 different cells. It’s disjointed. Some… will probably honor the ceasefire. Many… will not.” – J.D. Vance [02:32]

• On government focus:
  “At a time when countries around the world are tightening their belts, we should expect the same from public institutions…” – Scott Bessant [07:27]

• On Democratic candidates:
  “They have incompetent candidates…AOC I watched her the other day. It’s like, you got to be kidding.” – Donald Trump [08:09]

• On bail policy tragedy:
  “Ultimately the buck stops here… If there’s a decision that is poor… we have to own it and try to do better…” – Larry Krasner [10:31]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• US-Australia Minerals Deal: 00:52–01:49
• Ukraine & Hamas Updates: 01:49–03:23
• Federal Law Enforcement in Cities: 03:23–03:55
• Narco-Terrorist Strike: 03:59
• Dallas ICE Bounty Threat: 04:39–05:33
• Tree Stand Security Threat: 05:33–06:11
• Louvre Museum Heist: 06:11–06:47
• IMF/World Bank Critique: 06:47–07:40
• Democratic Party Critique & NYC Polls: 07:40–08:46
• Gubernatorial Election Updates: 08:46–10:06
• Philadelphia DA Admission/Scott Case: 10:06–11:17
• Merck Jobs Announcement: 11:17–11:40
• AWS Outage, Elon Musk Response: 11:40–12:20
• College Sports Coaching News: 12:20–12:44

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This episode maintains a sharp editorial tone, blending news updates with pointed commentary and direct attributions, offering listeners a fast-paced, comprehensive overview of the day’s top stories.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

The US and Australia have both signed on to a major deal to secure critical minerals. The the agreement is aimed squarely at countering China's dominance in the sector. Daily Wire D.C. bureau Chief Tim Rice has more. Meeting at the White House today, President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled an $8.5 billion agreement focused on rare earths and other key minerals essential for defense and technology manufacturing. Both nations will contribute $1 billion over the next six months for joint mining and processing projects, strengthening supply chains strained by China's tightening export controls. In about a year from now, we'll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won't know what to do with them. They'll be worth about $2. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the Aukus defense pact, with Trump, saying submarine construction is moving full steam ahead. Australian officials called the deal a milestone in securing energy and defense independence from Beijing's influence.

[A]

Russia has reportedly rejected President Trump's proposed ceasefire plan in Ukraine over the weekend, Trump suggested freezing the current front lines and establishing new borders based on existing territorial control. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea, saying Russia would not agree to any peace settlement without achieving full control over the Donbas region. Roughly 75% of the Donbas is now occupied by Russian forces. Trump is said to have urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cede the region in exchange for peace during their meeting last week. But Zelensky appears unwilling to accept those.

[B]

Terms ahead of his expected trip to the Middle East. Vice President J.D. vance said Sunday that one of the reasons disarming the Hamas terror group in Gaza is hard is that Hamas is no longer unified, but rather A bunch of splintered factions. When we talk about Hamas, you're talking about 40 different cells. It's disjointed. Some of those cells will probably honor the ceasefire. Many of those cells, as we saw some evidence of today, will not. Before we actually can ensure that Hamas is properly disarmed. That's going to require, as we know, some of these Gulf Arab states to get forces in there to actually apply some, some law and order and some security keeping on the ground. We don't even have the security infrastructure in place. We need the Gulf Arab states, our allies don't have the security infrastructure in place yet to confirm that Hamas is disarmed. Until you actually go a little bit down the path of this peace mission, of this 20 point peace plan, we're not going to be able to say with confidence that everybody is doing everything that we want them to do.

[A]

Federal public safety operations are expanding to more cities, with California's City by the Bay reportedly up next. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that targeted law enforcement efforts are underway in several major cities, including Portland, Chicago and Memphis, and will soon extend to San Francisco at President Trump's direction. We're going to continue to make sure.

[B]

We'Re focused not just in those cities.

[A]

That we hear about on the news, but also cities like Sarasota that we make sure that law enforcement officers in.

[B]

Every single community get the chance to.

[A]

Continue to get these criminals off of their streets.

[B]

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Sunday that the military took out a drug smuggling boat connected to a Colombian narco terror group. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce reports. Also known as the National Liberation army, the ELN is an insurgent group that clashes with the Colombian government. Hegseth said Sunday. Quote, the vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotic smuggling, was traveling along a known narco trafficking route and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics. He went on to say that there were three male narco terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no US Forces were harmed in the strike.

[A]

An armed illegal immigrant has been arrested after allegedly offering a bounty of thousands of dollars for ICE agents in Dallas. Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Terr has the story. Mexican illegal immigrant Eduardo Aguilar called for, quote, 10 dudes in Dallas with determination who aren't afraid to two skull emojis and offered, quote, 10K for each ICE agent in an October 9th TikTok post. That's according to the Department of Homeland Security. The latest threat comes just weeks after a sniper opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas, killing two detainees despite intending to target federal agents. Assistant Homeland security secretary Tricia McLaughlin announced Aguilar's arrest in a statement Friday thanking law enforcement and saying, quote, we are thankful this illegal alien who had a firearm in his possession was arrested before he could kill one of our law enforcement officers.

[B]

Secret Service has discovered an elevated tree stand with a clear view of the area where President Trump routinely disembarks from Air Force One in Palm Beach, Florida. The elevated stand, which would typically be used for hunting, was discovered on Thursday, according to a report published by Fox, and appeared to have been there for some time. It hasn't yet been linked to any potential suspects. Eric Trump responded to the news, praising the Secret Service for finding the potential threat and taking care of it, and writing sarcastically, quote, hunting stand for all the whitetail on Southern Boulevard.

[A]

A band of thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, making off with pieces of jewelry of, quote, incalculable value. In a heist that lasted seven minutes. A group of thieves used a motorized lift on a side of the museum that is under construction to access the museum. The BBC reports that they entered the museum through a window using a glass cutter. Once inside, the thieves threatened security guards who left the area before breaking into display cases, grabbing jewelry and fleeing the scene on two scooters. Nobody was harmed in the heist, which the French cultural minister described as, quote, very professional.

[B]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant is pushing the world's two biggest financial entities to focus on China, not gender and climate issues. Daily Wire senior editor Joel Niedler has more. Ahead of their annual meetings, the secretary is warning that mission creep has knocked the International Monetary Fund and the World bank off course. The US Is the largest financial contributor to both institutions, giving a considerable influence over policy direction. Earlier this year, Bessant warned that they both drifted from their mandates by devoting resources to work on climate change, gender and social issues. This week, he acknowledged some recent course corrections, but urged both institutions to go further. He said, quote, at a time when countries around the world are tightening their belts, we should expect the same from public institutions that have been built with and supported by taxpayer money from around the world. Resources must not be siphoned away from the core missions.

[A]

President Trump is knocking Democratic leaders, comparing them to kamikaze pilots and predicting disaster for their party. The president said on Fox's Sunday Morning Futures that Democrats are destroying their own party by embracing figures like AOC and and leading New York City mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani.

[B]

They have no future. They have incompetent candidates. I mean, I looked at Crockett, Jasmine Crockett. She's a low, very low IQ person. She's polling okay in the Democrat Party. I can't even believe it. AOC I watched her the other day. It's like, you got to be kidding.

[A]

Speaking of Mamdani, a new poll shows Andrew Cuomo could be closing in on him, but under one condition. The Gotham Polling and AARP survey found that if Republican Curtis Sliwa drops out, Cuomo would trail Mamdani by just four points, 44 to 41. With all three candidates in the race, Mamdani maintains a strong lead, taking 43% to Cuomo's 29 and Sliwa's 19. Pollsters say older voters, especially those over 50, could be the deciding factor in November.

[B]

On Air Force One on Sunday, President Trump stressed support for the Republicans running for governor ahead of Election Day next month. Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcand has the story. The President expressed his Support for Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earl Sears and touched on the New Jersey governor's race ahead of the off year election on November 4th. I haven't been too much involved in Virginia. I love the state. I did very well in the state. But I will tell you, I think the Republican candidate is excellent and I think the Democrat candidate is a disaster. I mean, I watched her in the debate. She couldn't answer the most basic question. And you know, a big thing with that race and also the race in New Jersey is going to be energy. Both of the Democrats are going to drive the energy prices through the roof. As Trump noted, he's largely stayed out of the Virginia governor's race. The statewide races, including the one for Attorney general, remain hotly competitive as Sears and former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger hope to be Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's successor. In New Jersey, Republican Jack Cittarelli is facing off against Democratic Congresswoman Mikey Sherrill as Cittarelli narrowly lost his bid against Governor Phil Murphy in 2021. Trump endorsed Cittarelli during the Republican primary in May.

[A]

Philadelphia's Soros backed DA Larry Krasner is admitting that lax crime enforcement contributed to the death of 23 year old Penn State graduate Kada Scott. Scott went missing earlier this month and was recently found in a shallow grave in Philadelphia's Germantown area. Her alleged murderer, 21 year old Keon King, who was out on bail related to other violent crimes against women. Krasner had this to say on Friday.

[B]

I mean ultimately the buck stops here. It's not my job to throw other people under the bus. If there's a decision that is poor, and I believe that that was an incorrect decision, then we have to own it and we have to try to do better moving forward in order to change that. But what I am saying about the bail is that it could have made all the difference in the world.

[A]

King has been arrested in connection to Scott's death and has been charged with additional crimes relating to the burning of a car. King was also previously arrested for kidnapping and attempting to strangle two other women on separate occasions. During a press conference this morning, a statement from Scott's parents was read, thanking people from across the nation for their outpouring of support while asking for continued prayers as they navigate this devastating loss.

[B]

Pharmaceutical giant Merck announced a plan to build a massive plant in Elkton, Virginia. The 400,000 square foot project is expected to employ 500 people full time and support about 8,000 construction jobs during the development. This is part of the company's $70 billion domestic investment pledge. The company also announced plans for a plant in Delaware, Kansas and North Carolina.

[A]

Dozens of major websites experienced outages early Monday morning, disrupting access for millions of users. The problems were traced to Amazon Web Services, which hosts many of the affected platforms. Sites impacted included Snapchat, Canva, Fortnite and Perplexity, as well as trading platforms Robinhood and Coinbase. Although most services were restored within hours, AWS cautioned that some users may experience slower connections as maintenance work continues. Elon Musk appeared to gloat on X, noting that his platform remained unaffected, quote X still works, he posted, adding that when other sites went down, users turned to X for updates on the outage.

[B]

And the University of Florida is metaphorically feeding head coach Billy Napier to the Gators after a 34 start in 2025. University leadership announced Sunday that Napier is finally out as the head coach of the football team. As for my imploding Florida State Seminoles and their embattled head coach Mike Norvell, the ad for the university announced today that the board will decide Norvale's fate at the end of the season.

[A]

Those are your drive home updates this evening. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com and in case you missed it, this morning we covered some major stories, including the no Kings protests returning nationwide as Trump's crime crackdown continues, a new investigation exposing dark money behind the anti Trump protests, and Israel striking Gaza after Hamas violates the ceasefire. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire. What do you think makes the perfect snack?

[B]

Hmm, it's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient. Could you be more specific? When it's cravenient. Okay, like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at a.m. p.m. Or a savory.

[A]

Breakfast sandwich I can grab in just.

[B]

A second at a.m. pM. I'm seeing a pattern here. Well, yeah, we're talking about what I.

[A]

Crave, which is anything from am, pm.

[B]

What more could you want?

[A]

Stop by ampm where the snacks and.

[B]

Drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience ampm. Too much good stuff.