Evening Wire: Colbert’s Network Feud & A Forbidden Nuclear Test? | 2.18.26

Summary

Morning Wire — Evening Wire: Colbert’s Network Feud & A Forbidden Nuclear Test? | 2.18.26

Date: February 18, 2026
Hosts: Georgia Howe & John Bickley (Daily Wire)
Summary by: [Assistant]

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Episode Overview

This Evening Wire episode addresses several pressing topics in politics, media, international affairs, U.S. domestic policy, and pop culture. Key subjects include Stephen Colbert's accusations against CBS and Donald Trump over FCC rules and alleged censorship, alarming reports about China's banned nuclear test, and developing stories from high-stakes international standoffs to landmark legal settlements. There’s also focus on sociopolitical issues like transgender policies, city budget battles, and Gina Carano’s headline-grabbing MMA return.

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1. Colbert, CBS, and FCC: Clash Over Censorship

[00:03–01:33]

• Stephen Colbert's Accusation
  Colbert claimed on The Late Show that Donald Trump and CBS colluded to silence him over an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Tallarico.
• Underlying Issue:
  • FCC's "equal-time" rule only applies to radio and broadcast TV, not cable/streaming (John Bickley, 00:43).
  • Bona fide news exemptions exist, previously applied to shows like Jay Leno’s, but CBS was more restrictive.
  • Colbert bypassed CBS, posting the pulled interview on YouTube where it garnered 5 million+ views (Cabot Phillips, 01:13).

Notable Quote:

“CBS lawyers told him, quote, in no uncertain terms that the interview would not air. And this allegedly contributed to him bypassing the network and posting the Tallarico interview on YouTube.” – Cabot Phillips, [01:13]

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2. Lake Tahoe Avalanche Tragedy

[01:33–02:12]

• Incident Overview:
  A deadly avalanche near Frog Lake, Castle Peak (Sierra Nevada) claimed nine lives, with rescue teams still searching for one missing skier after a group was buried.
• Survival and Rescue:
  Six skiers sheltered in place for 10 hours during a severe snowstorm, complicating rescue efforts.

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3. U.S.-Iran Military Escalation and Nuclear Tensions

[02:12–03:49]

• Backdrop:
  As U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations stall, American military forces and assets are amassing in the Middle East (Tim Pierce, 02:20).
• Dual Strategy:
  President Trump employs both diplomacy and military build-up:
  • 2 aircraft carriers, dozens of warships, and hundreds of fighter jets deployed.
• Imminent Risk:
  Israeli counterparts prepare for possible action; U.S. sources suggest 90% likelihood of imminent military engagement.
• Expert Insight:
  Benham Ben Taliblu (Foundation for Defense of Democracies):

  “Right now we’re seeing a slow, steely eyed game of chicken between Trump and Tehran…” [03:13]

Notable Quote:

“One advisor to the president told Axios he thinks there is a quote 90% chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks.” – Tim Pierce, [03:41]

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4. China’s Alleged Prohibited Nuclear Test

[03:49–04:43]

• State Department Claim:
  Newly analyzed seismic data (from Kazakhstan) points to a clandestine nuclear weapons test by China in 2020.
• U.S. Response:
  President Trump pledges to resume U.S. nuclear tests “on an equal basis with China and Russia” (Joel Niedler, 04:17) and plans for arms control talks with President Xi Jinping in April.

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5. AOC’s Taiwan Stumble & GOP Reactions

[04:43–05:47]

• Event:
  At the Munich Security Conference, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gives a non-answer after being asked if the U.S. should defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression.
• GOP Reaction:
  Vice President J.D. Vance lampoons AOC’s response:

  “Does anybody really believe that AOC has very thoughtful ideas about the global world order…No, this is a person who is mouthing the slogans that somebody else gave her and it shows...” – J.D. Vance, [05:05] “If I had given that answer…I’d go read a book about China and Taiwan before I go out on the world stage again.” – J.D. Vance, [05:32]

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6. Bayer’s Roundup Cancer Settlement

[06:49–07:37]

• Settlement:
  Bayer will pay up to $7.25 billion to settle roughly 65,000 claims that Roundup weed killer caused various cancers, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
• Impact:
  Share price rose almost 8% following the resolution.

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7. New York City’s Tax Showdown

[07:37–08:23]

• Budget Crisis:
  Mayor Zoran Mamdani threatens a 10% property tax hike unless the state government increases taxes on wealthy residents and corporations. Expected to generate $3.7 billion.
• Reserves:
  Proposes drawing over $1 billion from city reserves to mitigate deficit.

Notable Quote:

“Faced with no other choice, the city would have to exercise the only revenue lever for fully within our own control.” – John Bickley, [08:12]

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8. NYC Immigration Appointee with Anti-ICE Stance

[08:23–09:15]

• Appointment:
  Mayor Mamdani appoints Faiza Ali as the city’s commissioner of immigrant affairs.
  Ali formerly called for abolishing ICE in reaction to Trump’s immigration policy (Jenny Terr, 08:32).
• Advocacy:
  Ali pledges to “build a city that ensures every New Yorker…can live, work and raise families with dignity.”

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9. NYU Hospital Halts Gender Transition Surgeries for Minors

[09:15–10:06]

• Hospital Decision:
  Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone stops all gender transition surgeries for minors, citing new regulations and a change in leadership.
• Trump’s Role:
  Move follows Trump’s executive order denying federal funds to hospitals offering these procedures (Andy Valdez, 09:25).

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10. California Pushes for Sex-Separated Restrooms

[10:06–10:50]

• New Legislation:
  Republican Assemblywoman Letitia Castillo wants to require gyms, spas, and other facilities to provide separate bathrooms and locker rooms for men and women.
• Rationale:
  Castillo says measure is needed to protect women and provide “clarity and common sense protections in intimate spaces.”

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11. Gina Carano Returns to MMA: Netflix's First Live Fight

[10:50–11:43]

• Fight Announcement:
  Gina Carano will face Ronda Rousey in a professional MMA fight on Netflix, May 16 at LA's Intuit Dome (Amanda Harding, 11:01).
• Context:
  Carano’s first fight since 2009, significant as her first major public spotlight since being fired by Disney.

Notable Quote:

“The fight will take place at featherweight, 145 pounds inside a hexagon cage instead of the traditional UFC Octagon.” – Amanda Harding, [11:18]

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Key Memorable Moments

• Colbert posts uncensored interview to YouTube, bypassing CBS reaction [01:13]
• Benham Ben Taliblu describes US-Iran tensions as a “steely eyed game of chicken” [03:13]
• VP J.D. Vance's criticism of AOC's foreign policy knowledge [05:05]
• Big legal settlement by Bayer, pivoting company’s legal and PR woes [06:49]
• NYU’s announcement to cease all child gender surgeries—a national flashpoint story [09:15]
• Netflix’s leap into live sports streaming with women’s MMA headliners [11:01]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Colbert and CBS FCC Controversy: [00:03–01:33]
• Lake Tahoe Avalanche Story: [01:33–02:12]
• US-Iran Military Tension: [02:12–03:49]
• China Nuclear Test Allegation: [03:49–04:43]
• AOC & Taiwan, GOP Response: [04:43–05:47]
• Bayer Roundup Settlement: [06:49–07:37]
• NYC Property Tax Debate: [07:37–08:23]
• NYC immigrant affairs appointment: [08:23–09:15]
• NYU Stops Gender Transition Surgeries: [09:15–10:06]
• CA Bathroom Policy Bill: [10:06–10:50]
• Gina Carano Fight Announcement: [10:50–11:43]

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Tone & Style

The conversation is brisk, factual, and analytical, with occasional dry wit and underscoring of ideological divides, reflecting both editorial skepticism and emphasis on providing “facts first,” as per Morning Wire’s branding.

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For detailed coverage and further follow-up, listeners are encouraged to visit dailywire.com.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

Stephen Colbert accuses Trump of trying to silence him. The State Department says China is conducting a banned nuclear test. And Gina Carano is set to step back into the Octagon, or at least the Hexagon. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Wednesday, February 18th, and this is Evening Wire.

[John Bickley]

Left wing talk show host Stephen Colbert blasted Donald Trump and CBS on Monday's edition of the Late Show. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the details.

[Cabot Phillips]

This came after the network supposedly barred Colbert from airing an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Tallarico, citing FCC guidance from the Trump administration regarding equal airtime.

[John Bickley]

It's an old FCC rule that applies only to radio and broadcast television, not cable or streaming, that says if a show has a candidate on during an election, they have to have all that candidate's opponents on as well.

[Cabot Phillips]

There is an exception to this rule for programming that is considered, quote, bona fide news, and this was once granted to the Tonight show with Jay Leno. Colbert explained that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr had not actually done away with the.

[John Bickley]

Exception, but my network is unilaterally enforcing it as if he had.

[Cabot Phillips]

CBS responded with a brief press release stating that it only provided, quote, legal guidance on the FCC rules. Colbert responded to that claim, saying CBS lawyers told him, quote, in no uncertain terms that the interview would not air. And this allegedly contributed to him bypassing the network and posting the talarico interview on YouTube, where it amassed over 5 million views.

[Georgia Howe]

As many as nine people are feared dead after a massive avalanche buried a group of skiers in Lake Tahoe yesterday. So far, eight bodies have been recovered, with one still missing. The avalanche struck at 11:30am near Frog Lake on Castle Peak, which is part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Northern California. A group of 15 skiers, which included four guides, was directly in its path. The six individuals who miraculously survived were found last night by search and rescue teams after sheltering in place for 10 hours through a severe and ongoing winter storm. The continued threat of avalanche and the ongoing storm also complicate the recovery effort.

[John Bickley]

An American armada is amassing in the Middle east as tensions rise between Iran and the US Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the story.

[Tim Pierce]

The Trump administration is edging closer to a potential military strike on Iran as nuclear negotiations falter and US Forces move into the Middle East. After initially holding off on action. Earlier this year, President Trump shifted to a dual strategy of diplomatic outreach backed by a major military buildup. Deploying two aircraft carriers, a dozen warships, hundreds of fighter jets and moving large quantities of weapons into the region. Recent talks in Geneva between US and Iranian officials showed limited progress, with Vice President J.D. vance acknowledging that Iran has not accepted key US red lines. Israeli officials are reportedly preparing for possible military action within days, while some US Lawmakers suggest strikes could come within weeks. With no clear diplomatic breakthrough in sight, administration officials signal that Trump may soon decide whether to launch a broad, potentially weeks long campaign against Iran. We asked Benham Ben Taliblu from the foundation for Defense of Democracies for his read on the conflict. I think right now we're seeing a slow, steely eyed game of chicken between Trump and Tehran both at the negotiating table as well as in the region with respect to a changing force posture in the Middle east as well as the Islamic Republic, hardening some nuclear and missile sites, but at the negotiating table. Tehran is expected to return in about two weeks time. Unclear where, but with an enhanced proposal. One advisor to the president told Axios he thinks there is a quote 90% chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks.

[Georgia Howe]

The State Department claims that China conducted a prohibited nuclear weapons test and just presented data to back it up. Daily Wire Senior editor Joel Niedler has more.

[Joel Niedler]

The findings come amid renewed calls from President Trump for Russia and China to join the United States in negotiating updated nuclear arms treaties. President Trump has publicly alleged that China has been secretly carrying out prohibited nuclear tests. While critics have expressed skepticism about these assertions, newly analyzed seismic data from a monitoring station in Kazakhstan appears to lend support to his concerns. The Station registered a 2.75 magnitude seismic event on June 22, 2020. In response to the reported findings, Trump stated that the United States would resume nuclear testing on quote, an equal basis with China and Russia. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are apparently planning to discuss a new nuclear arms non proliferation agreement when the two meet in Beijing this April.

[John Bickley]

Vice President J.D. vance roasted Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on Tuesday after she was stumped by a question on Taiwan at the Munich Security Conference. Asked if she thought the US should come to Taiwan's defense if China invaded, AOC stumbled for several seconds before giving a non answer for Fox News host Martha MacCallum played the viral clip Tuesday and asked Vance what he thought.

Does anybody really believe that AOC has very thoughtful ideas about the global world order or about what the United States should do with our policy in Asia or our policy in Europe? No, this is a person who is mouthing the slogans that somebody else gave her and it shows. I guess no one gave her one for that one? I guess not. And it shows how thin the Democrats policy actually is on all these very, very important questions. Look, that was embarrassing. If I had given that answer, I would say, you know what, maybe I'd go read a book about China and Taiwan before I go out on the world stage again. I hope that Congresswoman Cortez has the same humility. I'm skeptical.

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[Georgia Howe]

Bayer announced Tuesday that it will pay up to 7.25 billion to resolve tens of thousands of claiming that its Roundup weed killer caused cancer. The German company said the proposed nationwide settlement, filed on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, would establish a long term claims program with capped annual payments for the next 21 years. Bayer acquired Roundup as part of its $63 billion purchase of agrochemical company Monsanto in 2018. In the intervening years, they've faced claims from approximately 65,000 plaintiffs in US state and federal courts. The plaintiffs say they developed non Hodgkin's lymphoma and other forms of cancer after using the weed killer either at home or on the job. Stock prices for Bayer shares rose almost 8% with the news, with investors happy to have the matter resolved.

[John Bickley]

New York City's Democratic Socialist Mayor Zoran Mamdani says if the state's governor doesn't impose a tax on the wealthy, he's going to slap a 10% property tax on homeowners. The mayor warned Tuesday that an increase of 9.5% on property taxes would be necessary to fund his budget for 2020. That's if Governor Kathy Hochul won't increase taxes on corporations and wealthy New Yorkers. The drastic increase in property taxes would generate $3.7 billion, he claims, something needed to make up for a big budget deficit. He also wants to pull more than a billion out of the city's reserves.

[Tim Pierce]

We do not want to have to.

[John Bickley]

Turn to such drastic measures to balance our budget. Faced with no other choice, the city would have to exercise the only revenue lever for fully within our own control.

[Georgia Howe]

Speaking of Mamdani, he just tapped a new immigration officer who previously pushed to abolish ice. Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Terr has the story.

[Jenny Terr]

Mamdani announced on Tuesday that he had appointed Faiza Ali as the commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. The mayor said he made the choice at a time when immigrant New Yorkers face escalating attacks and uncertainty, adding that this administration will not equivocate. In a statement following her appointment, Ali described herself as the proud daughter of immigrant parents from Pakistan who is committed to building a city that ensures every New Yorker, regardless of when they arrived or where they were born, can live, work and raise families with dignity. In a 2019 X post, Ali called to abolish ICE in response to Trump's immigration policies and his efforts to, quote, weaponize fear and institutionalize white supremacy.

[John Bickley]

Some good news out of New York for child advocates. A hospital in Manhattan has put the kibosh on gender transition surgeries for minors. Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell has the story.

[Andy Valdez]

The announcement from Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone Health marks the latest victory for President Trump, who has moved to strip federal funding from hospitals that perform life altering gender procedures on children. The hospital offered gender surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for gender confused children beginning in 2020. In its announcement yesterday, NYU Langone cited the, quote, current regulatory environment along with the departure of its medical director for its decision to shutter the Children's Gender Procedure Clinic. NYU Langone began canceling appointments for children at the gender clinic last year after President Trump signed an executive order to take federal funding from hospitals that perform gender procedures on children.

[Georgia Howe]

Similarly, on the West Coast, a California lawmaker is fighting back against policies that allow trans Identifying men to enter women's spaces, Daily Wire assistant editor Andy Valdez reports.

[Andy Valdez]

Republican Assemblywoman Letitia Castillo introduced a bill this week that would require facilities including gyms and spas to provide sex separated bathrooms and locker rooms for men and women. Castillo says the bill is a common sense measure that protects California women and helps combat the state's embrace of radical transgender ideology. Castillo told the Daily Wire that parents across California are, quote, asking for clarity and common sense protections in intimate spaces. These intimate spaces include bathrooms, showers, changing rooms, locker rooms and dressing rooms.

[John Bickley]

And Five years after Disney fired Gina Carano from the Mandalorian for social media posts, the former MMA fighter is getting back in the ring, Daily Wire entertainment reporter Amanda Harding explains.

[Amanda Harding]

Netflix announced Monday that Carano will face off against MMA competitor Ronda Rousey in a live, professionally sanctioned fight on Saturday, May 16th at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The event marks Netflix's first ever mixed martial arts event and is being co promoted by Most Valuable Productions, co founded by Jake Paul. The fight will take place at featherweight, 145 pounds inside a hexagon cage instead of the traditional UFC. Octagon Khurana holds an MMA record of 7:1 with wins by submission, knockout and decision, and her earlier Muay Thai record is 121 and 1. She has not competed since 2009. Rousey has a 12 to 2 record but has not competed in the sport in a decade following a WWE career.

[Georgia Howe]

Those are your Drive Home updates this evening. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com and in case you missed it, earlier today we covered some major stories, including the latest on the Rhode island hockey rink shooting, the US And Iran holding key nuclear talks and the brewing political showdown for a Texas Senate seat. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.