Evening Wire: Funding Fraud Unveiled & Fed Cuts Interest Rates | 12.10.25

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Morning Wire: Evening Wire – “Funding Fraud Unveiled & Fed Cuts Interest Rates”

Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: Georgia Howe & John Bickley (The Daily Wire)
Main Theme:
This episode unpacks Congressional hearings on significant governmental fraud in small business programs, the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate cut amidst economic uncertainty, and several high-profile news stories including policy changes, security concerns, and controversies in media and government.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Congress Targets SBA ‘8A’ Fraud (00:21-01:31)

• The Senate Small Business Committee held hearings on government waste and fraud, particularly focusing on the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8A program.
• Luke Rosiak (Daily Wire investigative reporter) testified, highlighting decade-long abuse and corruption, including a $550 million bribery scheme.
  • He described the 8A set-aside contracting program as “the most openly abused and shockingly corrupt program in the federal government.”
    • Quote [00:40]: “These billions don’t go to poor minorities in your states. They go to insiders in the suburbs of D.C., which are already the wealthiest counties in the country.”
• Lawmakers allege fraud escalated under the Biden administration.
• Treasury Secretary and SBA chief are investigating what is called a “$100 billion scandal,” with aims to halt “no-bid fraud,” reduce bureaucracy, and protect taxpayers.
  • Senator Joni Ernst [01:31]: "Let's clean this up for American taxpayers and put our hardworking small businesses first.”

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2. President Trump Rally: Jobs, Immigration, and the Fed (02:08-03:43)

• Trump boasted at a Pennsylvania rally that, under his administration, all net new job creation is going to American citizens rather than migrants (previously claimed was the reverse under Biden).
  • Quote [02:08]: “Before I entered office, 100% of all new net jobs were going to migrant workers...But since I took office, 100%...has gone to American citizens.”
  • Pressed the narrative of restoring jobs to Americans and noted, "More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country.” [02:43]
• Gave a health update on National Guardsman Andrew Wolf, who survived a shooting:
  • Trump [02:56]: “I got a call that he got up from bed...he got up. Now, he didn't speak. He's not ready for that yet...but he got up and boy, they're so happy.”
• Raised questions about the legitimacy of Fed Chair Powell’s appointment, referencing the possibility of “auto-pen” signatures on official documents.
  • Quote [03:20]: “I just heard it could be that all four commissioners in the Fed...the auto pen may have signed those commissions...we’re going to check.”

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3. Federal Reserve Cuts Interest Rates (03:43-04:22)

• The Fed approved its third interest rate cut of 2025, lowering the benchmark by a quarter point.
• Aimed to balance a cooling job market and stubbornly high inflation; the vote was not unanimous.
  • Fed Chair Jerome Powell [04:14]: “Conditions in the labor market appear to be gradually cooling and inflation remains somewhat elevated. There’s no risk-free path and I think we’re doing the best we can for people.”

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4. Campus Shooting at Kentucky State University (04:22-05:17)

• An Indiana man, not enrolled at KSU, was arrested after a shooting that killed one student and left another in critical condition. No motive revealed.
• University president called it a “senseless tragedy.”

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5. Senate Democrats Block Socialism Condemnation (05:17-05:33)

• Senate Democrats blocked a resolution to condemn socialism, despite bipartisan support in the House.
  • Senator Rick Scott [05:17]: “Socialism has never worked.”
  • John Bickley [05:18]: “It’s an old, barbaric, discredited idea that’s failed every time. The answer isn’t more government, it’s less.”

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6. Ukraine and Land Concessions Standoff (05:33-06:14)

• President Zelensky refuses to cede any Ukrainian territory as part of a Trump-driven peace proposal requiring land concessions to Russia in exchange for U.S. security guarantees.
• Fault lines remain over Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

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7. Luigi Mangione Trial Evidence Fight (06:14-06:58)

• Defense seeks to suppress evidence from an unwarranted search of Mangione’s backpack (containing a firearm and suppressor) and statements made before Miranda rights were read.
• Courtroom attended by supporters; case ongoing.

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8. Charlie Kirk Book Surges (06:58-07:20)

• Kirk’s Stop in the Name of God sells 60,000+ copies on release day, with a print run exceeding 200,000.

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9. Elon Musk on Government Waste Crusade (07:20-08:15)

• In podcast appearance, Musk reflects on his stint targeting wasteful federal spending, saying:
  • Only ~2-3% of “zombie payments” could be eliminated; the overall effort was more challenging than expected.
  • Admits he’d likely not take on such a role again, preferring to focus on his companies.
  • Quote [08:09]: “Knowing what I know, I don’t think so.”
• Discusses personal fears, including AI “nightmares” and rising political violence.

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10. Tougher Entry Rules for Foreign Travelers (08:15-08:44)

• Foreigners from visa-waiver countries (UK, France, Germany, South Korea, etc.) may soon need to submit five years of social media history, email, and past addresses for U.S. entry approval.
• No official criteria disclosed yet for rejection based on social history.

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11. HHS Nameplate Controversy – Rachel/Richard Levine (08:44-09:57)

• Trump’s HHS reverted Assistant Secretary’s nameplate to “Richard Levine” instead of Rachel Levine, sparking a backlash.
  • HHS defended it, citing a commitment to “gold standard science” and “biological reality” in public health.
  • Levine called this move “petty and an act of bigotry.”
• The department reaffirmed efforts to reverse previous policies on transgender care for minors.

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12. Times New Roman Returns at State Dept. (09:57-10:34)

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio ditched Calibri in favor of Times New Roman for official documents, branding the change as a “return to tradition.”
• Criticized accessibility-focused font changes made under Biden as “wasteful” and a downgrade to correspondence standards.

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13. Golden Globes Podcast Category ‘Snubs’ Conservatives (10:34-11:25)

• The Golden Globes’ new “Best Podcast” category omitted top conservative and independent shows (Joe Rogan Experience, Ben Shapiro Show, Megyn Kelly Show).
• Nominees are mostly celebrity-hosted mainstream podcasts.

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Notable Quotes

• Luke Rosiak [00:40]: “The most openly abused and shockingly corrupt program in the federal government is so called set aside contracting.”
• Donald Trump [02:08]: “Before I entered office, 100% of all new net jobs were going to migrant workers. But since I took office, 100% of all net job creation has gone to American citizens. How about that?”
• Jerome Powell [04:14]: “There’s no risk-free path and I think we’re doing the best we can for people.”
• Rick Scott [05:17]: “Socialism has never worked.”
• Elon Musk [08:09]: “Knowing what I know, I don’t think so.” (on whether he’d take a government job again)

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Memorable Moments & Tone

• The episode’s tone is brisk, factual, and laced with skepticism about government inefficiency and media bias. There’s open celebration of conservative figures and policies, blended with critique and cultural commentary.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• SBA Fraud Hearing: 00:21–01:31
• Trump Rally & Jobs/Immigration: 02:08–03:43
• Fed Rate Cut: 03:43–04:22
• KSU Shooting: 04:22–05:17
• Senate Socialism Resolution: 05:17–05:33
• Ukraine Peace Deal: 05:33–06:14
• Mangione Trial: 06:14–06:58
• Charlie Kirk Book Release: 06:58–07:20
• Elon Musk Interview: 07:20–08:15
• US Entry Social Media Proposal: 08:15–08:44
• HHS Nameplate Controversy: 08:44–09:57
• Font Change at State Department: 09:57–10:34
• Golden Globes Podcast Category Snubs: 10:34–11:25

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Summary

This Evening Wire delivers a fast-paced sweep of the day’s news, focusing on government fraud investigations, shifting U.S. fiscal policy, and sharp culture war flashpoints. Listeners hear direct testimony and notable quotes from leading political and media figures, all within the show’s signature analytical—sometimes acerbic—tone. The episode highlights friction between government tradition and progressive policy, tensions in international diplomacy and American media, and the enduring influence of whistleblowers and provocative voices in public life.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

Congress zeroes in on Small Business Administration fraud. The Fed votes to cut rates, and foreign travelers to the US May soon have to provide more than just their passports to enter. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Wednesday, December 10th, and this is Evening Wire.

[John Bickley]

The Senate Small Business Committee held a hearing today on governmental waste and fraud, and Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak testified. Rosiak has spent over a decade reporting on the small Business Administration's 8A program and has uncovered numerous schemes ranging from pass through fraud to a $550 million bribery operation. Here's Rosiak in his opening statement. The most openly abused and shockingly corrupt program in the federal government is so called set aside contracting. The program was created in 1978, mostly to help black Americans start businesses since they'd been discriminated against by the government. But I don't believe any member of this committee would support the program. If you see how it works a half century later, these billions don't go to poor minorities in your states. They go to insiders in the suburbs of D.C. which are already the wealthiest counties in the country. Lawmakers say abuse of the program exploded under the Biden administration. Now Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and SBA chief Kelly Loeffler are investigating what some watchdogs warn could be a hundred billion dollar scandal. Committee chair Joni Ernst says the goal is simple. Stop no bid fraud, shrink the bureaucracy, and protect taxpayers.

[Georgia Howe]

When eight programs divert government contracts to businesses committing fraud, legitimate small businesses pay the price, losing jobs, revenue, and growth opportunities. Let's clean this up for American taxpayers and put our hardworking small businesses first. At his rally in Pennsylvania last night, President Trump touted the effects of his immigration and economic policies on the American worker. Speaking to a crowd at Mount Airy Casino Resort, Trump noted that under his watch so far, net new jobs have gone to American citizens, not migrants, as they did under Joe Biden.

[Donald Trump]

Before I entered office, 100% of all new net jobs were going to migrant workers. Think that 100% of new jobs. But since I took office, 100% of all net job creation has gone to American citizens. How about that? Before, 100% went to people that came into the country illegally again, many of them from prisons, many of them gang members, drug members. Trend.

More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country.

[Georgia Howe]

The president also shared a miraculous update on National Guardsman Andrew Wolf, who was targeted by a gunman in D.C. today.

[Donald Trump]

I got a call that he got up from bed.

[John Bickley]

Do you believe that?

[Donald Trump]

He got up. He got up now he didn't speak. He's not ready for that yet. I mean, just you got hit in the head, but he got up and boy, they're so happy. It's amazing.

[Georgia Howe]

And President Trump suggested that the appointment of Fed Chair Jerome Powell might not be legitimate because of the use of the infamous Biden auto pen.

[Donald Trump]

I just heard it could be that all four commissioners in the Fed. I hear that the auto pen may have signed those commissions. Now maybe I'm wrong, but we're going to check. Would you check that, Scott? Okay, because I'm hearing that the auto pen could have signed maybe all four, but maybe a couple of them. We'll take two.

[John Bickley]

Speaking of Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve has approved its third interest rate cut of the year, lowering the benchmark rate by another quarter point. Fed leaders say they're trying to steady a cooling job market even as inflation remains stubbornly elevated. The vote wasn't unanimous. Two regional Fed presidents pushed to hold rates steady, while one governor called for a deeper cut. Powell said the Fed is navigating a difficult balance with with inflation risk still tilted upward and employment showing signs of strain, conditions in the labor market appear to be gradually cooling and inflation remains somewhat elevated. There's no risk free path and I think we're doing the best we can for people.

[Georgia Howe]

The suspect accused of shooting a Kentucky State University student and killing another on Tuesday has been identified as an Indiana man not enrolled at the school. Daily Wire senior editor Joel Niedler has the latest.

[John Bickley]

Authorities have identified the shooter as a 48 year old black man. The suspect has been arrested on charges of first degree assault and murder. Police have yet to reveal a motive for the shooting and one surviving victim remains in critical condition. Police were called to campus on Tuesday afternoon just after 3pm to reports of shots fired. Authorities now say there are no more active safety threats on campus. Kentucky State University's president called the shooting a senseless tragedy. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a motion to condemn socialism. The House passed the resolution last month with broad bipartisan support. 86 Democrats joined Republicans to support it. GOP Senator Rick Scott spoke in favor of the resolution on the Senate floor yesterday.

[Georgia Howe]

Socialism has never worked.

[John Bickley]

It's an old, barbaric, discredited idea that's failed every time. The answer isn't more government, it's less foreign.

[Georgia Howe]

President Vladimir Zelinsky is drawing a firm line on the map and refusing to move an inch. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest.

[John Bickley]

After huddling with European leaders this week, Zelensky said Ukraine has neither the legal nor moral right to hand over territory, pushing back on a Trump driven peace proposal that would require Kiev to give land to Russia. President Donald Trump argues Ukraine must play ball, insisting Moscow holds the upper hand and warning that size will win. His 28 point peace plan offers US security guarantees, but only if Kyiv agrees to land concessions. Despite talk from US Envoys that a deal is close, fault lines appear to remain deep, especially over the Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

[Georgia Howe]

New details emerged in the trial of Luigi Mangione as evidence hearings were held this week. Daily Wire reporter Breca Stoll has the details.

[Breca Stoll]

Defense attorneys are asking the court to exclude certain evidence recovered from Mangione's backpack, including a firearm and suppressor. The defense attorneys believe they have ground to stand on because Mangione's backpack was searched without a warrant and he made statements to the police before he was read his Miranda rights. The prosecution has argued that the firearm and suppressor should be fair game for trial because the backpack was searched for officer safety upon Mangione's arrest. Supporters of Mangione lined the courtroom during the hearings, one wearing a shirt that read New Yorkers for Luigi. We will provide more details as the trial continues.

[Georgia Howe]

Charlie Kirk's final book has climbed the Amazon charts and even briefly went out of stock. Stop in the Name of God, released Tuesday, and publishers say more than 60,000 copies sold on Amazon by midday and 200,000 have already been printed, with more on the way. The book remains available through major retailers like Walmart, Barnes and Noble and the publisher's own site.

[John Bickley]

Elon Musk says he's not sure his blitz to slash government waste was worth the political firestorm it created. In a candid interview on the Katie Miller podcast, the Doge chief admitted that the effort only cut a fraction of what he called zombie payments, despite aiming to save up to 200 billion a year. We're a little bit successful, we were somewhat successful. I mean we stopped a lot of funding for that really just made no sense. That was just entirely wasteful. But there are just call it 2 or 3% of government payments that go out that really should not be going out, and it's actually quite hard to stop. When asked if he'd take the job again, he didn't hesitate, saying he'd rather have focused on his companies. The tech mogul also veered into personal fears, revealing AI nightmares and growing security concerns after recent political violence. Summing up his Washington tenure, Musk said. Simply quote, knowing what I know, I don't think so.

[Georgia Howe]

Foreign travelers to the US May soon have to provide five years of social media history before entry. Travelers from countries like the uk, France, Germany and South Korea who do not need visas to travel to the US under the visa waiver program may soon have to provide additional personal details before being approved for entry. The information includes email addresses, past home addresses, as well as five years of social media history. There's no definitive rubric yet as to what kind of social media content would jeopardize approval.

[John Bickley]

A prominent Biden era health official who identifies as transgender is outraged after the Trump Department of Health and Human Services changed his nameplate to show his birth name. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presa Giacomo has the details.

[Amanda Presa Giacomo]

On Tuesday, HHS took to X to unapologetically confirm the change to the name listed for the former Assistant Secretary for Health under Biden. The portrait plaque displayed in the HHS offices now shows the portrait of Richard Levine instead of the official's trans identifying name, Rachel Levine. Levine was upset about the change, calling it petty and an act of bigotry, but HHS argues that the change better reflects their mission to express gold standard science at all times. A spokesman said, quote, we remain committed to reversing harmful policies enacted by Levine and ensuring that biological reality guides our approach to public health. During his tenure, Levine claimed the title of the first female four star officer in a video boasting about diversity at hhs. And he was also widely criticized for his support of so called transgender care for minors, which opponents highlight is often irreversible and damaging to children.

[Georgia Howe]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has canceled Calibri from the State Department. Yes, the default font for Microsoft Word has been replaced or rather reverted to Times New Roman for official State Department use. Biden's Office of Diversity and Inclusion recommended the switch to Calibri for, quote, accessibility in 2023. Then Secretary Antony Blinken obliged. Rubio called the Calibri switch wasteful and a degradation of the department's official correspondence. He announced the change today in a cable titled Return to Tradition. Times New Roman 14 point font required for all department paper and the Golden.

[John Bickley]

Globes completely snubbed massively popular conservative and independent podcasts in their newly created category Best Podcast. Daily Wire entertainment reporter Amanda Harding reports.

[Breca Stoll]

Instead of including some of the most listened to podcasts in the nation, the organization nominated mostly actors and comedians for the category. Nominees included Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy Good, Hang with Amy Poehler, the mel robbins podcast, NPR's up first and Smart Less, hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes. Notable snubs include the Joe Rogan Experience, widely known to be the most popular podcast in the nation, and a chart topper across Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Other huge conservative podcasts left out include the Ben Shapiro show and the Megyn Kelly show, both of which regularly top the conservative news podcast charts.

[John Bickley]

Not exactly a surprise there, but who needs an award when we have our great audience?

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah, so true.

[John Bickley]

Already feeling that Christmas cheer here. Only 15 days, but who's counting? All right, those are your drive home updates. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com and in case you missed it, earlier today we covered some major stories, including President Trump highlighting the administration's affordability efforts, a key Senate race gaining a new wrinkle in Texas, and the medical establishment erupting at a new FDA memo on vaccines. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of MORNING Wire.