Podcast Summary: Evening Wire: Jack Smith Testifies & 'Snow White' Razzed

Podcast: Morning Wire (Daily Wire)
Date: January 22, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe

Episode Overview

This episode of Evening Wire covers major domestic and cultural news: Special Counsel Jack Smith’s contentious testimony before Congress regarding his investigations into President Trump and other GOP figures; President Trump’s unveiling of the “Board of Peace” at Davos, including discussion of a vision for Gaza; new NIH policies affecting fetal tissue research; a Capitol Hill event on abortion pills; prominent arrests following unrest in St. Paul, MN; a dispute between Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and California’s Governor Gavin Newsom; legal updates involving Taylor Swift and Blake Lively; and Disney’s much-maligned "Snow White" remake earning multiple Razzie nominations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jack Smith Testifies Before Congress

[00:50 – 02:42]

• Focus: Jack Smith, former Special Counsel, is grilled by the House Judiciary Committee on his investigations of Trump and other GOP figures.

• Major points:

  • Rep. Brandon Gill presses Smith on subpoenas for Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s phone records soon after his swearing in.
    • Quote:
      • Rep. Gill: “Was Speaker McCarthy a flight risk? He was not. ...You were using clearly false information to secure nondisclosure order to hide from Speaker McCarthy and from the American people the fact that you were spying on his toll records.” [01:30]
  • Chairman Jim Jordan questions Smith’s approval of $20,000 given to a confidential FBI source — Smith asserts it wasn't a personal payment and doesn’t recall further such payments.
    • Quote:
      • Jordan: “$35 million. And you're giving money to people the country doesn't know who they are, and you're giving their hard earned money to these folks.” [01:55]

2. Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Announced at Davos

[02:43 – 03:44]

• Unveiling in Davos: Representatives from the US, Middle East, and Eastern Europe attended.
• White House speakers included: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff, all touting a peace plan for Gaza.
  • Witkoff: “We have achieved a peace deal in Gaza, we have brought the hostages home, and maybe most importantly, we have created a sense of hope for what the future can bring.” [03:12]
  • Kushner describes ending Gaza’s dependency on foreign aid by applying “free market economy principles.”
    • Quote:
      • Kushner: “85% of the GDP of Gaza has been aid for a long time. That's not sustainable. It doesn't give these people dignity... we want to use free market economy principles... to give these people the ability to thrive and have a good life.” [03:30]

3. NIH Ends Funding for Fetal Tissue from Abortions

[03:45 – 03:58]

• Policy shift: NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya announces end to funding for research involving fetal tissue from abortions.
  • Quote:
    • Bhattacharya: “Now that there's like better technology, there's no scientific harm to this... we’re still gonna be able to do the science we need while at the same time getting rid of this use of aborted human fetal tissue, which so many people, including me, find morally abhorrent.” [03:54]

4. Capitol Hill Press Conference on Chemical Abortions

[03:59 – 05:45]

• Live Action and pro-life activists highlight risks of abortion pills, citing studies: 1 in 10 women face serious complications, 1 in 25 end up in ERs.
  • Lila Rose (Live Action Founder) interview:
    • “The on demand sale of the abortion pill via our postal mail system is the biggest public health crisis that we are facing. There are thousands of women going to the emergency room... It’s our biggest public health crisis.” [04:37]
  • Rose calls for immediate FDA action to pull approval for mifepristone.

5. Arrests in St. Paul Church Protest

[06:16 – 07:34]

• Federal authorities arrest BLM activists (Nakima Levy Armstrong, Chantille Louisa Allen) and William Kelly for organizing/participating in an anti-ICE protest that stormed a church.

  • Pam Bondi (AG): “Listen loud and clear. We do not tolerate attacks on places of worship.” [06:42]

• Don Lemon named among agitators, but federal charges refused by a judge, sparking controversy.

• Vice President J.D. Vance visits Minneapolis:

  • Quote:
    • Vance: “Come out and protest. Protest me, protest our immigration policy, but do it peacefully. If you assault a law enforcement officer... we are going to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.” [07:55]
  • Stresses importance of state and local cooperation on immigration law enforcement.

6. Treasury Secretary vs. California’s Governor

[07:35 – 09:27]

• Bessant (Trump’s Treasury Secretary) proposes to limit institutional ownership of single-family homes — seeks to protect “mom-and-pop” investors.
• Governor Newsom mocks Bessant; Bessant retorts:
  • Quote:
    • Bessant: “Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris. He is too smug, too self absorbed and too economically illiterate to know anything.” [09:08]
• Newsom later denied entry at Davos US delegation HQ; White House: “No one in Davos knows who third re Governor Newscomb is...”

7. Immigration/Deportation Case Update

[09:45 – 10:47]

• Syrian-born activist Mahmoud Khalil, organizer of pro-Hamas protests, to be deported after failing to reverse green card cancellation.
  • DHS Asst. Sec. Tricia McLaughlin: “It is a privilege, not a right to be in this country, to live or to study.” [10:19]

8. Taylor Swift/Blake Lively Legal Drama

[10:48 – 11:33]

• Swift’s texts to Blake Lively released via court disclosure in Lively’s sexual harassment suit against actor Justin Baldoni.
  • Swift calls Baldoni a “B word,” hints at knowledge of NYT exposé.
    • Quote:
      • Swift: “I think this B word knows something is coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin.” [11:02]
    • Lively refers to Baldoni as her “doofus director” and “clown.”
• Impact: Could undermine Lively’s case. Baldoni’s countersuit was previously dismissed.

9. Disney’s Snow White Flops at Razzie Nominations

[11:34 – 12:58]

• “Snow White” scores six Razzie (Golden Raspberry) nominations, tying for the year’s worst.
  • Categories: Worst Picture, Remake, Supporting Actors, Screen Combo, Director, Screenplay.
• Razzie press release:
  • “A slow paced, unnecessary reimagining... drawn out musical numbers, dopey CGI dwarves and enough mediocrity to leave the audience in a very unhappy place.” [12:00]
• Star Rachel Zegler avoids a nomination for Worst Actress despite heavy criticism.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Rep. Brandon Gill confronts Jack Smith:
  • “You were using clearly false information... to hide from Speaker McCarthy and from the American people the fact that you were spying on his toll records.” [01:30]
• Lila Rose on the abortion pill crisis:
  • “There are thousands of women going to the emergency room... hundreds of thousands of children being killed... our biggest public health crisis.” [04:37]
• Treasury Secretary Bessant’s jab at Newsom:
  • “Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken... too economically illiterate to know anything.” [09:08]
• Razzie’s assessment of Snow White:
  • “Dopey CGI dwarves and enough mediocrity to leave the audience in a very unhappy place.” [12:00]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jack Smith testimony/discussion: [00:50–02:42]
• Board of Peace/Trump’s Gaza deal: [02:43–03:44]
• NIH fetal tissue funding policy change: [03:45–03:58]
• Abortion pill public health crisis: [03:59–05:45]
• St. Paul church protest/arrests: [06:16–07:34]
• VP Vance on law enforcement: [07:55]
• Bessant vs. Newsom spat: [07:35–09:27]
• Khalil deportation: [09:45–10:47]
• Swift-Lively legal text drama: [10:48–11:33]
• ‘Snow White’ Razzie nominations: [11:34–12:58]

Conclusion

This episode delivers fast-paced, right-leaning news reporting and analysis on some of the day’s most controversial headlines, including legal, political, and pop culture developments. From heated congressional hearings to viral entertainment failures, the hosts maintain a critical, sometimes caustic tone, offering memorable quotes and sharp sound bites for listeners seeking both news and a strong editorial stance.