Evening Wire: Senate Mulls DHS Nominee & Tesla’s Michigan Plant | 3.18.26

Summary

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Evening Wire: Senate Mulls DHS Nominee & Tesla’s Michigan Plant | 3.18.26

Podcast: Morning Wire | Hosts: Georgia Howe & John Bickley
Air Date: March 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Evening Wire covers a packed day in U.S. political and business news. Main themes include the contentious Senate confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, ongoing political maneuvering over DHS funding and shutdowns, fresh economic uncertainty with the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, major developments in the EV and AI industries, and updates in American politics, abortion legislation, and March Madness. Notably, the episode maintains a brisk, straight-news tone with pointed commentary and relevant quotes from key players.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DHS Nominee Wayne Mullen Faces the Senate

• Fiery Senate Hearing:
  • Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullen, Trump’s pick for DHS Secretary, faced a heated confirmation hearing.
  • He was grilled by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) about prior incendiary comments, including calling Paul "a freaking snake" and referencing a well-known assault incident involving Paul and his neighbor.
    • Mullen’s response:
      "Everybody in this room knows that. I'm very blunt and direct to the point... Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us." (Wayne Mullen, 01:12)
  • Mullen walked back past statements labeling Alex Preddy (shot by a Border Patrol agent) as a "deranged individual":
    • "I went out there too fast. I was responding immediately without the facts. That's my fault. That won't happen." (Wayne Mullen, 01:41)
• Questions on Department Purpose:
  • Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) pushed for clarity on the DHS mission and the impact of its shutdown.
    • "It's the worst time and it's devastating to the morale of the men and women... They had that mission mindset, but they don't have the pay to follow it up." (Wayne Mullen, 02:07)

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2. National Intelligence and the Middle East Crisis

• Tulsi Gabbard Testifies:

  • Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard addressed Iran’s operational status post-recent attacks:
    • "The IC assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities. Iran's strategic position has been significantly degraded." (Tulsi Gabbard, 02:32)
  • Pressed by Democratic senators about potential retaliation from Iran, Gabbard refused specifics, maintaining a focus on “objective intelligence available.”

• Escalation in the Gulf:

  • Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field in an attempt to cut off funding to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
    • Iran vows retaliation “in new ways,” further inflaming tensions in the region.
    • (Report, 03:11)

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3. Economic Updates: Fed Holds Rates & Fears of Stagflation

• Federal Reserve Decision:
  • Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, citing uncertainties from the Iran conflict and oil price spikes.
    • "Surging energy costs, sluggish growth and recent jobs reports are raising concerns about stagflation. So for now, the Fed is waiting and watching." (Cabot Phillips, 03:44)
  • Division within the Fed over future rate cuts; some officials signaling no cuts this year.

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4. Political Maneuvering on DHS Shutdown

• Legislative Proposals:

  • The White House submitted a funding proposal to reopen DHS, offering concessions on body cams, immigration enforcement near sensitive areas, and officer identification.
    • "The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for just over a month after Democrats objected to aspects of President Trump's immigration agenda." (Tim Pierce, 04:15)
  • Partisan delay in negotiations—Democrats took 18 days to counter the last White House draft.

• Trump’s Diplomatic Pivot:

  • President Trump hinted at a change in U.S. strategy in the Strait of Hormuz, urging allied nations to take responsibility for security:
    • "We should let the countries that use the Strait... actually be responsible for it. That would get some of our non responsive allies in gear and fast." (Truth Social post referenced, 04:47)

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5. Social Policy & Abortion Pill Legislation

• New Congressional Bill:
  • Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) introduced the Clean Water for All Life Act, targeting abortion pill use and disposal practices:
    • Bans abortion pills without an in-person provider
    • Prohibits disposal of fetal remains via public water systems
    • Quote: "The murder for profit abortion industry has completely ignored the dangerous and unethical disposal of preborn baby remains and toxic chemical waste produced by abortion pills." (Mary Miller, 05:30)

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6. 2026 Maine Senate Race Intensifies

• Governor Mills Attacks Populist Rival:
  • Janet Mills, Democratic governor, targets primary opponent Graham Platner over controversial comments on sexual assault:
    • Platner once wrote women need to "not get so f ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to." (Ad cited by Georgia Howe and reporter, 07:44)
    • Platner’s campaign dismisses the attack as "a desperate attempt for relevance from the governor who is trailing an oyster farmer."
    • National Republicans confidently predict incumbent Susan Collins will win regardless (Cameron Arkand segment, 07:21-08:26)

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7. Tesla & LG Open Battery Plant in Michigan

• Business & Technology:
  • Tesla partners with LG to convert a former GM battery plant in Lansing, MI, for lithium iron phosphate batteries—primarily for home energy storage.
  • GM and Ford both scaling back EV production in favor of stationary storage solutions.
    • "The new Michigan plant will produce lithium iron phosphate batteries, which have previously only been available on a large scale from foreign producers." (08:26)

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8. Nvidia Sells Advanced AI Chips to China

• AI Geopolitics:
  • Nvidia secures US clearance to export H200 processors to China, agreeing to sacrifice a quarter of US profits in the deal.
    • National security concerns linger about China access to cutting-edge American chips. (Cabot Phillips, 09:12)

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9. Amazon Scaling Back with USPS

• Amazon-Post Office Shake-up:
  • Amazon plans to reduce USPS shipments by two-thirds after contract talks break down.
  • USPS set to lose its largest customer, risking even greater fiscal losses. (Madeline Fry Schultz, 09:50)

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10. March Madness Tournament Preview

• Sports Highlight:
  • The NCAA men’s basketball tournament tips off tomorrow, with Duke the overwhelming favorite.
    • "A true blue blood... the Duke Blue Devils. They are the tournament's number one overall seed after only losing two games this season." (Lyndon Blake, 10:36)
  • Friendly reminder: brackets lock at 12:15pm Eastern.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Wayne Mullen on Senate Sparring:
  "Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us." — Wayne Mullen, 01:12

• Tulsi Gabbard on Iran:
  "Iran's strategic position has been significantly degraded." — Tulsi Gabbard, 02:32

• Fed’s Powell on Economic Uncertainty:
  "Surging energy costs, sluggish growth and recent jobs reports are raising concerns about stagflation. So for now, the Fed is waiting and watching." — Cabot Phillips, 03:44

• Mary Miller on Abortion Policy:
  "The murder for profit abortion industry has completely ignored the dangerous and unethical disposal of preborn baby remains and toxic chemical waste produced by abortion pills." — Mary Miller, 05:30

• Graham Platner’s Controversial Comment:
  "Women worried about rape need to, quote, not get so f ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to." — As highlighted in campaign attack ad, 07:44

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Important Timestamps

• DHS Hearing & Mullen’s Remarks: 00:52-02:22
• Intelligence & Iran Updates: 02:22-03:34
• Federal Reserve Decision: 03:34-04:08
• DHS Shutdown & Political Maneuvering: 04:08-05:21
• Abortion Pill Legislation: 05:21-06:09
• Maine Senate Race: 07:21-08:26
• Tesla & Michigan Plant: 08:26-09:02
• Nvidia & China Chips: 09:02-09:50
• Amazon & USPS: 09:50-10:27
• March Madness Preview: 10:27-11:10

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Summary

This episode provides a rapid-fire, well-sourced overview of key U.S. political, economic, and business developments as well as notable culture and sports updates. The tone is newsy, with a focus on conservative perspectives and skepticism toward political and institutional “virtue signaling.” For listeners looking to catch up on top stories, the episode offers a succinct yet comprehensive roundup of events shaping the national conversation as of March 18, 2026.

Transcript

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[Georgia Howe]

Wayne Mullen fields fiery questions at his DHS confirmation hearing. The Fed holds firm on the interest rate and Tesla teams up with LG to open a new battery plant in Michigan. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Wednesday, March 18th, and this is Evening Wire.

[Narrator/Reporter]

President Trump's nominee to replace Kristi Noem as Secretary of DHS fielded questions from the Senate today. Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen first caught fire from Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who chairs the Committee on Homeland Security. You told the media that I was a freaking snake and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted.

[Wayne Mullen]

Everybody in this room knows that. I'm very blunt and direct to the point. I simply address that. I said I could understand because of the behavior you were having. I could understand why your neighbor by the neighbor did what he did. As far as my terms as a snake in the grass, sir, I work around this room to try to fix problems. Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Mullen also walked back comments calling Alex Preddy, who was shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minnesota, a quote, deranged individual.

[Wayne Mullen]

I went out there too fast. I was responding immediately without the facts. That's my fault. That won't happen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

As secretary and Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri asked Mullen to frame the department's purpose and the effect of the current shutdown.

[News Reporter]

Ten days ago there was a shooting

[Cabot Phillips]

at Old Dominion University that left one person dead, two people critically injured. The gunman had potential terrorist ties. Is this a good time for the Department of Homeland Security to be shut down and unfunded?

[Wayne Mullen]

It's the worst time and, and it's, it's devastating to the morale of the men and women. We have tasked to keep care, take care of all of us. And they had that mission mindset, but they don't have the pay to follow it up.

[Georgia Howe]

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also testified before the Senate today, with questions mostly focused on the Iran operation. Here's Gabbard on the damage assessment thus far.

[Mark]

The IC assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities. Iran's strategic position has been significantly degraded.

[Georgia Howe]

Democrat senators pressed Gabbard on whether the intelligence community warned that Iran could retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz and attacking regional allies. Gabbard declined to discuss internal briefings, saying only that officials continue to provide the best objective intelligence available.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Israel struck Iran's South Pars gas field overnight, leading oil prices to jump on Wednesday. Daily Wire foreign affairs reporter Kassia Kiva has more.

[Mark]

The South Pars gas field is the world's largest facility of its kind and a key resource that Iran shares with Qatar. People familiar with the matter said Israel aimed to disrupt a major source of funding for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Qatar's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, and Iran's military Joint Command responded with vows to escalate the war in, quote, new ways.

[Georgia Howe]

The Federal Reserve is once again hitting the brakes on interest rates, holding them steady at around 3.5 to 3.75%. Wired in live host Cabot Phillips has more.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell announced the decision earlier this afternoon, citing the unpredictable economic impacts of the Iran conflict and rising oil prices. While some policymakers still expect a rate cut later this year, divisions are growing, with several officials now signaling no cuts at all. Surging energy costs, sluggish growth and recent jobs reports are raising concerns about stagflation. So for now, the Fed is waiting and watching.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The White House sent a proposal Tuesday afternoon to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. Daily Wire contributor Tim Pierce has the latest.

[Tim Pierce]

The draft funding bill was sent to the U.S. senate less than a day after Senate Democrats released their own proposal, which took 18 days to draw up after the last White House draft. In a letter to senators, the White House offered concessions on body cameras, immigration enforcement at certain sensitive areas, and identification for officers not in undercover roles, among other issues. A White House official described the counter proposal as reasonable and serious. The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for just over a month after Democrats objected to aspects of President Trump's immigration agenda.

[Georgia Howe]

As American allies continue to rebuff President Trump's call to arms in the Strait of Hormuz, the president teased a tactical shift. In a post on Truth Social this morning, the president said that we should let the countries that use the Strait, unlike the US Actually be responsible for it. The president added, quote, that would get some of our non responsive allies in gear and fast. The President's comments highlight a glaring disparity. While the US Navy has historically secured the waterway, the primary beneficiaries are Asian and European powers, including China, India, Japan and South Korea.

[Narrator/Reporter]

A new bill from Congresswoman Mary Miller takes aim at reckless and inhumane practices of the abortion industry. Daily Wire Homepage editor Jordan Schroeder has more.

[Jordan Schroeder]

Miller's bill, the Clean Water for All Life act, would ban taking an abortion pill without the physical presence of a health care provider. The legislation would also prevent the remains of unborn children being flushed into the public water system. According to Miller, the aftermath of home abortions could harm the American public. The proposal comes as use of the abortion drug mifepristone has soared to become the most common means to kill an unborn child, the Illinois Republican told the Daily Wire. Quote, the murder for profit abortion industry has completely ignored the dangerous and unethical disposal of preborn baby remains and toxic chemical waste produced by abortion pills.

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[Georgia Howe]

The race to be Maine's next senator is heating up with a fresh attack ad making the rounds online. Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arkand has more.

[Cameron Arkand]

Maine Democratic governor Janet Mills is targeting her populist primary opponent for the U.S. senate with a new ad highlighting past comments about women and sexual assault.

[Georgia Howe]

Did you know, Graham Platner wrote, that women worried about rape need to, quote,

[News Reporter]

not get so f ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to?

[Cameron Arkand]

Platner's campaign dismissed the ad, with his campaign manager releasing a statement to the Mid coast villagers saying that it is a, quote, desperate attempt for relevance from the governor who is trailing an oyster farmer in every recent poll. Platner, who is backed by Senator Bernie Sanders, has remained competitive in the primary despite the controversy, while Mills has the support of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Samantha Cantrell told the Daily Wire, quote, it doesn't matter how The Chuck Schumer vs Bernie Sanders proxy war ends because both of these candidates will lose to Susan Collins.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Tesla is partnering with LG for a new battery plant in Michigan. The facility in Lansing, Michigan, once meant to produce batteries for General Motors, will now help to bolster Tesla's energy storage supply chain. GM sold its stake in the venture back to LG last year as the automaker has pulled back on electric car production. Ford Motor company Likewise has decreased their EV ambitions, retrofitting a battery plant in Kentucky to switch from auto batteries to stationary ones for homes and businesses. The new Michigan plant will produce lithium iron phosphate batteries, which have previously only been available on a large scale from foreign producers.

[Georgia Howe]

Advanced AI chip maker Nvidia has restarted production on one of its most advanced processors to sell in China. Daily Wire senior editor Joel Niedler has more.

[Cabot Phillips]

CEO Jensen Huang said on Tuesday that with approval from the United States, Nvidia would sell the H200 processors in China. The H200 chip is just one generation behind Nvidia's most advanced processors. The chipmaker won US approval for the venture with an agreement to pay a quarter of its profits to the federal government. The agreement comes after lengthy negotiations between Nvidia executives and the Trump administration over the extent to which the world's premier AI chipmaker should do business in China. National security experts are concerned that allowing Beijing access to advanced chips could harm the United States technological edge over its geopolitical opponent.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Amazon is planning to dramatically reduce its business with the US Post Office. Daily Wire lifestyle editor Madeline Fry Schultz has more.

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Amazon is currently the USPS largest customer, sending more than a billion packages a year, amounting to 15% of all post office package deliveries. Amazon's contract with USPS expires in October, and the tech giant plans to scale back its usage by at least two thirds before then. An Amazon spokesperson states that it had been negotiating with the post office for over a year and has been unable to reach an agreement. The USPS is already on track to lose money this year and will soon have lost its biggest buyer.

[Georgia Howe]

And March Madness begins tomorrow. Daily Wire reporter Lyndon Blake is here to get us up to speed on the tournament.

[Lyndon Blake]

Thursday's tip off marks one of the most exciting days on the sports calendar. You have six 64 teams in a single elimination basketball tournament vying for the ultimate prize, a national championship. A true blue blood, meaning NCAA basketball royalty, is the favorite to win this year's title. I'm talking about the Duke Blue Devils. They are the tournament's number one overall seed after only losing two games this season. The first games tip off at 12:15 Eastern, so if you're filling out a bracket, which is some of the people's favorite part of the whole tournament, you have less than 24 hours to get it done.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Good luck. 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 big stories, including the growing rift between Trump and NATO, the fallout from the Homeland Security shutdown, and the battle over the Operation Epic Fury narrative here at home. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Horny Wire.

[News Reporter]

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