John Bickley (2:12)

Food supply is not a silver bullet that's suddenly going to make our children healthier, but it is one important step and it is one set of chemicals that just doesn't make sense.

Georgia Howe (2:23)

The FDA also approved beetroot red as a new food color and expanded the approved use of spirulina extract. Officials say these steps will encourage safer alternatives and improve the overall health of the US Food supply while still holding manufacturers responsible for color, safety and purity.

John Bickley (2:41)

A former police chief says Donald Trump thanked him for investigating Jeffrey Epstein back in the mid-2000s. Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham has the details.

Guest/Interviewee (2:50)

The former chief, Michael Ryder, says he received a call from Trump in 2006 in which the now president stated, quote, thank goodness you're stopping him. Everyone has known he's been doing this. The information comes from A now public 2019 FBI document when Reiter was interviewed regarding his role in the earlier Epstein investigation. The document goes on to state that, quote, trump told Ryder people in New York knew Epstein was disgusting. Trump reportedly went on to say of Ghislaine Maxwell that she is evil and to focus on her. Ryder, who was a central figure in the investigation of Epstein in the mid-2000s, went public in 2006 over his displeasure with the prosecutor's decision not to charge Epstein directly.

Georgia Howe (3:31)

At the time, King Charles said he will support the British police in investigating his brother Prince Andrew on new charges. The latest tranche of documents appears to indicate that Andrew may have shared confidential material with Epstein during his tenure as the UK Trade envoy. Andrew is just the latest British elite to face scrutiny from the documents. Former ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords last week after files showed he leaked market sensitive information to Epstein in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

John Bickley (4:02)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to cool tensions after President Trump threatened to block the opening of a new international bridge between Canada and the U.S. daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the details. The newly finished Gordie Howe Bridge links Michigan and Ontario, but Trump, via a Truth Social post on Monday, called for Canada to grant the US a 50% ownership stake or he, quote, will not allow this bridge to open. Trump tied the bridge to broader grievances, including Canadian trade policies with China, limits on US Dairy imports and Ontario's ban on American alcohol sales in government liquor stores. Carney said he spoke to Trump on Tuesday after seeing the Post telling reporters this. We discussed the bridge.

Reporter/Correspondent (4:40)

I explained that Canada, of course, paid.

John Bickley (4:43)

For the construction of the bridge over $4 billion. Carney also said that Michigan already holds an ownership interest in the Gordie Howe bridge and that U.S. steel and labor were used in its construction. The $4.6 billion project, started in 2018, is slated to open this year to ease congestion at the busiest land crossing in North America.

Georgia Howe (5:03)

The Internet remains divided on Bad Bunny's halftime performance. Daily Wire assistant editor Andy Valdez has the latest.

Guest/Interviewee (5:10)

While the legacy media largely praised it as a celebration of Puerto Rican and Latin culture, President Trump blasted it on Truth Social, calling it, quote, one of the worst ever, adding quote, nobody understands a word this guy is saying. Bad Bunny's selection for the show has been a point of contention for several months, particularly after Bad Bunny's comments denouncing ICE at the Grammys. Scrutiny intensified Monday when an English translation of the lyrics circulated online, revealing extremely lewd sexual content. Congressman Randy Fine of Florida posted on X that he intends to contact the FCC about the violation, saying the, quote, broadcast would have been pulled down and the fines would have been enormous had the lyrics been performed in English.

Reporter/Correspondent (5:53)

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John Bickley (6:51)

The Super bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are in for a hefty California tax bill following their win on Sunday, but it might be even worse for the New England Patriots. Daily Wire assistant editor Nathan Gay has more. Each Seahawks player will receive a bonus of $178,000 as negotiated by the NFL Players association, while Patriots players will receive $108,000. Both Super bowl teams are subject to California's notorious JOC tax imposed on out of state professional athletes, which will tax both respective teams on income from the eight duty days spent practicing and playing in the Golden State. Stanford University finance professor and Hoover Institution fellow Joshua Raw commented on the numbers, sarcastically complimenting California's tax system for ensuring the, quote, incentive to win is maintained by taxing the super bowl loser more than the winner. He said, quote, if his team wins, Darnold will receive $178,000 and pay $249,000 to California in taxes for his time here, losing $71,000. If his team loses, he gets $103,000 and still pays over $235,000 in taxes, losing $135,000.

Georgia Howe (7:59)

Doorbell camera ring is facing unexpected backlash over their lost dog super bowl commercial, which sparked fears about mass surveillance. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Harding has more.

Guest/Interviewee (8:10)

A Super bowl ad from Ring doorbell cameras, meant as a warm hearted innovation for locating lost pets, has sparked online backlash over fears of dystopian surveillance. The ad highlighted a new feature from Ring, a subsidiary of Amazon which utilizes the network of cameras in a community to theoretically help locate lost dogs. Ring highlighted that since introducing the feature, an average of one dog per day has been found. Social media users, however, quickly noted the possible downside of all doorbell cameras being used for surveillance. Many called the technology creepy and one noted quote, this is a huge problem disguised as a solution. While the idea of locating a lost family pet may be appealing, the response from the public highlights an ever growing anxiety among Americans that the prospect of a world where anyone in any place at any time could be caught on camera.

John Bickley (9:02)

A federal judge is poised to decide whether President Trump can move forward with his $400 million White House ballroom, which was funded entirely by private donations. Daily Wire reporter Brecke Stoll has more.

Guest/Interviewee (9:13)

Judge Richard Leon, presiding over the lawsuit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has questioned the Trump administration's reliance on corporate and individual donors, many which have business ties to the federal government such as Amazon, Google and Palantir. Watchdog groups argue the fundraising exploits disclosure loopholes and raises corruption concerns. But the administration insists the funding method is legal, authorized by Congress, and even spares taxpayers the cost. Leon has signaled that we could see a ruling as soon as this month.

Georgia Howe (9:45)

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared embarrassed in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. Lutnick was asked about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after Justice Department files revealed the two were in contact in 2012, years after Epstein's conviction on a child sex charge. Here's the Commerce secretary being grilled by Democratic Senator Chris Van Holland.

John Bickley (10:05)

I think you understand the root of concern here.

Reporter/Correspondent (10:07)

It's the way you described very emphatically.

John Bickley (10:12)

Your first encounter with him in his.

Reporter/Correspondent (10:15)

Apartment said you were disgusted, would never have any contact with him again. Did you in fact make the visit to Jeffrey Epstein's private island? I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with. They were there as well with their children. And we had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour. And we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together. We were on family vacation. We were not apart to suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012. I don't recall why we did it.

John Bickley (11:02)

War Secretary Pete Hegseth says his department shares the blame for big delays in the defense industry. Hegseth told reporters Monday that the War Department has been a bad customer when it comes to clarity about what the department wants.

Reporter/Correspondent (11:15)

The way we do business, we've been impossible to deal with. A bad customer who does year after year changes our mind about what we want or what we don't want. And then we make little small technological.

John Bickley (11:25)

Changes, which makes it more difficult for.

Reporter/Correspondent (11:28)

Them them to produce what they need.

John Bickley (11:29)

To produce on time. So we have to fix our own house first, provide clarity, simplify the system.

Reporter/Correspondent (11:35)

Allow more people to access it, give that steady demand signal.

John Bickley (11:39)

The Trump administration has been increasingly critical of defense companies in recent weeks. The president signed an executive order last month pushing major manufacturers to reduce stock buybacks and dividend payments and invest more in domestic facilities. All right, those are your drive home updates. To learn more about these stories, go to daily wire.com and in case you missed it, earlier today we covered some major stories, including the latest on the Epstein files, JD Vance making Armenian history with a high profile visit and the Chinese government sentencing a prominent pro democracy voice to prison. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morningwire.