ICE Agents Come Under Fire & Meme-Maker Walks Free | 7.11.25

Summary

Morning Wire: ICE Agents Come Under Fire & Meme-Maker Walks Free | July 11, 2025

Release Date: July 11, 2025
Hosts: Cabot Phillips & Georgia Howe
Podcast: Morning Wire by The Daily Wire

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1. Rising Violence and Rhetoric Against ICE Agents

The episode opens with Ben Shapiro addressing the increasing violent rhetoric and attacks targeting ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents. He challenges the narrative pushed by Democrats, questioning public support for stringent deportation efforts.

Ben Shapiro [00:04]: "Violent rhetoric and attacks on ICE agents are on the rise as Democrats try to paint deportation efforts as evil. But are Americans buying it?"

Michael Knowles complements by highlighting that a majority of Americans favor strong deportation measures.

Michael Knowles [00:21]: "That finds six in ten."

Cabot Phillips delves deeper into the escalating threats against ICE agents, citing a spike in violent incidents across the United States. He emphasizes the severity and planned nature of these attacks.

Cabot Phillips [02:37]: "Well, lately it's been more random and for that, more dangerous. Here's some of the attacks in the last week alone..."

He details specific incidents, including a planned ambush in Alvarado, Texas, where an ICE agent was shot, and assaults in Oregon and San Francisco targeting ICE facilities and agents.

Georgia Howe prompts further discussion on the White House's stance, leading to a critique of the administration's handling of the situation.

Cabot Phillips [03:51]: "The attack on ICE over as you've covered it many times, is up nearly 700% now."

Michael Knowles criticizes the extreme comparisons made by some Democrats, equating ICE to organizations like the Nazis.

Michael Knowles [04:07]: "We have senators, we have CongressPeople that compare ice to the Nazis..."

The hosts discuss the possible political motivations behind the increased rhetoric, suggesting that Democrats aim to provoke ICE into overreactions to erode support for President Trump's immigration policies.

Cabot Phillips [04:49]: "The idea of trying to provoke an overreaction on the part of ICE is part of the strategy."

Donald Trump is quoted responding to proposals that target ICE operational protocols, defending agents' use of masks to ensure safety and anonymity.

Donald Trump [05:34]: "But when a patriot who works for ICE or Border Patrol puts a mask on so that they won't recognize him... there's a problem with that."

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2. Legal Victory for Douglas Mackey: A Win for Free Speech

A significant portion of the episode focuses on Douglas Mackey, a Trump supporter who was prosecuted by the Biden DOJ for online meme postings. His conviction was recently overturned, marking a triumph for free speech advocates.

Amanda Prestigiacomo, a Daily Wire reporter, provides a comprehensive overview of Mackey's case:

Amanda Prestigiacomo [08:07]: "Douglas Mackey had a popular pro Trump account on Twitter... The DOJ claimed this was a mass conspiracy, voter suppression and election interference. Mackey was facing 10 years in prison... the appeals court reversed Mackey's conviction and directed a lower court to enter a judgment of acquittal."

Cabot Phillips underscores the rarity and significance of the appeals court's decision, highlighting the weakness of the government's case.

Cabot Phillips [09:02]: "It's extremely rare for a case... to be overturned on appeal."

Mackey elaborates on the political motivations behind his prosecution, citing personal targeting due to his political stance and influence.

Cabot Phillips [09:29]: "They targeted me... because I supported Trump... there was actually a Russiagate angle..."

Despite his acquittal, Mackey shares the personal toll the legal battle took on his life, including financial strains and personal hardships.

Amanda Prestigiacomo [10:22]: "Legally Fees... north of a million dollars... his wife was pregnant during the trial and had an emergency C-section."

Looking ahead, Mackey plans to file a civil lawsuit against the DOJ, with confidence in securing a favorable outcome.

Ben Shapiro highlights the broader implications of Mackey's victory for First Amendment rights.

Ben Shapiro [11:29]: "A lot of First Amendment activists viewing this ruling as a victory for free speech."

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3. The Fierce Race for AI Dominance

The podcast shifts focus to the rapidly intensifying competition in the artificial intelligence sector. Michael Knowles and Sam Altman discuss the high-stakes maneuvers by major tech companies to secure top AI talent.

Michael Knowles outlines the current leaders in AI, emphasizing the dominance of U.S. companies despite efforts from international firms and governments.

Michael Knowles [12:18]: "US Companies definitely lead the field... Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta..."

He points out that Meta has made a significant move by offering a $200 million signing bonus to poach Apple's head of AI model research, highlighting the lengths companies are willing to go to gain an edge.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, shares his company's experience with similar high-value offers aimed at his team members.

Sam Altman [13:08]: "They started making these, like, giant offers to... $100 million signing bonuses... more than that comp per year."

Georgia Howe and Michael Knowles express astonishment at the exorbitant salaries being offered, reflecting the fierce competition for AI expertise.

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4. The Emerging Threat of AI-Driven Vishing

The episode concludes with a discussion on the evolving security threats posed by AI, specifically focusing on vishing—a sophisticated form of phishing using deepfake technologies.

Michael Knowles defines vishing and elaborates on its implications, citing recent incidents where AI-generated voices were used to impersonate government officials, compromising sensitive information.

Michael Knowles [13:24]: "It's very similar to phishing, except with more virtual components, more AI, and it is a growing concern."

He provides examples, including attempts to impersonate the White House Chief of Staff and a fictional Secretary of State, demonstrating the advanced capabilities of current AI technologies in mimicking human speech patterns.

Leah Siskind, an AI research fellow, explains the technical aspects of how these deepfakes are created with minimal audio samples, making it accessible even to individuals with limited technical knowledge.

Leah Siskind [15:27]: "You don't need much technical knowledge to learn how to produce these audio fakes... they can produce a very realistic mimic of your voice."

Michael Knowles humorously acknowledges the ease of replicating voices, including his own, underscoring the pervasive nature of this threat.

Michael Knowles [15:55]: "Thanks for having me and not replacing me with my AI double who's cheaper."

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Conclusion

In this episode of Morning Wire, listeners are presented with a comprehensive analysis of pressing issues surrounding immigration enforcement, free speech jurisprudence, the competitive landscape of artificial intelligence, and emerging cybersecurity threats. Through in-depth discussions and expert insights, the hosts provide a nuanced perspective on these critical topics, reinforcing the show's commitment to delivering unfiltered and fact-based news.

Stay informed with Morning Wire for the latest developments in politics, culture, education, and more.

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Note: Advertisements and non-content segments from the transcript have been omitted to focus on the core discussions of the episode.

Transcript

[Ben Shapiro]

Violent rhetoric and attacks on ICE agents are on the rise as Democrats try to paint deportation efforts as evil. But are Americans buying it? Would you support a new government program that would deport all people living in the US Illegally? And that finds majority favor?

[Michael Knowles]

That finds six in ten.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe. John is off this week, but Cabot Phillips is here. It's Friday, July 11, and this is Morning Wire. The man prosecuted by the Biden DOJ for his text to vote for Hillary meme just had his conviction overturned. Now he's turning the tables on the people who targeted him.

[Cabot Phillips]

I think it's egregious. I think that it's weaponization and politicized justice, and I think it's misconduct.

[Ben Shapiro]

And from hiring wars to impersonations of top government officials, the race for AI dominance has reached a fever pitch.

[Sam Altman]

They started making these, like, giant offers to, you know, a lot of people on our team, you know, like $100 million signing bonuses.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Andrew Klavan]

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[Ben Shapiro]

Attack across the US as they carry out President Donald Trump's deportation agenda. The rise in violence has now sparked calls to tone down the rhetoric as political battles rage over immigration.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about threats to ICE agents as well as the latest setback to Trump's immigration agenda in the courts. Hey, Tim. So, first off, where is the danger to ICE agents coming from?

[Tim Pierce]

Well, lately it's been more random and for that, more dangerous. Here's some of the attacks in the last week alone. At an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, a group of people clad in black military style clothes used fireworks to lure out ICE officers while a gunman waited in the woods. One ICE agent was shot in the neck. He's thankfully expected to recover. Ten of those perpetrators have been charged with attempted murder.

[Georgia Howe]

It was a planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers. Make no mistake, this was not a so called peaceful protest.

[Tim Pierce]

In Oregon, three more people are facing charges after they allegedly assaulted officers at an ICE facility. In Portland, the officers were kicked, punched and attacked with an incendiary device. In McAllen, Texas, two police officers and a Border Patrol agent were hospitalized after a gunman fired dozens of rounds into a Border Patrol facility. And and also this week in San Francisco, anti ICE protesters attacked ICE agents in an apparent attempt to stop their black van from leaving an area.

[Georgia Howe]

Now what's the White House response to this, Ben?

[Tim Pierce]

Well, first, the administration has pointed out that these attacks aren't just serious, but they're becoming more common as well. Here's border czar Tom Homan on Fox News.

[Cabot Phillips]

The attack on ICE over as you've covered it many times, is up nearly 700% now. The rhetoric against the men and women of ICE is skyrocketing, especially by members of Congress.

[Michael Knowles]

We have senators, we have CongressPeople that compare ice to the Nazis, compare ice.

[Cabot Phillips]

To racism, and it just continues.

[Tim Pierce]

And as you heard from Homan, Democrats over the top rhetoric has also played a part. For example, here is L A Mayor Karen Bass comparing deportations to kidnappings.

[Michael Knowles]

People are walking down the street, a car will pull up, no license plate, men will jump out, completely mask, pull guns on whoever it is and take them away. Aside from the fact that this is unconstitutional, how do we know the difference between this and a kidnapping?

[Tim Pierce]

Some say this radical rhetoric is actually part of a larger strategy by Democrats to provoke ICE and cut down support for Trump's most popular issue. Here's Real Clear Politics, Chief Content Officer Andrew Walworth.

[Cabot Phillips]

The idea of trying to provoke an overreaction on the part of ICE is part of the strategy.

[Tim Pierce]

The attacks may be having effect because Trump's overall approval on immigration appears to be falling recently. For their part, Democrats want to ban ICE agents from wearing face coverings during operations. Here's Congressman Dan Goldman of Colorado pushing that bill last month on msnbc.

[Andrew Klavan]

We don't live in a country, an authoritarian country where we have Secret police who are masked, who are intimidating, who are scaring people. That's the stuff of authoritarian states. That is not the stuff of the. That's not how the United States operates.

[Tim Pierce]

Of course, that legislation will never get the president's signature. Here's Trump.

[Donald Trump]

It's sort of funny when people pick it in front of Columbia, in front of Harvard, and they have masks on. More than masks. I mean, you can't see anything. Nobody complains about that. But when a patriot who works for ICE or Border Patrol puts a mask on so that they won't recognize him and his family so they can lead a little bit of a normal life after having worked so hard and so dangerously, there's a problem with that.

[Georgia Howe]

Now I want to ask you about a court ruling coming out of New Hampshire this past week relating to Trump's order on birthright citizenship. So what happened?

[Tim Pierce]

Yeah, the judge granted class action status in a case that was brought by just one pregnant immigrant. So the order applies to all potential babies born in the United States, regardless of the parents legal status. Now, it's worth noting that this decision may run afoul of recent Supreme Court decision blocking nationwide injunctions in cases of birthright citizenship. That's how the administration sees it anyway. Attorney General Pam Bondi has already hit this case in particular as an attempt to run around the Supreme Court.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, very interesting if they're going to give unborn babies a right. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Tim Pierce]

Good to be on.

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[Georgia Howe]

Prosecuted by the Biden DOJ over memes he posted online had his case tossed by an appeals court, scoring a major victory for free speech.

[Ben Shapiro]

Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo. Hey, Amanda. So we've been covering this case from the very start on Morning Wire. Just remind our listeners first of who Douglas Mackey is and then tell us about his legal win.

[Amanda Prestigiacomo]

Yeah, so Douglas Mackey had a popular pro Trump account on Twitter now called x during the 2016 election. Just days after Joe Biden took office in 2021, the Biden DOJ arrested Mackey and prosecuted him over memes he posted 4 years PR prior. One of the memes in question mocked Hillary Clinton supporters and said they could text their vote and avoid the polls. Similar jokes were made online about Trump supporters. The DOJ claimed this was a mass conspiracy, voter suppression and election interference. Mackey was facing 10 years in prison. He was eventually convicted in New York City and sentenced to seven months behind bars. Now he was able to avoid jail time as he appealed the case. And On Wednesday, a three judge panel on the U.S. court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed Mackey's conviction and they directed a lower court to enter a judgment of acquittal. I was able to speak to Mackey yesterday about this big win.

[Cabot Phillips]

I didn't expect that it would be such a resounding victory. It's extremely rare for a case, number one, to be overturned on appeal. Number two, it's extremely rare for the circuit court, the appeals court, to actually overrule the jury and say, no, the, the verdict was wrong. You have to enter a judgment of acquittal. That's extremely rare and just goes to show how weak and non existent the government's case against me was.

[Amanda Prestigiacomo]

All three of the judges sided with Mackey and one of the judges, by the way, was appointed by Joe Biden. And though a conviction at one time was secured, the case has largely been viewed as politically motivated. I asked Mackey why he thought the Biden DOJ went after him specifically.

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, they targeted me, number one, because I supported Trump. But number two, because you know, I had a lot of influence at the time. And number three, they actually, Senator Klobuchar actually blew this meme up, put it on the Senate floor and said, well, Russia must have done this. Russia, you know, Russia did this. So there was actually a Russiagate angle where they thought that if they arrested me and some other people for posting these memes that they would somehow uncover some kind of Russian conspiracy theory which ultimately only existed in their minds.

[Amanda Prestigiacomo]

Though Mackey was ultimately acquitted, this legal saga was more than four years of his life, and it really took a toll on him and his family and his friends. He told me. For example, Mackey said his wife was pregnant during the trial and she actually had an emergency C section while he was being sentenced in New York City. Financially, Mackey said his legal fees totaled north of a million dollars. Now, moving forward, Mackey plans to file a civil lawsuit against the doj. He shared some details with us about that coming lawsuit.

[Cabot Phillips]

As the circuit court ruled this case was brought without sufficient evidence. They didn't have any evidence of an actual conspiracy. And that's just the first problem with the case. There are multiple. Based on that, we have to assume that they brought this case for political reasons, because why else would you bring this case? I think that it's weapon hate shit and politicize justice, and I think it's misconduct. So, look, the damages are a lot. I mean, if we're talking about just purely legal Fees, we're talking 1 million to $1.5 million that I had to raise, and a lot of, you know, I spent a lot of my own money.

[Amanda Prestigiacomo]

I'll note that President Trump has personally talked about this case as an example of political persecution. And a White House policy advisor also cited Mackey's case when he was discussing Trump's executive order and to end the weaponization of the federal government. Mackey's team is confident that they'll be able to obtain a favorable outcome with this coming lawsuit.

[Ben Shapiro]

Yeah, and a lot of First Amendment activists viewing this ruling as a victory for free speech. Amanda, thanks so much for reporting.

[Amanda Prestigiacomo]

You're welcome.

[Ben Shapiro]

The race to develop advanced artificial intelligence is heating up, and some tech giants are sparing no expense. Earlier this week, Meta paid $200 million to poach one of Apple's leading AI developers for its new superintelligence lab.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire. Researcher Michael Whitaker is here with the latest on the race for AI dominance. So, Michael, who are the leaders in the AI space right now?

[Michael Knowles]

Well, right now, despite some effort from foreign companies and foreign governments, US Companies definitely lead the field. There are some prominent newcomers like OpenAI and Anthropic. But many of the established firms also have a very strong presence in this field. Everybody who is anybody wants to have a piece of the AI piece of. We're talking Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta. The list goes on. Apple generally has underperformed many of its peer competitors in this sector. That being said, they do have a lot of expertise building smartphones and personal computers. They've spent much of their research efforts attempting to develop smaller AI models that can be integrated into their own hardware. So an AI tool could be on the phone or on the computer, as opposed to being reliant upon an outside server connection. That little widget appears to have caught Mark Zuckerberg's attention. The Meta CEO reached out to some of Apple's top talent in an attempt to poach them for his own AI research lab. Ruming Pong, the head of Apple's AI model research, has been poached for a cool $200 million to go work at Meta. Sam Altman of OpenAI says his employees have received similar offers.

[Sam Altman]

They started making these, like, giant offers to, you know, a lot of people on our team. You know, like $100 million signing bonuses, more than that comp per year.

[Michael Knowles]

That's crazy.

[Sam Altman]

And I'm actually. It is crazy. I'm really happy that at least so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up that.

[Georgia Howe]

So 200 million for one employee is pretty astounding.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, another headline relating to AI, just from this past week, relates to deepfakes and vishing. So what is vishing?

[Michael Knowles]

It's very similar to phishing, except with more virtual components, more AI, and it is a growing concern. We've all gotten robocalls or text messages asking for our driver's license or our Social Security number. Hopefully we have the sense not to answer those. No judgment. But a growing number of these efforts are using deepfake voices to not only get personal information from individuals, but to compromise security at the highest levels of government. Earlier this year in May, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had her contact list compromised. Somebody had the bright idea to use a deepfake AI to impersonate her and reach out to congressmen, senators, senior business figures in an attempt to glean whatever information they could from those channels. The FBI put out a warning that month letting people know that if you are contacted by a senior official, you should not automatically assume that is an authentic message. There was a similar case in the State Department where Secretary of Everything, officially Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was impersonated in a similar manner. The fakers were able to reach out to at least five people through signal and other channels using text messages and voice messages that remarkably resembled what Rubio may have said based on his speech patterns, his voice, his cadence, even the word choice he might use. This is pretty sophisticated. The trouble is, voice cloning isn't difficult, so there are no obvious suspects. At this point, almost anyone can do it. Roll the tape. Several companies offer free or cheap software that can convincingly replicate a person's voice and cadence with as little as 30 seconds of sample audio. Anyone who has ever spoken in public or answered the wrong phone call could easily be spoofed. Most of this answer was delivered by an AI, although to be fair, Michael already talks like a large language model, so he's pretty easy to copy. That was hurtful and unnecessary. Leah Siskind, an AI research fellow at the foundation for Defense of Democracy, has a more comprehensive and less hurtful explanation.

[Georgia Howe]

You don't need much technical knowledge to learn how to produce these audio fakes. And what they'll do is they use AI to look for patterns in your accent, your tone, your pitch, your breathing patterns, all within that 30 second audio clip. And from that they'll be able to produce a very realistic mimic of your voice. Well, very unnerving, especially for people who speak on podcasts for a living. Michael, thanks for reporting.

[Michael Knowles]

Thanks for having me and not replacing me with my AI double who's Cheaper.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, please like and subscribe. We'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know Foreign.

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