Iran’s Final Hours? & Orion Heads Home | 4.7.26

Summary

Morning Wire – April 7, 2026

Episode Title: Iran’s Final Hours? & Orion Heads Home

Hosts: Georgia Howe, John Bickley
Main Topics: U.S.–Iran crisis and Trump’s ultimatum, historic Artemis II mission, Hollywood industry decline & union conflicts

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Episode Overview

This episode of Morning Wire covers three major stories:

1. Escalating U.S.–Iran tensions with a looming 8pm ultimatum from President Trump regarding Iran's ceasefire compliance and possible military action.
2. NASA’s Artemis II mission, as the Orion spacecraft sets a new record for the farthest human travel from Earth and heads home.
3. Hollywood’s continued decline, focusing on union-related challenges to Daily Wire’s latest film featuring Jonathan Majors.

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1. U.S.–Iran Conflict: Trump’s Deadline and Diplomatic Standoff

[Starts at 02:57]

Key Discussion Points

• Trump’s Ultimatum:
  The President has set an 8pm Eastern deadline for Iran to accept a U.S. ceasefire proposal or face threats of significant military action targeting Iranian infrastructure.

  • Quote (Donald Trump):
    “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.” (03:59)

• Competing Proposals:

  • U.S. proposal: 45-day ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz immediately.
  • Iran’s proposal: A permanent end to hostilities, with guarantees against future attack.

• Diplomatic Mediation:
  Ongoing international mediation efforts involve Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey, but the parties remain publicly far apart.

• Israeli Involvement:
  Israeli forces continue ramping up pressure on Iran, with targeted kills on key Iranian military figures.

  • Details (Tim Rice):
    “Yesterday, the Israeli military announced that it killed Askar Bakari, the leader of an underground unit within Iran's Revolutionary Guards.” (04:04)

• Press Conference Highlights:

  • Trump expresses willingness to grant extensions, referencing the latest grace period post-Easter.
  • Quote (Donald Trump):
    “They asked for an extension of seven days… I said, Steve, give them 10 days. 10 days is up actually today. So I gave them 11, I guess indirectly... They have till tomorrow.” (04:58)

• Upcoming Hours Critical:
  The next 12–24 hours are positioned as decisive for war or peace. (05:19)

• Dramatic Rescue Mission Recap:

  • Downed U.S. airman evades IRGC capture despite severe injury, using training and technology.
  • Massive rescue effort: 155 aircraft, deception tactics by U.S. intelligence.
  • Quote (Tim Rice):
    “...he evacuated the area and evaded capture. As we reported yesterday, the IRGC was tracking him and they even put a bounty on him…this guy scaled cliff faces, climbed like 7,000ft. He treated his own wounds and he used a specialized emergency drive to transmit his location...” (05:36)
  • Data leak controversy: Trump vows to jail media/company if leaker's identity isn’t revealed.
  • Quote (Donald Trump):
    “Give it up or go to jail.” (06:59)

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2. Record-Setting Artemis II Mission & Orion’s Journey Home

[Starts at 08:26]

Key Discussion Points

• Distance Record Broken:

  • The Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crew sets a new record: 252,600 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13’s mark by 4,102 miles.

    • Quote (Lyndon Blake):
      “The new record was broken by 4,102 miles. So now the furthest a human has been from Earth is 252,600,752 miles.” (08:55)

    • Quote (Mike Massimino, former NASA astronaut):
      “For the last 50 years, we’ve been in orbit, but less than 1/10 of 1% the distance that these folks are going to be.” (09:28)

• Far Side of the Moon:

  • Crew spent hours observing and photographing the Moon’s far side; lost contact with Earth for about 40 minutes due to lunar positioning—an anticipated but tense situation.
    • Quote (Lyndon Blake):
      “They weren’t able to communicate with earth for about 40 minutes because they were on that far side of the Moon…you’re out there for about an hour with no contact, just out there in space.” (09:58)

• Naming Lunar Craters:

  • The astronauts named a crater “Integrity”, and another “Carol” in memory of Commander Reed Wiseman’s late wife.
    • Quote (Astronaut Jeremy Hansen):
      “It’s a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carol… C-A-R-O-L.” (11:00)

• What’s Next – Re-entry:

  • Next up: re-entry, the most dangerous phase. After days of rest and preparations, the capsule will endure extreme heat and friction during atmospheric entry, before a planned splashdown near San Diego.
    • Quote (Lyndon Blake):
      “The astronauts will feel that pressure and friction when they’re entering the Earth’s atmosphere…it can get up to 17,000 miles an hour. Then they will parachute down…splashdown right outside of San Diego on Friday evening.” (11:31)

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3. Hollywood’s Decline & Daily Wire Film’s Union Battle

[Starts at 13:11]

Key Discussion Points

• Why Hollywood is Struggling:

  • Prolonged strike activity, COVID-driven mandates, ideological purges (“the era of woke”), and a shift to streaming have damaged Hollywood’s viability and theatrical releases.
  • Quote (Dallas Saunier):
    “They pushed all conservatives out over the past 10 years during the era of woke. And now they’ve been striking for the last several years…It really has become a real problem.” (13:54)

• Independent Filmmaking Challenges:

  • Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend produced a non-union film in South Carolina, facing intense union pressure.
  • Crew staunchly resisted “flipping” to union status, resulting in union representatives flying in from across the country.
  • Quote (Dallas Saunier):
    “Normally, a producer would get a call from a union representative saying, we demand that you flip into the union for membership… I told them to buzz off. And it sent the union into an absolute panic.” (14:48)

• Jonathan Majors’ Comeback:

  • Actor’s return after Hollywood blacklisting; praised for talent and preparation.
  • Quote (Dallas Saunier):
    “He hasn’t been on a set in four years since Hollywood canceled him… He’s the most prepared actor I’ve ever worked with. And it was a blast.” (16:16)
  • Saunier: Hollywood’s “cancel culture” means better actors become available for alternative productions.

• Press Coverage & On-Set Incident:

  • Media focused on a minor on-set mishap involving Majors, attempting to turn it into a safety controversy.
  • Quote (Dallas Saunier):
    “The hypocrisy is endless with these losers. But we made a great movie…Did we do it on our own terms? Yes. Are we proud of the movie? It’s gonna be amazing.” (17:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump on Iran Negotiations:
  “They're very good bull artists. That's why for 47 years they've been bull other presidents and they haven't done the job.” (00:44)

• On the Rescue Mission:
  “The rescue mission, as Trump detailed, was truly, quote, massive. It involved 155 aircraft…” (05:36)

• Astronaut Narration:
  “We challenge this generation and the next to make sure this [distance] record is not long lived.” (01:12)

• Astronauts Naming Lunar Craters:
  “And we would like to call it Carol. And you spell that C-A-R-O-L.” (11:00)

• Dallas Saunier on Hollywood:
  “Hollywood should just keep canceling people because it gives Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend a chance to work with better actors.” (16:16)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening & Episode Preview: 00:35 – 01:37
• Iran Conflict Update & Trump's Deadline: 02:57 – 07:17
• Artemis II Mission & Space Milestone: 08:26 – 12:40
• Hollywood’s Decline & Daily Wire Film: 13:11 – 17:46

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Tone & Language

• Straightforward, urgent, and slightly combative—especially on political/cultural topics.
• Celebratory and awe-struck during the Artemis II space coverage.
• Defiant and proud in the independent filmmaking segment, with a focus on resisting establishment pressures.

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Final Thoughts

This episode presents a high-stakes blend of global conflict updates, technological achievement, and cultural-political commentary that is both informative and pointed. For listeners seeking a quick but in-depth rundown of these major national and world stories—without the mainstream “virtue signaling” or muddled outrage—the Morning Wire offers a brisk, facts-driven approach, with plenty of direct quotes from the newsmakers themselves.

Transcript

[Alliance Defending Freedom Representative]

If you're listening to the Daily Wire, you know how important the fight for fundamental freedoms is. We're Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal ministry advancing free speech, religious freedom, the sanctity of life and parental rights. We've helped secure major victories, including at the Supreme Court, and we're actively defending issues like women's sports and free expression. We rely on your support to keep going. Right now, every dollar you give will be matched. Go to joinadf.com wire or text wire to 83848 to double your impact. Today,

[Georgia Howe]

Iran rejects the latest ceasefire proposal from the US and puts forward their own while Trump's 8pm deadline ticks closer.

[Donald Trump]

They're very good bull artists. That's why for 47 years they've been bull other presidents and they haven't done the job.

[Morning Wire Host]

Could we see a deal or escalation?

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley. It's Tuesday, April 7th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Morning Wire Host]

The Artemis II crew makes its way toward home after making history from the

[Astronaut or Space Mission Narrator]

cabin of integrity here, as we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long lived.

[Georgia Howe]

And as LA suffers massive declines in film production, a Hollywood union tries to derail a new Daily Wire film featuring Marvel star Jonathan Majors.

[Dallas Saunier]

It was always illegitimate because my crew stuck with us and never wanted to go union.

[Morning Wire Host]

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

[Georgia Howe]

I am once again thrilled to talk to you about our sponsor today, Quince. Quince is an online retailer that sells high quality classic clothing and home items made of real materials like cotton, cashmere, silk and linen for extremely affordable prices. And if a regular listener, you know I wear a lot of quints and I'm very excited that they are now rolling out their spring styles. I am personally very intrigued that they have added bathing suits to their lineup. Also real diamond jewelry, which is just crazy. They are basically disrupting every luxury market. So if you are like me and you have a taste for the finer things, but you're also smart and you only want to pay manufacturer price, you need to check out Quint. And please use Quince.comWire to support our show. Plus if you use that link you will get free shipping and 365 day returns. Plus that deal also extends to you Canadian listeners as well. So go to q U-I-N-C e.com wire for free shipping and a whole year to decide on your items. That's quince.comWyre President Trump's deadline for Iran

[Morning Wire Host]

is set for tonight at 8pm Eastern, with the president threatening to wipe out its power plants and bridges to finally force the regime to its knees if it fails to agree to a deal.

[Georgia Howe]

Though Trump says Iran has submitted what he calls a significant proposal, he also says it doesn't go far enough to meet US Demands. Here with the latest on the conflict and Trump's deadline is Daily Wire DC Bureau chief Tim Rice. So, Tim, let's start there. What is in both of these proposals?

[Tim Rice]

So the Trump administration proposed a 45 day cease fire, which again requires that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened immediately, with Trump threatening major military action if Iran chooses not to. Iran rejected that proposal. They say they want to find a permanent end to the war with guarantees that they won't be attacked again. Now, Trump did call this proposal significant, but he's still warning of major consequences if Iran doesn't agree to the American terms and open the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what he had to say about this at a press conference yesterday.

[Donald Trump]

The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.

[Tim Rice]

Behind the scenes, mediators from countries like Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey are still working to bridge the gap between the United States and Iran. But publicly, the two sides remain far apart. Meanwhile, Israeli forces are ramping up pressure on the Iranian regime as well, taking out key infrastructure and top military figures. Yesterday, the Israeli military announced that it killed Askar Bakari, the leader of an underground unit within Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Quds Force officials say Bakari was involved in planning attacks on both Israeli and American targets, as well as coordinating operations across the region, including in Syria and Lebanon. In that press conference yesterday, the president was asked whether he was winding the conflict down or escalating it. Here's what he had to say.

[Donald Trump]

I don't know. I can't. It depends what they do. This is a critical period. They have a period of, well till tomorrow at 8 o'.

[Astronaut or Space Mission Narrator]

Clock.

[Donald Trump]

I gave them an extension. They asked for an extension of seven days. Right. I said, Steve, give them 10 days. 10 days is up actually today. So I gave them 11, I guess indirectly. I thought it was inappropriate the day after Easter. I want to be a nice person. They have till tomorrow.

[Tim Rice]

So the next 12 to 24 hours could really determine whether we move closer to a deal or further escalation.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, we also got more details yesterday about the rescue mission over the weekend. We knew it was a harrowing ordeal. But now we have a clearer picture of what actually happened. What did we learn?

[Tim Rice]

Yeah, this was like something out of a Hollywood movie. So the stranded officer himself ejected from an F15E and apparently was badly injured on the ground. Despite that, he evacuated the area and evaded capture. As we reported yesterday, the IRGC was tracking him and they even put a bounty on him. So pretty much the entire country was tracking him as well. But despite his severe injuries, including profuse bleeding, this guy scaled cliff faces, climbed like 7,000ft. He treated his own wounds and he used a specialized emergency drive to transmit his location to American forces, a signal Trump said ultimately saved his life. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the downed airman's first message after activating his emergency transponder was simple. God is good. The rescue mission, as Trump detailed, was truly, quote, massive. It involved 155 aircraft, including bombers, fighter jets, refueling tankers, and rescue units. The mission relied heavily on deception, with American intelligence agencies spreading false information just to throw the Iranians off the trail. President Trump also said that a leaker somewhere in the federal government was responsible for alerting the media and the Iranians to the downed US Fighter jet and the missing pilot, which he says put the officer at extreme risk. Trump called the leaker a sick person and threatened to jail reporters from this outlet if they don't reveal the source of the information.

[Donald Trump]

We think we'll be able to find it out because we're going to go to the media company that released it and we're going to say national security, Give it up or go to jail.

[Tim Rice]

Meanwhile, the war effort continues as tonight's deadline fast approaches well, and hopefully a deal before then.

[Georgia Howe]

Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Tim Rice]

Thanks for having me.

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[Georgia Howe]

History is made. The Orion spaceship has passed the Moon, bringing the Artemis crew farther from Earth than any humans in history. Late last night, they began their return home, which will take another four days.

[Morning Wire Host]

Daily Wire reporter Lyndon Blake is in our Morning Wire orbit with the details. Hey, Lyndon. So, amazing stuff yesterday. All week we've been so excited about this major milestone reached yesterday. Let's start there and then let's talk about what is coming next. So what happened yesterday?

[Lyndon Blake]

So Monday night, the astronauts aboard the Orion spaceship went farther than any other human has been from Earth. I'm going to give you some numbers. The record was first set in 1970 with the Apollo 13 crew. But that record is shattered. The new record was broken by 4,102 miles. So now the furthest a human has been from Earth is 252,600, 752 miles. To put this all in perspective, here's former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino.

[Mike Massimino]

Where we've been for the last 50 years has been mainly around the Earth Right. Space station, about 250 miles. Even where I was at Hubble, a little bit higher, 350 miles. They're going to be over. They're going to be around 250,000 miles away. So we've been for the last 50 years, we've been in orbit, but less than 110 of 1% the distance that these folks are going to be.

[Morning Wire Host]

All right, so this happens as they're orbiting around the moon. And during that time, they reach the far side of the Moon, which means they lost contact with Earth. Tell us about that.

[Lyndon Blake]

And this is unchartered territory. So we've landed on the Moon, but now astronauts are going to parts of the Moon that a human eye has never seen. And they got to observe the far side of the moon, the dark side of the Moon, and look at these craters and take pictures for seven hours. So they weren't able to communicate with earth for about 40 minutes because they were on that far side of the Moon. There are more than 250, 50,000 miles away from Earth. But more importantly, the moon was in front of them, blocking the signal. So this was something that the space crew knew was going to happen. It's not as dramatic as it sounds, but it's still scary to think about that you're out there for about an hour with no contact, just out there in space.

[Morning Wire Host]

It's just amazing. And they were able to name some of those craters, correct?

[Lyndon Blake]

Yeah, we know that they named one crater Integrity. But this next name just almost brought tears to my eyes because the astronauts dedicated a crater to one of the crew members, late wife Carol, who died in 2020. So they name the crater Carol after Commander Reed Wiseman's wife. And it was Jeremy Hansen, the astronaut, that got to deliver that news to the crew.

[Astronaut or Space Mission Narrator]

And if you want to find this one, you look at Glushko and it's just to the northwest of that at the same latitude as home. And it's a, it's a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carol. And you spell that cat RR O

[Morning Wire Host]

L L really powerful as you said. So the most anticipated moment just happened. But we have the most dangerous moment coming soon. So what's next for the mission?

[Lyndon Blake]

Yeah, so day seven. Over the next few days the astronauts will be getting some rest. They're going to need that rest to do what you just said. The most dangerous part of the mission, which is re entering the Earth's atmosphere. So what's going to happen when they enter the Earth's atmosphere? The capsule is going to separate from parts of the rocket that burnt up because of the high he and the capsule that the astronauts are in. It's made to withstand, I mean, thousand degree temperatures. It is quite incredible. The astronauts will feel that pressure and feel that friction when they're entering the Earth's atmosphere. And when the space capsule is entering the atmosphere, it can get up to 17,000 miles an hour. And then they will be able to parachute down. We've talked about that earlier. These parachutes will help guide the space capsule into the ocean. They're going to have a splashdown right outside of San Diego on Friday evening. So again, the mission is not complete until the crews are able to go out there to that capsule and get the astronauts back on the boat that'll take them back to land.

[Morning Wire Host]

All just remarkable and as we've said repeatedly, a historic mission here that we're getting to witness firsthand. Lyndon, thanks so much for reporting.

[Lyndon Blake]

Thanks so much. It's been fun to cover.

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See full [e-mail] as Hollywood suffers continued decline, union strikes are draining the lifeblood out of the industry, opening up opportunities for more independent film productions.

[Georgia Howe]

But the industry unions can still exert outsized control over productions in other states. Joining us now to discuss an example of that that's hit close to home is Bonfire legend CEO Dallas Saunier. Dallas, thanks for coming on.

[Dallas Saunier]

Thanks for having me. I'm always happy to be here.

[Georgia Howe]

So we've reported extensively on the downfall of Hollywood and most listeners, they've observed it from home. But you have some special insight into this. What are some of the key factors behind the scenes that are really contributing to the decline in Hollywood?

[Astronaut or Space Mission Narrator]

Sure.

[Dallas Saunier]

So Hollywood has been on an absolute free fall for a few years now, certainly since COVID They were obsessed with mask mandates and vaccine mandates and things like that. They pushed all conservatives out over the past 10 years during the era of woke. And now they've been striking for the last several years. And as movies tend to go more towards streaming, it's harder to get a theatrical release to break out. It really has become a real problem. And you know, strikes are at the heart of it. When a Hollywood union or guild strikes, it shuts down all productions and makes it nearly impossible for folks like us and our companies to make movies.

[Georgia Howe]

Now Dallas, you recently shot a movie. We can't say anything about it, but we're very excited. And that was a non union production. But you were really hassled by some of those Hollywood unions. What kind of problems did they cause?

[Dallas Saunier]

We are not anti union. In fact, Daily Wire's previous movie right before this was a union movie and I've made tons of union movies before. In this case, we were shooting in South Carolina and we didn't need to use the union, it's a right to work state. And we were happy to go non union. My crew has been with me for 10 to 15 years. But naturally as we go to some of these distant locations, we have to bring in a few people who are more local or to fill in and supplement the gaps. Those local crew members decided that they wanted to flip us into a union show. We fought off their flip by just being good producers and they were so mad about that, and they were so disappointed that my crew said no to them that the union representatives from all over the country started to fly into South Carolina. Normally, a producer would get a call from a union representative saying, we demand that you flip into the union for membership. And most of the time, a producer will say, okay, let me sit down and engage with you. I did not. I told them to buzz off. And it sent the union into an absolute panic.

[Morning Wire Host]

Now, there's a lot of focus on this particular film because of the star that's really made some headlines that's starring in it. Tell us about that. Jonathan Majors is in this film. Correct?

[Dallas Saunier]

Jonathan Majors is the star of the movie. He hasn't been on a set in four years since Hollywood canceled him. And we, of course, are proud to work with someone that talented. And just being able to work with him was such an honor. He absolutely brought it 24 7. He's the most prepared actor I've ever worked with. And it was a blast. And he's fantastic in the movie. And look, as far as I'm concerned, Hollywood should just keep canceling people because it gives Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend a chance to work with better actors.

[Morning Wire Host]

Like you said, he really is a star. Now, as for the press, they focused on this incident on set where majors fell about 4ft from a low window, but then turned out to be fine. They tried to turn that into a set safety issue.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Good.

[Tim Rice]

I'm good.

[Lyndon Blake]

You good?

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[Lyndon Blake]

Right.

[Mike Massimino]

Did we shoot it?

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[Morning Wire Host]

How has the press covered this strike effort?

[Dallas Saunier]

Well, it was hilarious because at first they were making fun of Jonathan Majors for working with the Daily Wire. And then of when the strikes started to happen. They were very concerned about Jonathan Majors and working with the Daily Wire. Is he okay? And it's just. The hypocrisy is endless with these losers. But we made a great movie. I mean, that's all I care about at the end of the day. Did we set out to make the movie that we wanted to make? Yes. Did we do it on our own terms? Yes. Are we proud of the movie? It's gonna be amazing. And it'll be on Daily Wire plus in a matter of months.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, well, Dallas, we're looking forward to that movie coming out. And we'll bring you back.

[Tim Rice]

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[Morning Wire Host]

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[Georgia Howe]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank you.

[Morning Wire Host]

Thank you.

[Dallas Saunier]

Thanks for having me.

[Morning Wire Host]

Thanks for waking up with us. And for those listening to the show, you can also now watch the show free on Daily Wire. Plus plus, we'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.