Le Pen Barred from Election & Wyoming’s Strict Voter ID Law | Afternoon Update | 3.31.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary | Episode: Le Pen Barred from Election & Wyoming’s Strict Voter ID Law | Released: March 31, 2025

Hosted by Georgia Howe and John Bickley

---

Severe Storms Devastate the Midwest

John Bickley opens the afternoon update by detailing the widespread impact of severe weather across the Midwest. On March 31st, powerful storms struck multiple states, resulting in significant power outages and loss of life.

"Severe weather left hundreds of thousands of people in the Midwest without power on Monday. Michigan was among the hardest hit, with more than 300,000 customers left in the dark." ([00:33])

The storm system caused damaging winds and at least four tornadoes, affecting states including Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Wisconsin and Indiana each experienced outages affecting around 50,000 customers. Tragically, the storms have claimed at least five lives, underscoring the severity of the weather event.

Marine Le Pen Barred from 2027 French Presidential Election

Georgia Howe reports on a significant political upheaval in France, where Marine Le Pen, a prominent populist leader and frontrunner for the 2027 presidential election, has been disqualified from running due to legal issues.

"Le Pen is the current frontrunner for the 2027 presidential election, but after being found guilty of embezzlement on Monday, she's now blocked from running for public office for five years." ([01:01])

Le Pen has been sentenced to four years in jail, and her ineligibility is expected to lead to protests from her supporters. Many believe her prosecution is politically motivated to remove her from the electoral race, potentially altering the dynamics of upcoming French politics.

Virginia Giuffre in Critical Condition After Traffic Accident

John Bickley brings attention to a concerning incident involving Virginia Giuffre, a high-profile accuser in the Epstein case. Giuffre is reportedly in critical condition following a traffic accident.

"She shared a photo and message on Instagram from her hospital bed stating that she was hit by a school bus while driving." ([01:30])

Details about the location and circumstances of the crash remain unclear. Giuffre, a mother of three residing in Western Australia, has been diagnosed with renal failure. The incident has raised concerns among her supporters and those following ongoing legal matters related to her previous accusations.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Heats Up with Elon Musk's Involvement

The podcast shifts focus to the highly contested Wisconsin Supreme Court race, highlighting the influential role of tech billionaire Elon Musk. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presto provides an in-depth analysis of Musk's contributions to the election.

"Musk has poured over $20 million to back the conservative candidate Brad Schimmel, who's running against liberal Susan Crawford." ([02:11])

Musk's strategy included distributing $1 million checks to voters in Green Bay, aiming to amplify media coverage.

"The reason ... is that it's really just to get attention." ([02:49])

This unprecedented financial involvement has ignited debates about its legality and ethical implications. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kahl has argued that Musk's payments violate state law, though the court has chosen not to intervene at this stage. The election is pivotal, potentially shifting the court's ideological balance and impacting key issues such as redistricting in the battleground state.

President Trump Considers a Third Term

John Bickley discusses President Donald Trump's recent remarks indicating a possible run for a third term in the 2028 election, sparking debates about constitutional limits.

"I am not joking about potentially running for president in 2028," Trump stated during an interview with NBC's Meet the Press. ([04:45])

Despite the 22nd Amendment, which restricts presidents to two terms, Trump hinted at exploring methods to circumvent this limitation. While some of his allies have suggested potential pathways, Trump himself previously indicated that it was "too early to think about 2028," leaving the door slightly ajar for future political maneuvering.

Wyoming Enacts the Strictest Voter ID Law in the Country

Georgia Howe covers Wyoming's recent legislative victory in implementing the nation's strictest voter ID law, a culmination of a prolonged political battle.

"This was actually a two-year standoff between the governor and I on this issue." ([05:25]) - Chuck Gray, Wyoming Secretary of State

Secretary of State Chuck Gray elaborates on the efforts to introduce proof of residency and citizenship requirements to prevent illegal voter registrations. After initial vetoes by the governor, the legislature successfully passed the law, reflecting the desires of Wyoming's electorate. Gray emphasizes that "the people of Wyoming who wanted this, that really won," highlighting the law's alignment with voter preferences.

College Basketball's Final Four Set

David Cohn transitions to the world of sports, announcing the Final Four matchups for the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, noting the historical significance of the chosen teams.

"All four number one seeds reach the final weekend for only the second time ever." ([06:29])

The matchups are Auburn versus Florida and Duke versus Houston, with both games scheduled for Saturday, April 5th. This occurrence mirrors the 2008 Final Four, making it a noteworthy event for college basketball enthusiasts. The winners will compete for the national championship on Monday, April 7th, in San Antonio, Texas.

---

For more detailed coverage on these stories and additional updates, visit DailyWire.com.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

This episode is brought to you by Fast Growing Trees. Right now, As a listener of our show, you get an additional 15% off your first purchase when you use code [e-mail] Terms and conditions may apply. Five people are dead following severe storms in the Midwest. Marine Le Pen is barred from running for office and President Trump floats the idea of a third term. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley. It's Monday, March 31st, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.

[John Bickley]

Severe weather left hundreds of thousands of people in the Midwest without power on Monday. Michigan was among the hardest hit, with more than 300,000 customers left in the dark. Both Wisconsin and Indiana each saw the power for around 50,000 customers knocked out. The power outages were the result of damaging wind and at least four tornadoes that swept through those states, as well as Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky on Sunday. At least five fatalities have been reported.

[Georgia Howe]

French populist leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for public office and faces several years behind bars. Le Pen is the current frontrunner for the 2027 presidential election, but after being found guilty of embezzlement on Monday, she's now blocked from running for public office for five years. She's also been sentenced to four years in jail. Her ineligibility to run is expected to provoke protests from supporters who believe her prosecution is an attempt to keep her off the ballot.

[John Bickley]

High profile Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre claims she's in critical condition following a traffic accident. She shared a photo and message on Instagram from her hospital bed stating that she was hit by a school bus while driving. The location and circumstances of the crash aren't known, but the mother of three has been living in Western Australia. According to her Post, doctors have told her she is in renal failure.

[Georgia Howe]

Wisconsin will vote for a new Supreme Court judge tomorrow, and the stakes are very high for both parties. Among among those drawing attention to the race is Elon Musk, Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presto. Giacomo has more on the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.

[Amanda Presto]

Musk handed out $1 million checks to two Wisconsin voters on Sunday night in Green Bay. The tech billionaire said that Tuesday's pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court election could impact the future of civilization. He's poured over $20 million to back the conservative candidate Brad Schimmel, who's running against liberal Susan Crawford. The election could shift the court's ideological balance and influe key issues in the battleground state, most notably redistricting that could have a major effect on national elections. Democrat Attorney General Josh Kahl argued that Musk payments violate state law, but the court declined to intervene. Here's Musk at the rally.

[Elon Musk]

The reason, you know, the reason for the checks is that it's really just to get get attention. We need to get attention. And it's somewhat inevitably when I do these things, it causes the legacy media to like kind of lose their minds and then they'll run it on every news channel. It would cost like 10 times more or, you know, to get the kind of coverage that we get.

[John Bickley]

Recent polling suggests broad support for some of President Trump's signature policies, but also skepticism toward others. A survey conducted by the Associated Press found that immigration was Trump's strongest issue, while trade negotiations were his weakest. Nearly half of Americans, 49%, support Trump's immigration policies, while only 38% support his approach on trade. Aggressive immigration enforcement and imposing tariffs on foreign goods have been key pillars of Trump's platform since he entered national politics nearly a decade ago.

[David Cohn]

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com morningwire all lowercase established in 2025 has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Head over to shopify.com morningwire to start selling with Shopify today.

[Georgia Howe]

Three American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania last week during a training exercise have been found dead. It was determined that the armored vehicle the men were traveling in sank in a swamp. The search continues for a fourth soldier who is believed to have been with the group. The army has not released their names pending notification of next of kin. According to an army statement, the soldiers went missing in the early morning hours of March 25th in their armored recovery vehicle while on a mission to repair a tactical vehicle. The massive recovery and engineering effort continues to extract the 63 ton vehicle from a peat bog surrounded by unstable ground conditions. The army has credited Lithuanian and Polish forces for their assistance.

[John Bickley]

President Trump floated the idea of running for a third term in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press. The president said he was, quote, not joking about potentially running for president in 2028, despite the 25th Amendment making it unconstitutional to serve more than two terms. Several Trump allies have suggested the IDE over the last months. Trump himself has said that it's too early to think about 2028, but said there were possible methods to work around the third term ban.

[Georgia Howe]

Wyoming has passed the strictest voter ID law in the country, requiring proof of citizenship and residency. Morningwire spoke to Wyoming's Secretary of State Chuck Gray about the years long battle to get it passed.

[Chuck Gray]

This was actually a two year standoff between the governor and I on this issue. We brought rulemaking in late 2023 to have a proof of residency requ and also put procedures in place to make sure that illegal aliens would not be eligible to register to vote. And unfortunately the governor vetoed a rulemaking that we brought in 2023 that would create a proof of residency requirement and create procedures to ensure that illegal aliens are not eligible for registering to vote. And he vetoed that in early 2024. So that's why we went to the legislature to put this in place in and I'm glad that after this year and a half, two year standoff, the governor backed down and it was the people that really won here, the people of Wyoming who wanted this, that really won. With the passage of proof of citizenship and proof of residency for registering to.

[John Bickley]

Vote and College basketball's Final Four is set. Crane and Company's David Cohn has the story.

[David Cohn]

After an exhilarating weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchups, the Final Four is set for the 2025 NCAA Men's Baske Tournament. Auburn will face Florida Saturday, April 5th at 6:09 Eastern Time and Duke will take on Houston at 8:49 Eastern. All four number one seeds reach the final weekend for only the second time ever, the previous season being 2008 when Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA all advanced. The two winners from Saturday will play for the national championship on Monday, April 7 in San Antonio, Texas.

[Georgia Howe]

Those are your Drivers Home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com and in case you missed it, this morning we covered some big stories including Trump's Liberation Day, the Left wing Tesla Takedown and Self Deportations are picking up. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.