Mail-In Ballot Scrutiny & Trump’s Cartel Confrontation | 8.20.25

Summary

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Morning Wire: Mail-In Ballot Scrutiny & Trump’s Cartel Confrontation | 08.20.25

Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Date: August 20, 2025
Main Guests: Megan Basham, Tim Pierce, Cabot Phillips, Caroline Levitt

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Overview

This episode of Morning Wire delivers a fact-driven dive into three crucial stories dominating U.S. political discourse: President Trump’s renewed push to eliminate mail-in voting and electronic voting ahead of the 2026 midterms; an aggressive U.S. military deployment to confront Latin American drug cartels, specifically by targeting Venezuela; and updates from the White House about high-stakes Ukraine peace negotiations and a crackdown on D.C. crime.

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Detailed Breakdown

1. Trump’s Push to End Mail-In Voting and Electronic Voting Machines

[02:41–06:25]

Key Points:

• President Trump’s Agenda:

  • Trump announced plans for an executive order to end mail-in voting, labeling the practice as "fraudulent."

  • He also voiced opposition to electronic voting, labeling it as more expensive and less accurate than traditional watermarked paper ballots.

    "We're going to end mail-in voting. It's a fraud if you have mail-in. Even Jimmy Carter... said you will never have an honest election if you have mail-in."
    — President Trump [03:20]

• Legal Feasibility:

  • Senior Reporter Megan Basham clarified the complexity: election administration is primarily a state power, though Congress regulates federal elections.

  • An earlier Trump order requiring voter citizenship was legally blocked, suggesting similar legal challenges ahead.

    “This order, if it comes to pass, is very likely to face those same kind of legal challenges.”
    — Megan Basham [04:03]

  • The GOP-backed SAVE Act, enforcing proof of citizenship for voting, has passed the House and has significant Republican support in the Senate.

• Democratic Response:

  • Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declared on X that any measure “making it more difficult for Americans to vote will be dead on arrival.”

  • Colorado’s Secretary of State, Jenna Griswold, asserted mail-in ballots are secure, adding she will oppose Trump’s efforts.

    "We have vote by mail. We send it to every active voter... And in 2024, 92% of Republican voters chose to use their mail ballots."
    — Jenna Griswold [05:44]

• Who Uses Mail-In Ballots?

  • Basham noted while Griswold claims mail-in ballots are neutral, Democrats disproportionately use them—an 18-point party split.

    "Democrats are much more likely to use mail-in voting."
    — Megan Basham [05:58]

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2. U.S. Military Escalation Against Venezuelan Drug Cartels

[07:33–10:45]

Key Points:

• Military Deployment:

  • The Trump administration sent three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, 4,000 sailors and marines, spy planes, and at least one attack submarine to waters near Venezuela, targeting drug cartels.

    “It's a big show of muscle by the Trump administration... These are warships equipped with the advanced Aegis Combat System...”
    — Tim Pierce [07:51]

• Venezuelan Response:

  • President Maduro called U.S. threats "extravagant, bizarre and outlandish," reportedly mobilizing 4.5 million militiamen.

• White House Stance:

  • Press Secretary Caroline Levitt denounced Maduro, calling his regime a “narco terror cartel” and reiterating U.S. policy is to consider him a fugitive and not the legitimate Venezuelan president.

    “The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela... He is a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs.”
    — Caroline Levitt [08:45]

• Legal Authority for Direct Action:

  • The U.S. has placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro.

  • Tim Pierce noted a legal precedent: The U.S. previously invaded Panama to capture Noriega, with legal justification from then-OLC head Bill Barr.

    “That decision was backed up by a legal memo... The president had the authority to direct the arrest of fugitives in other countries... with or without the consent of those countries.”
    — Tim Pierce [10:07]

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3. White House Updates: Ukraine Peace Talks, D.C. Crime Crackdown, Economic News

[11:46–16:12]

A. Ukraine Peace Deal Progress

• Status of Talks:

  • Positive signals after a White House summit and a direct call between Trump and Putin; a trilateral meeting with Zelensky is in discussion.

    “European leaders... are now singing a very different tune, expressing downright optimism towards [Trump’s] approach with Putin.”
    — Kevin (White House reporter) [12:03]

    "A month or two, you're going to have another 40,000 people dead in a month or two. You have to do it tonight. And I did..."
    — President Trump [12:51]

• Use of U.S. Forces:

  • Trump did not rule out U.S. peacekeepers in Ukraine but later, the White House insisted, “US boots will not be on the ground.”

    “The president has definitively stated US Boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine.”
    — Caroline Levitt [13:53]

• Ongoing Conflict:

  • Despite progress, Putin intensifies attacks to gain ground ahead of a deal.

B. D.C. Crime Crackdown

• Federalization of D.C. Police:

  • Nearly 500 arrests, with dozens of illegal guns seized; focus on high-crime areas.

  • Large reduction in crime: Car thefts down 21%, violent crime 22%, robberies 46%, carjackings 83%.

    “According to the union representing the D.C. police Department... car thefts are down 21%, violent crime is down 22%, robberies 46%, and carjackings... 83%.”
    — Kevin [15:18]

C. Economic Signals

• Markets and Policy:

  • Dow Jones at all-time high, contradicting earlier predictions about Trump's tariff policies.

  • Hopes for a Federal Reserve rate cut to further spark economic growth, especially in the housing market.

    “Investors remain optimistic that the worst turmoil is behind us and that economic growth is on the way.”
    — Kevin [15:27]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• President Trump (regarding urgency of Ukraine peace):
  "A month or two, you're going to have another 40,000 people dead... You have to do it tonight." [12:51]

• Megan Basham (on voting law challenges):
  “By congressional design, states have the power to administer elections, but the power to regulate those federal elections lies with Congress.” [04:03]

• Tim Pierce (military precedent):
  “[Bill] Barr said that the president had the authority to direct the arrest of fugitives in other countries with or without the consent of those countries.” [10:07]

• Caroline Levitt (on foreign policy critics):
  “The so called experts in the foreign policy establishment... have the nerve to try and lecture the President Trump, who has solved seven global conflicts in seven months, about peace.” [13:21]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Mail-in Voting & Legal Debates: [02:41–06:25]
• Military Move Against Cartels: [07:33–10:45]
• Ukraine Peace Talks & D.C. Crime: [11:46–16:12]
• Economy & Rate Cuts: [15:27–16:12]

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains a brisk, matter-of-fact tone, leavened by pointed commentary from guests and officials. Direct quotes from Trump, Democratic leaders, and administration officials are included to reflect the occasionally combative, urgent rhetoric surrounding these major stories. In line with Morning Wire’s style, the approach is factual but unapologetically framed from a center-right perspective.

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For listeners: This episode is essential for understanding the legal, political, and international dimensions shaping the current headlines—from how Americans will vote, to how the U.S. projects power abroad, to the on-the-ground effects of federal policing and economic policy.

Transcript

[Kevin]

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[John Bickley]

President Trump says he'll end voting by mail and even voting machines in order to safeguard US Elections.

[President Trump]

It's time that the Republicans get tough and stop it. Because the Democrats want it. It's the only way they can get elected.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, August 20th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Cabot Phillips]

The US flexes its military muscle, sending three Navy destroyers to the coast of Venezuela to target drug cartels.

[Caroline Levitt]

President Trump has been very clear and consistent. He's prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.

[John Bickley]

And the White House touts several wins, including big progress on Ukraine peace talks and its DC Crime crackdown.

[Tim Pierce]

We walked around after dinner last night.

[Producer Brandon]

And just to see the police presence. It's way more calm and just a safer environment.

[Cabot Phillips]

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

[Producer Brandon]

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[Cabot Phillips]

President Donald Trump announced Monday he's renewing his push to eliminate mail in voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Senior saying the process is corrupt, but Democrats are pledging to fight his efforts.

[John Bickley]

Here at the Details is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. Hey, Megan. So let's start with the basics. Exactly what is the president promising to do here and what's driving this initiative?

[Megan Basham]

Well, the president is promising to issue an executive order to end that mail in balloting. He has said that he's already got the best lawyers working on drafting that order. And this was what he said Monday during a meeting at the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

[President Trump]

We're going to end mail in voting. It's a fraud if you have mail in. Even Jimmy Carter with this commission, they set it up. He said the one thing about mail in voting, you will never have an honest election if you have mail in. I hate to take your time with this, but I'm glad you asked me that question. We're going to stop mail in ballots because it's corrupt.

[Megan Basham]

Now, the president is also taking aim at electronic voting. He has said that it is seriously controversial. He's also said that it's much more expensive. Expensive? That it's slower and it's less accurate than that typical watermarked paper balloting process.

[John Bickley]

All right, so these are initiatives he's brought up before. Here he is following through. Does he have the actual legal authority to do this?

[Megan Basham]

Well, you know, that's the million dollar question. By congressional design, states have the power to administer elections, but the power to regulate those federal elections lies with Congress. And back in March, Trump did issue an executive order to require proof of citizenship to vote. And federal courts block that order. So this order, if it comes to pass, is very likely to face those same kind of legal challenges. But we have seen some Republicans legislatively back Trump in some of these efforts. So the SAVE act, which would enshrine that proof of citizenship requirement into law, well, it passed the House back in April unanimously among Republicans. And it has pretty strong GOP support in the Senate as well, including senators like Mike Lee and Marsha Blackburn Senior. So we'll see if Republicans are willing to throw their weight behind this Trump order as well.

[John Bickley]

Now, what about Democrats? What are they saying about this?

[Megan Basham]

Well, you know, no surprise. They're promising to fight Trump tooth and nail on this. Chuck Schumer said on X that he will make sure that any and every measure that would make it even more difficult for Americans to vote will be dead on arrival in the Senate. And at the state level, Colorado Secretary of State Jenna Griswold argued that mail in ballots are secure. And she said that she too at the state level will also be fighting Trump to make it very clear he.

[Cabot Phillips]

Will not be successful. I have beat him over and over and over as he has attempted in 2020 to roll back mail ballots. But mail ballots do not help one party over another. That's what all the data shows. It just helps voters vote in a secure and accessible way. And to put it in perspective, we do have vote by mail. We send it to every active voter, but we have weeks of early voting, same day voter registration, a lot of in person voting options, and in 2024, 92% of Republican voters chose to use their mail ballots.

[Megan Basham]

But a little context there on what Griswold said. It may be up for debate whether or not mail in ballots benefit one party more than the other, but it's not in question that one party uses that much more than the other. Democrats are much more likely to use mail in voting. In fact, in 2024 there was an 18 point spread split between the two parties.

[John Bickley]

Well, yeah, we started to see that split back in 2020. It's been very dramatic between the two parties. Megan, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

It's my pleasure.

[Producer Brandon]

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[John Bickley]

The US Navy has deployed three destroyers off the coast of Venezuela. The warships are positioned to confront Latin American drug cartels.

[Cabot Phillips]

Here to talk about the Trump administration's escalating war on the cartels is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. So, Tim, what do we know about these assets that are now stationed in the Caribbean?

[Tim Pierce]

It's a big show of muscle by the Trump administration. According to Reuters, the US Military has deployed three Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers to international waters off the coast of Venezuela. These are warships equipped with the advanced Aegis Combat System, which is capable of defensive tracking and striking abilities. In addition to that, the US has sent 4,000 sailors and marines, several PA spy planes, other warships, and at least one attack submarine to the region as well.

[Cabot Phillips]

And what is Venezuela saying about this?

[Tim Pierce]

Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro is pretty irritated at the United States right now. He vented some of that frustration on Monday, though he did not speak directly toward the US military deployment. But he did say he would deploy 4.5 million militiamen throughout the country over, quote, extravagant, bizarre and outlandish threats from the United States. For its part, the White House commented on the Reuters report yesterday. Here's White House Press Secretary Carolina Levitt.

[Caroline Levitt]

The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela. It is a narco terror cartel in Maduro. It is the view of this administration is not a legitimate president. He is a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs into the country.

[Tim Pierce]

And I should note that that was in response to a question on whether the President wanted boots on the ground in Venezuela and Levitt didn't rule it out. The Trump administration says that Maduro is a key leader in drug cartels recently designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Earlier this month, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the United States had increased its bounty on Maduro to $50 million.

[Megan Basham]

Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TDA, Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country. To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and its associates, with nearly 7 tons linked to Maduro himself. The DOJ has seized over $6700 million of Maduro linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles and more. Yet Maduro's reign of terror continues. He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.

[Cabot Phillips]

Wow. So a $50 million bounty on Maduro So can the Trump administration go after him directly?

[Tim Pierce]

That's a legal gray area, but it wouldn't be unprecedented. Former President George H.W. bush sent troops into Panama in 1989 under some similar circumstances. Back then, the Bush administration said Panama's dictator, Manuel Noriega, was a prolific drug trafficker, so it sent in the military to arrest him. That decision was backed up by a legal memo written by former Attorney General Bill Barr, who at that time was head of the Office of Legal Counsel. Barr said that the president had the authority to direct the arrest of fugitives in other countries with or without the consent of those countries.

[Cabot Phillips]

So a major escalation that Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Tim Pierce]

Good to be on if you run.

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[Cabot Phillips]

President Trump continues to work toward a peace deal in Ukraine as back home his takeover of the D.C. police is already getting results.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire Senior editor Cabot Phillips has more from the White House. A Cabot so let's start with these crucial meetings between Trump with Putin and then Zelensky. Where do things stand now?

[Kevin]

Yeah. Following that White House summit Monday, the likelihood of a looming peace deal seems to be growing by the hour. European leaders who for the last six months have made their anger towards Trump quite public, are now singing a very different tune, expressing downright optimism towards his approach with Putin. Many did not expect Moscow to agree to that US Backed security guarantee for Ukraine, and the fact that Trump was able to secure that from Putin clearly has them rethinking their past criticism. This new unified front between Trump and Europe also gives more leverage in final negotiations. And those negotiations could happen very soon. President Trump reportedly called up Putin right after his meeting with those European leaders on Monday for an impromptu chat, making arrangements for a trilateral meeting that would also include Zelensky. Here he is Tuesday explaining why he's intent on getting a deal done so quickly.

[President Trump]

One of the gentlemen who's a great guy, but he said, well, let's meet in another month or two and let's see if we can start, you know, making some. He said, a month or two, you're going to have another 40,000 people dead in a month or two. You have to do it tonight. And I did, actually. I called President Putin and we're trying to work out a meeting with President Zelensky.

[Kevin]

And as we seemingly inch closer to a deal, the White House on Monday took shots at those who have doubted President Trump's foreign policy chops and his strategy for peace. Here's press Secretary Caroline Levitt.

[Caroline Levitt]

The so called experts in the foreign policy establishment, whose record is nothing but endless wars, trillions of wasted taxpayer dollars and dead Americans, have the nerve to try and lecture the President Trump, who has solved seven global conflicts in seven months, about peace.

[Kevin]

Now, during his meeting with Zelensky, it got a lot of attention that President Trump did not rule out the use of American forces as peacekeepers in Ukraine, saying, quote, we'll help them out, but failing to specify if that meant boots on the ground. However, yesterday the White House stepped in and offered assurances that American troops would not be on the ground in Ukraine.

[Caroline Levitt]

The president has definitively stated US Boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine. But we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies.

[Kevin]

But it's worth noting amid all this apparent peace progress, Vladimir Putin is still pushing forward, hoping to gain as much land as possible before a potential deal. In the last 48 hours, he's launched hundreds of drone attacks, killing soldiers and civilians alike. So the fighting, it's very much continuing.

[President Trump]

Right.

[John Bickley]

We continue to see Putin be very aggressive. Now let's move from foreign policy to domestic policy. The White House really touting what's going on in D.C. what is the latest?

[Kevin]

Well, the arrests following President Trump's Federalization of the D.C. police force continue to pile up with federal agents and National Guardsmen patrolling the streets, focusing on high crime areas in particular. At latest count, Attorney General Pam Bondi says nearly 500 arrests have been made with 68 illegal guns seized and offenders wanted on charges of homicide, narcotics and assault all brought in. Hundreds of the other arrests were related to illegal immigration, with a number of alleged Ms. 13 gang members brought in as well. That crackdown has also resulted in the removal of a number of large homeless encampments that had sprung up across the city. And according to the union representing the D.C. police Department, the crackdown is already having an immense impact. They say in the last seven days, car thefts are down 21%, violent crime is down 22%, robberies 46%, and carjackings a staggering 83%.

[John Bickley]

Also a big impact. The White House hoping those numbers hold. Now, in terms of economic policy, there was also some good news for Trump. What did we hear there?

[Kevin]

Yeah, on Tuesday, the Dow Jones touched an all time high, really defying expectations of this bear market that was supposedly going to be brought on by Trump's tariffs. Despite the well documented concerns over the labor market and inflation brought on by trade wars, investors certainly remain optimistic that the worst turmoil is behind us and that economic growth is on the way. Remember, for months now, President Trump has been pressing Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates, and it looks like he could soon get his wish. A poll of economists this week showed that the majority now expect a rate cut coming in September, which obviously would be music to Trump's ears. He's confident that would result in major economic expansion, particularly in the housing market, where hundreds of thousands of Americans have been waiting on the sidelines hoping for rates to come down.

[John Bickley]

Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[Kevin]

Absolutely.

[Cabot Phillips]

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.

[President Trump]

These are questions that take cultures thousands of years to answer.

[Tim Pierce]

During Answer the Call, I take questions.

[President Trump]

From people just like you about their.

[John Bickley]

Problems, opportunities, challenges, or when they simply need advice.

[Tim Pierce]

How do I balance all of this grief, responsibility? How do you repair this kind of damage?

[President Trump]

My daughter Michaela guides the conversations as we hopefully help people navigate their lives. Everyone has their own destiny. Everyone.