Marines Sink Narcos & Europe’s Rising Right | 9.3.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Marines Sink Narcos & Europe’s Rising Right
Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe
Duration covered: 00:34–15:35

Overview

This episode of Morning Wire covers three major news stories:

1. President Trump’s military crackdown on Venezuelan drug cartels and increased use of the military in domestic and immigration policy.
2. The surge of right-wing, nationalist parties across Europe’s largest economies, with a focus on immigration as the driving issue and establishment backlash.
3. The FDA revoking emergency use authorization for the COVID vaccine, Trump’s demands for transparency from Big Pharma, and the fallout at the CDC.

---

1. U.S. Military Operations Against Drug Cartels & Domestic Security

Key Points:

• Trump’s Strike on Narco Boat:
  President Trump announced a military strike against a Venezuelan cartel drug boat, marking a dramatic continuation of his "peace through strength" strategy.

  • “We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug carrying boat. A lot of drugs in that boat.” — President Trump (read by John Bickley, 03:13)

• Escalation of Military Action:

  • Deployment of eight warships and 2,000 Marines for enhanced counternarcotics operations in the Pacific and Caribbean.
  • Trump previously designated Venezuelan drug cartels as terrorist organizations, granting the military broader latitude for offensive action.
  • "Now the question becomes if and how they will respond." — Cabot Phillips (03:30)

• Legal Pushback on Domestic Military Use:

  • Federal judge Charles Breyer ruled Trump’s earlier National Guard deployment in Los Angeles illegal and unnecessary.
  • The ruling bars federal military involvement in law enforcement duties (arrests, crowd control, evidence collection, etc.).
    • “He’s trying to prevent Trump from expanding his crime crack down to cities around the country.” — Cabot Phillips (04:43)
  • The administration is set to appeal; the order is on hold for ten days.
  • Trump plans to deploy guardsmen to Baltimore and Chicago.

• Military Lawyers as Temporary Immigration Judges:

  • In response to a massive immigration court backlog (3.5 million pending cases), up to 600 Defense Department lawyers will serve as temporary immigration judges.
  • The White House aims to double processing speed for deportations.
    • “This move will potentially double the number of immigration judges overnight.” — Cabot Phillips (06:03)

---

2. Europe’s Political Shift Rightward

Key Points:

• Surging Right-Wing Parties:

  • For the first time, right-wing parties are leading in France, Germany, and the UK.
  • Trend traced back to Italy’s 2022 right-wing shift.

• Immigration as the Central Issue:

  • Massive influx—estimates of 25–30 million immigrants since 2015—fueling public backlash.
    • “Immigration is the number one factor driving all of these movements, all these parties and a lot of these protests.” — Alvino Mario Fantini, European Conservative (08:16)
  • Cultural resentment intensifies as immigrants perceived to receive public assistance over citizens.
    • “If they didn’t see newcomers getting free handouts, ... I think it’d be different.” — Fantini (08:56)

• Rise of Nationalist Parties:

  • UK: Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, leads recent polls and elections.
  • France: National Rally now the largest parliamentary party.
  • Germany: Alternative for Germany (AfD), formerly fringe, now tops polls.

• Establishment Backlash & Suppression:

  • Use of legal, media, and intelligence tactics to marginalize right-wing leaders.
    • E.g., Marine Le Pen barred from office for five years; AfD classified as extremist and excluded from state TV.
  • “I think societies, countries, here, political parties are going to move further and further to the right. ... All of this is going to be used by those in power to justify clamping down even more.” — Fantini (10:50)

• Growing Dissent over Free Speech:

  • UK comedian Graham Linehan arrested for critical online posts about transgender topics.
  • J.K. Rowling responds publicly:
    • “What has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.” — J.K. Rowling (cited by Megan Basham, 11:36)

---

3. COVID Policy Shakeups: Vaccines, Big Pharma, and CDC Turmoil

Key Points:

• FDA Ends Emergency Use Authorization (EUA):

  • Only high-risk groups (65+ or underlying conditions) can get COVID shots without a doctor’s prescription; healthy individuals now require physician recommendation.
    • “We don’t have data in healthy Americans, so we’re not recommending it.” — Dr. Marty Makary, FDA Commissioner (12:40)

• Mandates Now Legally Impossible:

  • "No longer is [vaccine mandate] possible given the new landscape that we’ve created." — Dr. Makary (13:07)
  • Possible impacts: decreased uptake and insurance complications; cost for some could jump to $150+ per dose.

• Trump Demands Big Pharma Transparency:

  • Calls for public release of key COVID vaccine data, expressing skepticism over results kept from public view.
    • “I want the answer and I want it now. I have been shown information from Pfizer and others that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not?” — Donald Trump (read by Amanda Presta Giacomo, 13:40)
  • First public questioning of Operation Warp Speed.

• CDC Leadership Shakeup:

  • RFK Jr., as HHS Secretary, dismissed CDC Director Susan Menarez and several top CDC officials resigned in protest.
  • Former CDC directors pen critical op-ed, met with rebuttal from NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, who blames earlier leadership for politicizing health responses.
    • “[Efforts] to restore gold standard science is actually what harms public health.” — Jay Bhattacharya (14:26)

• Host’s Reflection:

  • “There’s been a lot of public support behind really shaking things up at the CDC. So Kennedy probably feels he’s got a mandate of sorts.” — John Bickley (15:24)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• John Bickley (03:13):
  “We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug carrying boat. A lot of drugs in that boat.”

• Alvino Mario Fantini (08:16):
  “Immigration is the number one factor driving all of these movements, all these parties and a lot of these protests... and that’s just going to grow.”

• Dr. Marty Makary (12:40):
  “We don’t have data in healthy Americans, so we’re not recommending it for healthy Americans.”

• Donald Trump (read by Amanda Presa Giacomo, 13:40):
  “I want the answer and I want it now. ... Why not?”

• J.K. Rowling (cited, 11:36):
  “What has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.”

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:35] Trump’s military strike on Venezuelan drug boat
• [03:30–05:36] National Guard deployments and legal challenges
• [05:44–06:24] Defense Department lawyers as temporary immigration judges
• [07:25] Rise of right-wing parties in Europe
• [08:16] Immigration as animating issue (Fantini quote)
• [09:17] Nationalist polling victories in UK, Germany, France
• [10:50] Establishment backlash (Fantini quote)
• [11:36] Free speech controversy in UK, J.K. Rowling quote
• [11:44–13:32] FDA COVID vaccine rules update, mandates ended (Makary quote)
• [13:40–14:26] Trump on Big Pharma, CDC leadership shakeup
• [15:24] Host's reflection on public support for CDC shakeup

---

Conclusion

This episode covered significant developments in U.S. military operations against drug cartels, the evolving dynamics of European politics with a pronounced rightward shift, and impactful changes in U.S. COVID policy and health agency leadership. The show highlights how issues of security, immigration, free speech, and governmental transparency are creating political upheaval on both sides of the Atlantic.

Transcript

[Host]

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[John Bickley]

President Trump announces a military strike against a drug carrying boat from Venezuela. We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country coming in for a long time. A lot of things are coming out of Venezuela, so we took it out.

[Host]

The move comes as Trump ramps up his peace through strength approach here and abroad.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, September 3rd, and this is Morning Wire.

[Host]

Europe's political maps are being redrawn and the right is holding the pen. We break down how the continent's political landscape is shifting.

[Commentator]

We've seen it in Germany and we're seeing it in Britain. It's incredible. Britain is really in the vanguard of some of the worst kind of Orwellian control of thought and speech.

[John Bickley]

And Trump reignites the vaccine debate, demanding that Big Pharma release their Covid shot data once and for all.

[Host]

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

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[Host]

President Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. took out a boat carrying drugs from Venezuela, the most dramatic move yet in the administration's war on cartels.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest. A Cabot. So let's start with what just happened in the Caribbean. What do we know so far?

[Cabot Phillips]

So President Trump campaigned on a promise to go after the cartels flooding the US with drugs, and he's following through. This week, he deployed at least eight warships and 2,000 marines to patrol Pacific and southern Caribbean waters as part of a, quote, enhanced counternarcotics operation. And on Tuesday, he announced that one of those ships targeted a drug boat being operated by the cartels.

[John Bickley]

We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug carrying boat. A lot of drugs in that boat. And you'll be seeing that and you'll be reading about that. It just happened moments ago. And, and there's more where that came from.

[Cabot Phillips]

Remember, this summer, President Trump designated these cartels as terrorist organizations that allowed the US Military to take a more aggressive offensive approach. So now the question becomes if and how they will respond.

[John Bickley]

Now, this is part of a pattern of what the Trump administration would say is a more proactive deployment of US Military, including in US Cities. We've just seen a federal judge rule against that in la. What's happening there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah. On Tuesday, a district judge in San Francisco ruled that President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in LA this summer was illegal. Remember, Trump deployed guardsmen this summer to protect federal property from anti ICE protesters and also aid immigration enforcement across la. But according to Judge Charles Breyer, that's the brother of former liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Trump's deployment was not only unlawful, but importantly, in his view, unnecessary. There was no rebellion, he wrote, nor was civilian law enforcement unable to respond to the protests and enforce the law. And Breyer then went a step further, ruling that in the future, National Guardsmen and other armed services are barred from, quote, engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation. The list goes on and on.

[John Bickley]

So write a long list. Clearly.

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, he's trying to prevent Trump from expanding his crime crack down to cities around the country.

[John Bickley]

So, really a sweeping order there. So what can the President do next? What is the administration's next move?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, the order was put on hold for 10 days to allow the Trump administration to file an appeal, which they are certain to do. And there is still a chance the ruling could be overturned by a higher court. That happened just as recently in June when Judge Breyer tried to block Trump's initial deployment of the National Guard to la. At the time, he said that the widespread riots across the city weren't serious enough to merit federal intervention. He essentially argued that police had the situation under control. But a federal appeals court in that case quickly reversed his ruling, allowing Trump to move forward. So this could be a more short term victory for the left. And for his part, President Trump on Tuesday again implied that he would move forward with this crime crackdown, and he planned on deploying National Guardsmen to Baltimore and Chicago.

[John Bickley]

So let's get to another example of the president using military resources to carry out his broader agenda. Tell us about these immigration judges.

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, fascinating move here. So on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration would be sending up to 600 lawyers from the Defense Department to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges. Remember, the Biden administration released millions of legal immigrants into the country, giving them court dates in the future to decide their legal status. But at the moment, the line for a court hearing is more than 3.5 million long. The DOJ requested backup pushing through that backlog, and the Pentagon is happy to help. This move will potentially double the number of immigration judges overnight. The White House is hoping it'll pave the way for speeding up the deportation.

[John Bickley]

Process, obviously a major priority for the President. Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

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[John Bickley]

For the first time in modern history, right wing parties are leading the polls in Europe's three largest economies, France, Germany and the UK Here with more is.

[Host]

Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. So, Megan, let's start with a broad overview. When did this trend emerge and what are some of the animating issues that are mobilizing people to the right?

[Megan Basham]

I would say that we really began to see the rise of this new muscular European right with the election of Italy's Giorgio back in 2022. And there's really a number of issues driving this, from inflation to a breakdown of trust in governmental institutions during the COVID era. But I spoke to the editor in chief of the European Conservative, Alvino Mario Fantini, and he told me that there is really one issue that rises head and shoulders above all the others.

[Commentator]

Immigration is the number one factor driving all of these movements, all these parties and a lot of these protests that you've been seeing since July or even. And that's just going to grow.

[Megan Basham]

Now to his point, official government data shows around 25 to 30 million immigrants entering Europe since 2015, primarily coming from countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. But other estimates put those numbers much higher. And it's really set up this culture clash that's been exacerbated by the sense of public money going to house and care for immigrants above the needs of citizens.

[Commentator]

I think people are suffering now if they didn't see newcomers getting free handouts, free housing, stipends and not having to work, I think it'd be different.

[Megan Basham]

And essentially you're seeing the same dynamic in Germany and France.

[Host]

So what do the numbers look like in terms of political movement towards these nationalist parties?

[Megan Basham]

Well, in Great Britain, largely on the strength of that immigration issue, Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party has really overtaken labor and the Tories in polling. So recent municipal elections saw the Reform UK receiving the most votes of any party. And then if we turn to France, National Rally is not only the most popular among voters, it's also now the largest party in the lower house of parliament. In Germany, we're seeing the same thing. Alternative for Germany, which was seen as a fringe party only a few years ago, is now topping the polls with voters.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now.

[Host]

How are the establishment parties responding?

[Megan Basham]

Well, the next elections aren't until 2027 and 2029, but in the meantime, what we're Seeing is these establishment parties making use of what many say were the same tactics used to suppress the MAGA movement in the United States. So after she began to surge in the polls, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally Party in France, was hit with charges of misuse of EU funds, and the result of those was a ruling to keep her out of for the next five years. In Germany in 2023, AfD received zero invitations to appear on state TV. And after AfD had a very successful election in 2024, anyway, we saw Germany's intelligence agency classify them as an extremist party, an extremist group. Fantini told me that he thinks these suppression efforts are going to create a backlash.

[Commentator]

I think societies, countries, here, political parties are going to move further and further to the right. I also think there's going to be more and more protests and manifestations and riots in some cases. Of course, all of this is going to be used by those in power to justify clamping down even more. Because the discourse you're already seeing in some places is, oh my gosh, the extreme right is growing. It's a threat to democratic stability. We need to do something.

[Megan Basham]

And then we just saw an example of this in the UK when British comedian Graham Linehan was arrested for posting three comments to X that were critical of the transgender movement. In response to that, J.K. rowling posted, what has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.

[Host]

Well, I think she's become kind of an avatar for a lot of Brits these days. Meghan, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

Yes, my pleasure.

[Host]

The FDA has removed emergency use authorization for Covid vaccines. And President Trump has targeted big pharma companies for more transparency over the shots.

[John Bickley]

Here are the details. Is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presa Giacomo. Hey Amanda. So some significant changes here from the FDA regarding the COVID vaccines. Tell us what they just did here.

[Amanda Presa Giacomo]

Yeah, so the FDA has removed what's called emergency use authorization during the pandemic. That rule was implemented so people could get the vaccine without having to first get approval from a doctor. It made the shots very widely accessible. Currently, folks who are considered high risk, that includes anyone over the age of 65 or anyone with an underlying medical condition, they'll still have that same accessibility. They won't have to go to their doctor first for a prescription. Now, healthy people, on the other hand, they can get the shot if they want, but they will have to have it recommended by a physician first. Here's FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary on that.

[Commentator]

The government's not going to stand in the way of somebody who wants to get a vaccine. And especially with the COVID vaccines. We've made it very clear if your doctor believes you, you need it, then you can get it. Now the FDA has authorized a new round of COVID vaccines with the updated strain for high risk individuals. We don't have data in healthy Americans, so we're not recommending it for healthy Americans.

[Amanda Presa Giacomo]

Makary also noted that by ending this emergency rule, it makes vaccine mandates legally impossible.

[Commentator]

We saw the heavy hand of government with the vaccine mandates with the COVID vaccine. No longer is that possible given the new landscape that we've created.

[Amanda Presa Giacomo]

Now. The criticism we are hearing from legacy media and some medical groups is that this change is going to decrease overall COVID vaccinations. It could also affect insurance coverage. That's not a total certainty, but some people could be paying around $150 or more for a Covid shot if they aren't high risk.

[John Bickley]

Now we also have President Trump weighing in on the COVID vaccines and Pfizer's handling of data. What did he recently say?

[Amanda Presa Giacomo]

Yeah, Trump really took it to big pharma companies over these vaccines. He posted on Truth Social that he wants these companies to justify the success of these drugs to the public. I'm going to read some of this post from Trump. Many people think the drugs are a miracle that saved millions of lives. Others disagree with the CDC being ripped apart over this question. I want the answer and I want it now. I have been shown information from Pfizer and others that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not? Also very interesting from that post, Trump for the first time ever, seems to question Operation Warp Speed. That got us these Covid vaccines very quickly. He wrote, quote, I hope Operation Warp Speed was as brilliant as many say it was. If not, we all want to know about it. And why now?

[John Bickley]

Trump mentioned some drama at the CDC in that post. Fill us in on what exactly he's talking about there.

[Amanda Presa Giacomo]

Yeah, Just last week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Fired CDC Director Susan Menarez for apparently not being on board with the Trump administration's agenda. She's currently in a legal fight over that firing, by the way. Now, in the wake of that ouster, several top CDC officials resigned. Vaccine policies and shakeups seem to be linked to most, if not all of those departures. There was also a New York Times op ed from nine former directors of the CDC condemning Kennedy and claiming that he's endangering every American's health. Now, there was a very poignant response to that from NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. He pointed out on Tuesday that at least two of those authors were in charge of the CDC when it embraced politicized school closures and COVID vaccine mandates. He added that the people criticizing Secretary Kennedy for his efforts to restore gold standard science is actually what harms public health.

[John Bickley]

Well, as we documented here, there's been a lot of public support behind really shaking things up at the cdc. So Kennedy probably feels he's got a mandate of sorts of efforts to do this. Amanda, thanks so much for reporting.

[Amanda Presa Giacomo]

You're welcome.

[Host]

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.

[John Bickley]

These are questions that take cultures thousands of years to answer. During Answer the Call, I take questions from people just like you about their problems, opportunities, challenges, or when they simply need advice.

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[John Bickley]

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