National Security Shakeup & Abortion Pill Dangers | 5.2.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary
Episode: National Security Shakeup & Abortion Pill Dangers
Release Date: May 2, 2025
Host/Authors: John Bickley and Georgia Howe
Produced By: The Daily Wire

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National Security Shakeup

President Trump's Strategic Restructuring

In this episode of Morning Wire, John Bickley and Georgia Howe discuss the recent significant changes within President Donald Trump's national security team. The administration has faced rising tensions with Russia, particularly concerning threats to Ukraine's sovereignty, prompting Trump to make pivotal adjustments to his security apparatus.

Mike Waltz's Transition

At [00:04], John Bickley announces, "President Trump shakes up his national security team as Russia threatens to make Ukraine disappear." This sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the administration's response to escalating geopolitical threats.

Cabot Phillips provides insight into the media's portrayal of these changes, suggesting, “[00:09] I think the media wants to frame this as a firing. Donald Trump has fired a lot of people.” He further explains at [00:14], “He doesn't give them Senate confirmed appointments afterward,” highlighting Trump's unconventional approach to staffing his administration.

A pivotal moment occurs when it's revealed that Mike Waltz, the National Security Advisor, is not being fired but reassigned as the Ambassador to the United Nations. At [01:48], Phillips notes, “His nomination to UN Ambassador certainly shocked a lot of people,” shedding light on the underlying reasons for Waltz's reassignment, including past controversies and ideological differences within the White House.

Ideological Debates Within the Administration

The episode delves into the ideological rift between hawkish, Reagan-style Republicans and more dovish, non-interventionist members of the administration. Phillips explains at [03:26], “On one side are the more traditional, hawkish, Reagan style Republicans. They want to take a more aggressive approach in places like the Middle East. And on the other are the more dovish non interventionists.”

This internal debate influences Trump’s foreign policy decisions, particularly regarding the ongoing Ukraine peace deal. The administration's new minerals deal, as discussed at [02:30], aims to establish a reconstruction investment fund managed equally by the US and Ukraine, ensuring sustained American economic interests in the region.

Senate's Role in Advancing Trump’s Agenda

Senate Majority Leader John Thune plays a crucial role in supporting Trump's legislative objectives. In his interview with Mary Margaret Olihan, he emphasizes the Senate's commitment to energy independence, military rebuilding, border security, tax relief, and fiscal responsibility. Howe quotes Thune at [07:37], “I think the president campaigned on and we need to deliver on for the American people,” underscoring the administration’s focus on fulfilling campaign promises to maintain Republican majorities in Congress.

Abortion Pill Dangers

New Study Reveals Higher Risks Associated with Mifepristone

Transitioning to a pressing health issue, Morning Wire highlights a groundbreaking study indicating that the abortion pill, mifepristone (also known as mifeprex), poses significantly higher risks than previously acknowledged by the FDA. At [03:39], Bickley states, “And a new study suggests the abortion pill may be far more dangerous than the FDA has admitted.”

Study Findings and Expert Opinions

Investigative reporter Mairead Elordi presents startling statistics: “[10:14] In 2023, about 11.2% of a total of more than 150,000 women experienced a serious adverse event after taking the mifepristone abortion pill.” This rate starkly contrasts the FDA's claims of a less than 0.5% serious adverse reaction rate. Dr. Christina Francis adds credibility to these findings at [12:21], explaining, “Women aren't being properly monitored by their Doctor when they take these pills,” particularly noting the shift to online dispensation without adequate medical oversight.

Regulatory Implications and Future Outlook

The episode discusses the potential ramifications of these findings on FDA policies. Martin Makary, head of the FDA, is quoted at [14:07], “...if the data suggests something or tells us that there's a real signal, then we can't promise we're not going to act on that data that we have not yet seen.” This openness indicates that the FDA may reconsider current guidelines governing the prescription and distribution of mifepristone if further evidence supports these alarming complication rates.

Political and Social Impact

Doug Truax of the Foundation for the Restoration of America critiques the politicization of drug approval processes, stating at [11:07], “This has been, it looks to me, highly politicized data just like all the other data.” The episode underscores the intersection of healthcare, politics, and regulatory practices, highlighting the need for informed consent and greater transparency in medical treatments.

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Morning Wire continues to provide in-depth analysis of critical national and social issues, offering listeners comprehensive insights into the evolving political and health landscapes. This episode underscores the administration’s strategic maneuvers in national security and the urgent need to address public health concerns related to widely used medications.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

President Trump shakes up his national security team as Russia threatens to make Ukraine disappear.

[Cabot Phillips]

I think the media wants to frame this as a firing. Donald Trump has fired a lot of people.

[Georgia Howe]

He doesn't give them Senate confirmed appointments afterward.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, May 2nd, and this is Morning Wire.

[John Thune]

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the most powerful member of the Senate Senate, sits down with Morning Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

I think that the president's agenda is the one the American people wants to see accomplished.

[John Bickley]

And a new study suggests the abortion pill may be far more dangerous than the FDA has admitted.

[Christina Francis]

This is much different than the lie that women have been told that these drugs are safer than Tylenol.

[John Thune]

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

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[John Thune]

As the Trump administration works to secure trade deals with China and end the war in Ukraine, the president announced a leadership shakeup at the White House.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips is here now with the latest at Gabbit. So 100 days in, we have our first major shakeup on a senior level at the White House. What exactly happened here?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, a roller coaster story from the White House. On Thursday in the morning, numerous outlets reported that President Trump was firing his national security advisor, Mike Waltz. But hours later, Trump threw a major curveball, announcing that Waltz would be leaving his role as NSA but would be nominated to serve as ambassador to the United Nations. Writing on Truth Social, the president said, quote, from his time in uniform on the battlefield in Congress and as my national security advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our nation's interests first. I know he'll do the same in his new role. Now, the president had initially tapped Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to serve as UN Ambassador, but she withdrew with the White House, saying her efforts would be better served in the House, where Republicans hold a slim majority. So now Waltz stepping in.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. Republicans certainly want to protect that majority in the House. Like you said, it's very slim. Now, exactly what happened with Waltz, do we know?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, his nomination to UN Ambassador certainly shocked a lot of people, but his removal as National Security Advisor did seem like it was a long time coming. Remember, Waltz was responsible for accidentally adding Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to that now infamous Signal chat. Trump initially stood by him following that scandal, but from what we're hearing, after that story broke, the president started asking around with his team for their thoughts on Waltz. That's never a good sign in the White House. The pressure campaign to relieve him reportedly grew as some within the White House started to express concerns that his more hawkish views did not reflect the America first foreign policy, which widely tends to be more dovish. But the fact he's staying on as UN Ambassador shows Donald Trump still views him as a valuable asset.

[John Bickley]

Certainly does. Now, what comes next for the administration's foreign policy?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, in the short term, Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be stepping in as National Security Advisor. As far as a long term replacement, the most likely scenario is that Trump promotes someone from within. Some names that have been floated already include Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, NSC Director of Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, or Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. But playing the prediction game when it comes to Trump is, as we know, a usually fruitless endeavor. Now, more broadly, it is an open secret in Washington that there is this ideological debate raging within the administration on foreign policy. On one side are the more traditional, hawkish, Reagan style Republicans. They want to take a more aggressive approach in places like the Middle East. And on the other are the more dovish non interventionists. They want the US to use soft power and largely stay out of foreign entanglements if at all possible. Whoever Trump ultimately picks for this position moving forward could tell us a lot about which of those ideologies is winning out in the administration.

[John Bickley]

Now, this all comes as the US has made significant progress on this Ukraine peace deal. What's the latest on that?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, big news there. The White House announced that after months of intense negotiations, they had reached an agreement on that long awaited minerals deal. The agreement will create a new, quote, reconstruction investment fund which will be managed 5050 by the US and Ukraine. So moving forward, that means half of all revenues from new oil, gas and mineral projects in Ukraine will go into that fund. That'll help pay the US Back for the billions of dollars we've sent to help their war effort. Here's Treasury Secretary Scott Besant announcing the deal.

[John Bickley]

Today's agreement signals clearly to Russian leadership that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now, from a strategic standpoint, Zelensky likes this deal because it gives the US Extra incentive to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression because now we have more economic interest there. And Trump likes it because America will now have first dibs on Ukraine's rare earth minerals at a time when he's looking to reduce our reliance on China, which as we know, controls 90% of the world's rare earth minerals.

[John Bickley]

Absolutely crucial we diversify on those particular imports. Kevin, thanks so much for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

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[John Thune]

In order to implement his America first agenda, President Trump will be relying heavily on new Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan sat down with Thune this week to discuss the president's first 100 days and how the Senate is backing up Trump's agenda. She joins us now. Hey, Mary Margaret. So tell us about this interview.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Good morning, John. Yes, we are here at the United States Capitol where we just sat down with Senate Majority Leader John Thune for a wide ranging interview on the first 100 days of Donald Trump's second presidency. We talked about a variety of issues, including how this Senate Majority leader wants to help Trump implement his agenda. Take a look at this.

[Georgia Howe]

I think getting his team in place, helping move quickly. We confirmed his cabinet at the fastest rate in 20 years. We kept the Senate in session for 10 consecutive weeks for the first time in 15 years. And we hit 200 votes in the Senate for the first time at this point going back to the Reagan administration. But then we've got to start delivering on the legislative agenda. And that's where you get into energy independence. That's where you get into rebuilding the military, security, securing the border, providing tax relief for the American people and reducing spending and getting our country on a more sustainable fiscal path. Those are the things that we, the president campaigned on and we need to deliver on for the American people.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Thune talked about his different leadership styles and how he sought to help the president implement his agenda. Here's a little bit more on that.

[Georgia Howe]

I think the president has brought a brand new style of leadership that actually focuses on fixing problems that our country has, which is a refreshing relief after the last four years of the Biden administration. And you can start obviously with the Biden border policy and how the open border policy, the previous administration had created so many problems for our country. And so when Trump came in, he immediately took leadership on that issue. And you've seen a dramatic, and I say dramatic, a hugely consequential drop in the number of people coming across the border illegally. So I think it's been an incredibly successful, eventful and consequential first hundred days. And I'm looking forward to what's ahead. I think that the president's agenda is the one the American people wants to see accomplished. They want us to be good partners with him. And I think in the end, if we can succeed on the things the president campaigned on and the American people voted for, they're going to, they're going to want to continue to see Republicans in majorities in the House and the Senate and a Republican in the White House.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

We also touched on this point. He shared a little bit with us about what he's looking to do in the next 100 days and how he plans to help the president.

[Georgia Howe]

So I think the president's agenda on national security is important. There wasn't a single year in the Biden administration where their commitment to the military kept up even with the rate of inflation. So we've fallen behind in a lot of areas. And President Trump recognizes that, recognizes that we live in a dangerous world and we've got to be able to defend America and American interests. And so that's a priority. And the border security, I would argue, is right up there with that because that's also, in my view, a national security issue. And then I think on the economy, it's getting rid of burdensome Biden regulations, extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and then creating an energy policy that makes America energy dominant. I think those are all issues that feed into a strong economy that creates better paying jobs and makes the lives of Americans more prosperous.

[John Bickley]

A lot of goals there, but also A very narrow majority to navigate for the leader. Mary Margaret, thanks so much for joining us.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Thanks for having me.

[John Bickley]

Look for Mary Margaret's entire interview with the Senate majority leader this weekend on Morning Wire. The abortion pill is much more dangerous than the FDA claimed, with more than one in 10 women suffering serious complications.

[John Thune]

Daily Wire investigative reporter Mairead Elordi is here with the details. So Mairead, tell us about this study.

[Mairead Elordi]

Hi, Georgia. So this is some really striking data. In 2023, about 11.2% of a total of more than 150,000 women experienced a serious adverse event after taking the mifepristone abortion pill. This is according to new research commissioned by the foundation for the Restoration of America that works out to about 17,310 women, all just in 2023 who suffered serious adverse events. This can include hemorrhaging, needing a blood transfusion, an emergency room visit and even deadly conditions like sepsis. This is about 22 times higher than what the FDA claimed on its label for mifeprex, which is mifepristone. In 2023, the FDA cited clinical studies saying less than 0.5% of women suffered serious adverse reactions to mifepristone. Morningwire spoke to Doug Truax, founder of the foundation for the Restoration of America, which commissioned this study.

[Doug Truax]

If you had any other drug that was kind of like similar in terms of the magnitude of what this thing does, anywhere north of 2%, they'd shut it down. And so this has been, it looks to me, highly politicized data just like all the other data. At times the left lets out in terms of whether it's climate or crime Covid anything else, they have their political ideology and they've just been pushing this pill out there, loosening the restrictions. And especially after Dobbs came in and Roe went out, they just hell bent on just increasing the amount of abortions.

[John Thune]

Now where did the data come from and how did they calculate it?

[Mairead Elordi]

The research analyzed data from insurance claims for government insurers like Medicare and Medicaid between 2017 and 2023. So the data set only captures official complaints where treatment was sought. So if anything, it's an undercount. By the way, medication abortion is a two pill regimen. Mifepristone is usually followed by misoprostol to expel all of the fetal tissue which can cause life threatening complications. We spoke to Dr. Christina Francis, a board certified OB GYN who has been in practice for two decades. She said women aren't being properly monitored by their Doctor when they take these pills, the way that these, these pills.

[Christina Francis]

Are being dispensed now, many of them are being dispensed online where there's no relationship between the doctor and the patient who's taking them. And so women then are just abandoned to their local emergency room when they experience complications.

[John Thune]

Now, how much medical oversight is there currently for this drug? You've reported before that the guidelines were recently loosened.

[Mairead Elordi]

That's right. So mifepristone was originally approved by the FDA in 2000. For many years, women had to see a doctor in person to obtain the abortion pill. But a few months before Roe vs. Suede was overturned in 2022, the FDA scrapped that requirement. So now women can get it through the mail. This came as abortion advocates argued that the abortion pill should be more available to order online because some Republican led states were looking to ban abortion. Frances, the pro life OB gyn, said she visited her hospital's emergency room when one woman came in with severe complications from the drug.

[Christina Francis]

When the in person dispensing requirement was lifted. I went down to the emergency room to see a woman who was suffering from pretty severe complications related to these drugs infection. She needed a blood transfusion, she needed surgery. And one of the ER doctors pulled me aside and said, what has changed because we're seeing so many more women come in with these complications?

[Mairead Elordi]

Over the seven years this study looked at, the number of chemical abortions jumped dramatically from less than 100,000 to over 150,000 a year. The abortion pill is also likely the main factor driving up the country's total number of abortions. In recent years. Even with states passing pro life laws, medication abortions made up 63% of all abortions in 2023, up from 31% in 2014. That's according to the Pro Abortion Guttmacher Institute.

[John Thune]

Now could data like this make the FDA reconsider those guidelines for mifepristone?

[Mairead Elordi]

Well, the new head of the fda, Marty Makary, recently left the door open on restricting the abortion pill if new data about it came to light, although he said they don't currently have any plans to do that.

[Marty Makary]

So look, I believe as a scientist you gotta evolve as the data comes in. And as you may know, there is an ongoing set of data that is coming in to FDA on mifepristone. So if the data suggests something or tells us that there's a real signal, then we can't promise we're not going to act on that data that we have not yet seen.

[John Thune]

Well, at the very least informed consent is going to be important here. Mairead, thanks for reporting.

[Mairead Elordi]

Thanks, Georgia.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more news you need to know.