Rubio Takes The Podium & Appalachia Strikes It Rich | 5.6.26

Summary

Morning Wire – May 6, 2026

Episode: "Rubio Takes The Podium & Appalachia Strikes It Rich"
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Guests: Mary Margaret Olahan, Ben Domenech, Dan Turner
Released: May 6, 2026

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Overview

This episode covers significant political and economic developments, focusing on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s unprecedented role at a White House press briefing, the latest updates on the Iran conflict and ceasefire, notable primary election dynamics—including controversial candidates—and the groundbreaking discovery of a massive lithium deposit in Appalachia, poised to disrupt China's control over the resource. The episode weaves together on-the-ground reporting, expert analysis, and behind-the-scenes insights.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marco Rubio Takes the Podium: Historic White House Press Briefing

[02:38–05:50]

• With Press Secretary Caroline Levitt on maternity leave, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered the first ever White House briefing by a Secretary of State.
• Atmosphere: Rubio was described as “animated, excited, enjoying himself” and used humour to handle a room packed with reporters. ("He was just taking a stab in the dark… didn’t pay too much attention to the front row, which… means that he's given all the reporters a chance." — Mary Margaret Olahan, [03:19])
• He balanced serious topics with levity, notably responding calmly even when reporters pressed on contentious issues unlike previous aggressive interactions.
• Notable Quote:

  “He did a great job of calling on people all over the room, back, front… and he mixed in levity with more serious responses.”
  — Mary Margaret Olahan ([03:19])

Update on Iran Conflict

• Focused discussion on the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian naval mine activity, and the international response.
• Rubio framed Iran as the clear aggressor and subtly nudged China to pressure Iran diplomatically.
• Status of the ceasefire: No current end in sight; decision rests with the President. Rubio is set to meet the Pope in Rome to address Middle East issues amidst reported tensions with Catholic leadership.

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2. Pentagon Press Briefing: Ceasefire Thresholds & “Kamikaze Dolphins”

[05:50–07:10]

• General Dan Kaine declined to specify what might break the current ceasefire with Iran, reaffirming Iran hadn’t crossed that line.
• Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed the ceasefire is ongoing.
• Light moment: A question about rumors of Iranian “kamikaze dolphins” (animals trained to place mines) prompted laughter:

  “I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't.”
  — Dan Turner, [07:03])

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3. Key Primaries: Ohio & Maine—Rising Focus on Fraud and Radicalism

[08:20–12:40]

• Ohio Gubernatorial Race:

  • Republican: Vivek Ramaswamy (tech entrepreneur, anti-fraud platform) wins nomination; Democrat: Amy Acton runs uncontested.
  • Republican Messaging: Focused on targeting government waste, fraud, and abuse—a theme expected to dominate Republican campaigns nationwide.
  • Democrat Messaging: Concentrated on affordability and countering perceived Trump administration overreach.
  • Ben Domenech: “The idea that [Republicans] bring… a tech entrepreneurs approach to the way that they’d like to reform government, that type of reform candidacy… obviously elevated [Ramaswamy].” ([09:02])

• Maine Senate Race:

  • Democrat Graham Platner (controversial for radical online statements and an SS tattoo) gets party backing due to the strategic imperative of unseating Susan Collins.
  • Quote:

    “Graham Platner in Maine is one of the most radical people I think you've ever seen nominated for the U.S. Senate… But all the Democrats are really going to line up lockset behind this guy because they know there is no path for them taking the Senate without knocking off Susan Collins in Maine.”
    — Ben Domenech ([11:59])

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4. Lithium Discovery in Appalachia: A Game Changer

[12:42–17:08]

• The USGS announces 2.3 million metric tons of lithium discovered in Appalachia—enough for US needs for 300 years.

• Significance: US potential to break China’s near-monopoly (China largely controls global lithium supply via overseas mines, including in Australia and Chile).

  “China dominates this market… most of the Australian mining is owned by communist China. So this is a huge dent into their market share and they have to be petrified.”
  — Dan Turner ([13:23])

• Timeline: Production is a long-term prospect (optimistically 5, but more likely 10 years out). The discovery is already impacting market sentiment and could influence global prices.

• Political Challenges: If the White House turns Democrat (2028), expect opposition based on environmental grounds, often masking foreign economic interests.

  “If the White House flips Democrat in 2028… those [environmental] forces will come out opposed to this and say, ‘We can't have a lithium mine. What about the climate, what about the environmental impact?’ But they are funded by groups that have foreign investment interests.”
  — Dan Turner ([15:28])

• Foreign Disinformation: China is expected to covertly fund anti-mining campaigns, repeating tactics like those used by Russia against US fracking.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rubio’s Press Briefing:

  “He was clearly a little overwhelmed by the absolute, just packed nature of this room yesterday. So many reporters crowded in there.”
  — Mary Margaret Olahan ([03:19])

• Humor Amidst Tensions:

  “I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't.”
  — Dan Turner ([07:03])

• China’s Market Control:

  “Most of the Australian mining is owned by communist China. So this is a huge dent into their market share and they have to be petrified.”
  — Dan Turner ([13:23])

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Important Timestamps

• [02:38–05:50] – Marco Rubio conducts White House press briefing; updates on Iran and global diplomacy.
• [05:50–07:10] – Pentagon presser; ceasefire details and rumors of “kamikaze dolphins.”
• [08:20–12:40] – Ohio gubernatorial and Maine Senate primaries; discussions on election strategies, fraud, and extremism.
• [12:42–17:08] – Appalachia lithium discovery and its geopolitical, economic, and domestic policy ramifications.

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Closing

The episode delivers a detailed snapshot of current US political and global affairs—from diplomatic maneuvers and press room levity to campaign trail dynamics and the shifting landscape of critical resource supplies. The hosts highlight the ongoing battle for reliable information and analysis amidst a climate of media skepticism, while showcasing how significant political, economic, and technological developments could shape America's near future.

Transcript

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[John Bickley]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declares the War Powers act unconstitutional and the first phase of the Iran conflict officially over. Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, May 6th, Georgia's birthday and this is Morning Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

Key primaries in several states highlight both parties strategies, including Republicans. Increased focus on fraud I'm doing this

[Dan Turner]

because I know we can get this done.

[Ben Domenech]

This is not complex stuff, you know.

[Dan Turner]

Fixing the waste, fraud and abuse and

[John Bickley]

the discovery of a massive supply of lithium in Appalachia could disrupt China's grip on the crucial resource.

[Ben Domenech]

Being able to reduce our reliance on

[John Bickley]

China when we have these own resources within our own country, we should not only be extracting them here, we should be processing them here.

[Georgia Howe]

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

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[John Bickley]

[e-mail] the White House press briefing room looked very different yesterday with Press Secretary Caroline Levitt now officially on maternity leave. In her stead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a man of many roles, fielded a wide range of questions from the press. He also provided some crucial updates on the standoff with Iran.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us now for her perspective from inside the briefing room and earlier at the Pentagon is Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olahan. Mary Margaret, welcome back to the show.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Hey, guys, great to be here.

[Georgia Howe]

As John said, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt began her maternity leave yesterday. So we had Rubio in her place. What stood out to you from inside the room?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yes. So Secretary of State Marco Rubio took the podium yesterday and he gave us our first White House press briefing from the secretary of state. He was animated, he was excited. He was enjoying himself. The press were all laughing along with him and seemed like everyone really enjoyed having him there. He was clearly a little overwhelmed by the absolute, just packed nature of this room yesterday. So many reporters crowded in there. He joked a couple times that he had no idea who anyone was. So he was just taking a stab in the dark. So my fellow reporters and I, you know, we were all chomping at the bit trying to get a question. We were really hoping that we did. Not everyone did, obviously, but he did a great job of calling on people all over the room, back, front, didn't pay too much attention to the front row, which I personally love because it means that he's given all the reporters a chance. And he did, you know, he mixed in some levity with some more serious responses to questions. And he really didn't get mad at anyone, which I found interesting because I've seen him be a little more aggressive with reporters in the past. So I think he came in prepared to be congenial, to give answers to all the questions and to to do Caroline's job.

[Georgia Howe]

That said, he does have some serious content to address. One main focus was Iran. What did we hear from him on that front?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So we talked a lot about the Strait of Hormuz, which obviously is one of the biggest issues in the news right now. He talked about how Iran has been planting mines in the Strait of Hormuz and how that's in a direct attack on any of the people who are using it he talked about how Iran has really made themselves the bad guy in this situation and so places like China. He said he hopes that China is encouraging Iran to understand their situation on a global stage and realize that no one really likes him right now. He talked about whether or not there is an end to the ceasefire. He said that there is not right now. And he kind of echoed what Pete Hegseth told myself in other reporters, that the ceasefire is ongoing and that it's up to the President ultimately to decide what will cause that ceasefire to end. He also talked about going to Rome. One of the reporters asked him a question about this. This is something that I covered for the Daily Wire this week for our website. He's heading to Rome to make peace with the Pope after a lot of different confrontation between the President, between Pope Leo, between JD Vance, a lot of angst going on all over the world, between head of the Catholic Church and the President and the Vice president. Now Rubio, he didn't really buy into that framing, though we know that that's what's going on. He suggested that it was really the role of the Secretary of State to get out there to speak to the Pope, to engage with him on a lot of different matters. But we've been told already by the State Department that this visit is about the Middle East. So they'll be speaking about all of these issues and more and that will happen actually in the next couple days.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, you mentioned Hegseth. You attended a press conference yesterday with him and General Dan Kane. They also field a lot of questions from report. What did we learn from them yesterday?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So I specifically asked General Kaine, you know, he mentioned this threshold that the Iranians had not yet reached, a threshold that would cause us to end the ceasefire. And I said, okay, so what would necessitate that threshold being crossed? What does it take? He wouldn't really give me any specifics, but he did emphasize again that we Iran had not crossed that threshold. So the ceasefire was still in place. My friend Reagan Reese also asked Secretary Hegseth, is the ceasefire still in place? And he definitively said, yes, it is ongoing. So they answered a lot of questions on that. I also asked Secretary of War Pete Hagseth about the minds that Iran has been putting in the strait of horror moves. And I specifically asked him about kind of a funny question, but I think legitimate, about these kamikaze dolphins that we've been hearing about. I, I saw an analyst on CNN and Fox News separately talking about these kamikaze dolphins. Supposedly Iran wanted to use dolphins in order to put explosives in the Strait of Hormuz and attack the United States.

[John Bickley]

I haven't heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It's like sharks with laser beams, right? I can't confirm or deny whether we

[Dan Turner]

have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So a little bit of levity in a place we weren't expecting.

[Georgia Howe]

All right. Well, Mary Margaret, thank you so much. A lot to keep your eye on. Thanks for coming on the show.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Thanks for having me.

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[Georgia Howe]

Several key primaries took place yesterday, including for governor in Ohio, where we saw the two frontrunners lock in Democrat and GOP nominations. And the messaging we're hearing from both camps is being echoed in other key races across the country.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now is Daily Wire opinion editor Ben Domenech, host of the Big Ben Show. Ben, great to have you back on.

[Ben Domenech]

Great to be with you as always.

[John Bickley]

So let's start with Ohio. Key gubernatorial primary there with both of the favorites doing what we thought they'd do. Vivek Ramaswamy won for the Republicans the nomination and then Amy Acton ran uncontested for Democrats so locked that in. What stood out to you about the focus of their campaign campaigns in Ohio?

[Ben Domenech]

Well, I think that what you saw here was pretty much a playbook for the way that this year is going to go politically. In the closing days of the election, you saw, you know, on the Democrat side a focus on affordability, on an emphasis on pushing back against what's viewed as overreach by the Trump administration. And then when it came to the Republican side, Vivek Ramaswamy is someone who has always leaned into fighting against fraud. And basically the idea that he brings, you know, a tech entrepreneurs approach to the way that he'd like to reform government, that type of reform candidacy, is one that obviously elevated him within the presidential stakes to the point where he was considered for a lot of different positions. He decided instead to run for this office. And I think that what you're going to see across the country is a lot of Republicans embracing the idea that Democrats are the representatives and defenders of waste, fraud and abuse. That is happening on a scale that I think Americans until this year perhaps were not as familiar with on a state and local level. They thought of Washington as being the place where your money goes to be wasted. It turns out it can be wasted in your neighborhood and community just as well.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, great point there. And it is notable that Ramaswamy cited Luke Rosiak's report. So fraud clearly becoming a dominant focus. What else are Republicans specifically hitting? Obviously, the economy and the Iran war are kind of hanging over everything. How are Republicans positioning themselves?

[Ben Domenech]

I think Republican candidates are going to stress that affordability is a situation where Democrats just don't have an answer for it. They don't actually have any solutions really when it comes to increasing affordability for Americans. They aren't willing to actually go down the road of cutting government spending in any way or of dealing with the type of regulations they've put into place that increase the cost for the average family. And I think one of the other things that people are really hoping on the Republican side is that if the Iran war and conflict driven price of gasoline is something that can be addressed in short order, meaning before the summer, that it's something that they can recover from. And then finally, I think the message that they've got is about overall governance and competence. There's an attitude on the Democratic side that they can nominate all of these different radical people who have no record whatsoever in terms of doing anything for the communities that they are trying to represent. And what you can see in certain times like this is that candidates get nominated who don't deserve to be nominated. And if they turn out to be too radical, voters will still reject them.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, I think on this topic of radical candidates, Graham Platner in Maine certainly stands out, especially with the national attention he's gotten in this Nazi tattoo. Is the party, Democratic Party, coalescing behind him there? And why isn't this seen as a major risk?

[Ben Domenech]

So that's a great question. Graham Platner in Maine is one of the most radical people I think you've ever seen nominated for the U.S. senate. He's somebody who has said crazy things online and also, of course, had to deal with the fact that he had an SS tattoo on his chest, literally. And the thing that is so disturbing about it is all the Democrats are really going to line up locks set behind this guy because they know there is no path for them taking the Senate without knocking off Susan Collins in Maine. And so because of that, they are willing to swallow a pill this bitter.

[John Bickley]

Clearly the Democrats very desperate to gain control again of the Senate. And we're seeing that really play out in these campaigns. Ben, thanks for coming on.

[Ben Domenech]

Great to be with you.

[Georgia Howe]

The U.S. geological Survey has announced a potentially game changing discovery in Appalachia. 2.3 million metric tons of lithium, a large enough deposit to last the US for three centuries. With lithium now crucial to most of our electronic devices, the discovery could disrupt China's near monopoly on the lithium supply chain.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now is Dan Turner, founder and executive director of Power the Future. Dan, thanks for coming on.

[Dan Turner]

Great to be with you. Thanks for having me.

[John Bickley]

So we just had this major announcement about this massive lithium deposit found in Appalachia, enough to replace more than 300 years worth of imports. What can you tell us about this discovery?

[Dan Turner]

Yeah, it's a remarkable discovery. What's valuable about lithium is that like a lot of hard metals, it is an amazing energy conductor, but it is incredibly malleable. You can cut lithium with a knife, but you can bring it up to temperatures of a thousand degrees and it doesn't lose its shape. And that's what makes it so valuable, is that you can bend it and twist it. And when you think of your smart devices and how thin they are, you need lithium that can conduct electricity without getting to that high temperature and also have these very intricate, tiny little shapes. And so lithium's use and usage is going to explode tenfold. We need more lithium, not less. The fact that we have found it now in abundance in America is just great news. China dominates this market. Not only they are the third largest lithium producers in the world, but the first and second largest, Australia and Chile. Those are all Chinese mines. Most of the Australian mining is owned by communist China. So this is a huge dent into their market share and they have to be petrified.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. And I don't think a lot of people know that, that Australian mines are actually communist China owned. This is a very exciting, you know, announcement from a resource independence standpoint. What would it take to get to the point where we're reliably using this lithium in domestic production flows?

[Dan Turner]

This is going to be at least, you know, optimistically, five more likely a ten year plan. Right. Mining like this does take an awful lot of time to bring online. They can get shut down really quickly. But to get this operational is going to take some time. But that will be buil into market prices and market shares. Kind of. Similarly, the way we're seeing the huge spike in oil, even though we don't have a supply problem here in America, the markets look at what's happening in Iran and they're nervous and that's built into the price. So conversely, lithium markets are going to see this and say, wow, the future is really bright, the future is shifting and that will have a huge impact on pricing as well.

[John Bickley]

So right now we have a very production and energy friendly administration. If we do end up under a Democratic administration, net next, would you see that putting up roadblocks?

[Dan Turner]

Oh, 100%. And they will try to reverse this if the White House flips Democrat in 2028. And this will be a campaign speech. Right. And mostly because it's funded by those who have interests in overseas lithium. Tom Steyer is one of the largest. His hedge fund is one of the largest investors in overseas mining. And yet he will run on a green platform and say we need to have no coal in America. Those same forces will come out opposed to this and say we can't have a lithium mine. What about the climate, what about the environmental impact? But they are funded by groups that have foreign investment interests.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. To put an even finer point on this, is it too far to say that communist Chinese actors will be very much involved in working against this operation?

[Dan Turner]

Not at all. Not at all. Similarly, go back to 2015 and 16 and this was proven by the House Committee on Science. The majority of the social media posts on fracking and banning fracking were paid for by the Russians because they did not want fracking to take place in America. They knew Donald Trump would expand fracking and that's bad for their market share. So foreign interests have always co opted the environmental movement and quite frankly a lot of the environmental activists here in America know they are foreign funded but they don't care. But China will absolutely pay groups. They'll use shell corporations and, you know, overseas nonprofits, and they'll funnel it through their myriad web of nonprofits to get the money. But they will fund direct campaigns to stop this because they don't want to see their corner of the market disappear.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. No doubt we'll be seeing that messaging battle heating up very soon. Dan Turner, thank you so much for joining us.

[Dan Turner]

My pleasure.

[Georgia Howe]

Before you go, we wanted to give you a massive thank you. The Daily Wire just won two trophies from the Media Research Center's annual awards, and our show was given outstanding podcast.

[John Bickley]

We wanted to note, too, that Daily Wire's immigration reporter, Jenny Terry, Dailywire, won the Outstanding Reporter award. All of this means a lot to us, and we just appreciate you so much, tuning in every day and making this possible.

[Georgia Howe]

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