Shutdown Fallout Mounts & Congress Probes Political Violence | 10.28.25

Summary

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Morning Wire: Shutdown Fallout Mounts & Congress Probes Political Violence

Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley and Georgia Howe
Podcast: Morning Wire, The Daily Wire

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Episode Overview

This episode of Morning Wire covers the expanding consequences of the ongoing government shutdown as it approaches the one-month mark, explores fallout for both parties—especially the Democrats, and dives into Congressional hearings on political violence in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. The episode also provides updates on President Trump’s diplomatic efforts in Asia and the controversy surrounding his renovation of the White House East Wing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Escalating Fallout from the Government Shutdown

Segment Start: 02:35

• Air Travel in Crisis

  • 13,000 air traffic controllers miss their first paycheck, many resorting to gig work like DoorDash, worsening staffing shortages.
  • Major flight disruptions: "8,700 flights were delayed on Sunday and yesterday. More than 3,000 were delayed and over 100 were canceled outright." (John Bickley, 02:48)
  • Airports have become a "flashpoint" as both controllers and TSA staff are among the first hit.

• Labor Unions Turning on Democrats

  • The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union for federal workers, publicly demands an end to the shutdown.
    • Statement: "It's time for leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people rather than who is going to get the blame for the shutdown that Americans dislike." (Amber Joe Cooper, 03:45)
  • The union calls for a "clean continuing resolution," matching multiple Republican proposals rejected by Democrats.

• Food Stamps Set to Lapse

  • SNAP (food stamp) benefits expiring November 1st, impacting 40 million Americans.
    • "Not only is this affecting airports, but now some states... are going to have to be forced to cut off SNAP benefits." (Amber Joe Cooper, 04:49)
  • Both parties forced to confront the direct impact on constituents, while states like California start blaming Republicans for the lapse.

• Political Blame Game Intensifies

  • Reports of state agencies texting residents to blame Trump and Republicans for SNAP cuts.
  • Republicans retort, "Gavin Newsom using taxpayer money to spread political propaganda." (John Bickley, 05:18)
  • "Each new disruption is going to hit Democrats harder than Republicans." (John Bickley, 05:40)

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2. Congressional Probe into Political Violence

Segment Start: 06:58

• Assassination of Charlie Kirk Spurs Hearing

  • Republican Senator Eric Schmidt leads Senate hearings on left-wing political violence.

• Senator Eric Schmidt on the Left's Violence

  • "This isn't a one off thing. This is sort of an ideology that's taken hold now... Over 55% on the left believe it's at least somewhat justifiable to assassinate President Trump. There's a problem." (Sen. Eric Schmidt, 07:25)
  • Goal is to “expose the truth... overwhelmingly coming from one side.”

• Historical Perspective

  • Left-wing violence is not new: "You could go back to the 1960s with the Weather Underground, but it's playing out now at a more rapid pace and a much bigger scale..." (Sen. Eric Schmidt, 08:13)

• Testimony from Michael Knowles

  • Invited due to being targeted by leftist violence, specifically at the University of Pittsburgh.
    • "There was a large demonstration. They burnt me in effigy, lit the street on fire. Then two antifa operatives showed up and threw smoke bombs and a large explosive firework at police—seriously injuring a female officer." (Michael Knowles, 08:57)
  • Claims “left-wing violence is underreported or misclassified”:
    • "The way that the Democrats are able to make the claim that most political violence comes from the right is by not counting any of the left wing violence." (Michael Knowles, 09:55)
    • BLM riots often "not classified as left wing violence".
  • Praises focused federal action:
    • "The federal government has successfully dismantled the Ku Klux Klan, organized crime… President Trump putting this renewed focus on it, I think is very important." (Michael Knowles, 10:48)

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3. White House & Trump Foreign Policy Updates

Segment Start: 11:37

• Trump’s Asia Tour and Trade Deals

  • Fresh from a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, Trump heads to Japan and meets new PM Sanae Takaichi, called a “protégé of Shinzo Abe”.

  • Japan agrees to buy more "American pickup trucks, oil and gas, and agricultural products." (Cabot Phillips, 11:56)

  • Ongoing trade deals: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and now Japan.

  • Anticipation builds for Thursday’s Trump-Xi Jinping (China) meeting; investors optimistic about deal on tariffs and rare-earth minerals.

    • Market Reaction: "Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500 all hit record highs on Monday... Investors believe that China is about to open up the flow of rare earth minerals as part of this looming deal." (Cabot Phillips, 13:11)

• White House East Wing Renovation Controversy

  • Trump demolishes the East Wing for a 90,000 sq. ft. ballroom funded by private donations.
    • "Often they were forced to erect makeshift tents on the White House lawn... posed a lot of security concerns." (Cabot Phillips, 14:20)
  • Historical context provided: Prior presidents have renovated, but the backlash is unprecedented.
    • "Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, FDR, Truman, Nixon, Obama, all of them added things... But it is Donald Trump who is bearing the brunt of the criticism..." (Mary Margaret Olihan, 14:49)

• Legal Challenge

  • A lawsuit alleges violation of the National Historic Preservation Act—yet the administration claims it operates within its rights.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Shutdown’s Human Toll:

  • "We've already seen reports of air traffic controllers taking second jobs as DoorDash drivers and things like that to supplement their income."
    – John Bickley (02:48)

• On SNAP (Food Stamps):

  • "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are expiring on November 1st, and that will impact 40 million people."
    – Amber Joe Cooper (04:49)

• On Political Violence:

  • "This is sort of an ideology that's taken hold now... where assassinating people you disagree with is justifiable to these people."
    – Sen. Eric Schmidt (07:25)
  • "The way that the Democrats are able to make the claim that most political violence comes from the right is by not counting any of the left wing violence."
    – Michael Knowles (09:55)

• On Market and Economic Confidence:

  • "Gold, cryptocurrency and oil prices all spiked on Monday and global markets rallied to all time highs across Asia..."
    – Cabot Phillips (13:11)

• On the White House Renovation:

  • "Keep in mind, Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, FDR, Truman, Nixon, Obama, all of them added things to the White House or made certain renovations or removed things away. But it is Donald Trump who is bearing the brunt of the criticism here..."
    – Mary Margaret Olihan (14:49)
  • “A little late for that lawsuit.”
    — Georgia Howe (15:52)

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Key Timestamps

• 02:35 – Start of Shutdown coverage: pay delays and union position shifts
• 04:49 – Food stamp (SNAP) expiration and political implications
• 06:58 – Congressional hearing on political violence and testimony preview
• 08:57 – Michael Knowles recounts personal experience with leftist political violence
• 11:37 – Trump’s Asia diplomacy: trade deals, economic reactions
• 14:20 – White House renovation controversy explained
• 14:49 – Historical perspective on White House changes
• 15:29 – Legal challenges to East Wing demolition

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Summary

This Morning Wire episode delivers an in-depth look at two of the country’s most contentious ongoing stories: the deepening government shutdown and the rising tide of political violence, with both issues refracted through a distinctly conservative lens.

• The shutdown’s pain is spreading, hitting workers, travelers, and millions of SNAP recipients, with Democrats now struggling against pressure from labor unions and enduring bad optics as disruptions mount.
• On political violence, the assassination of Charlie Kirk ignites Congressional hearings, with Republican leaders and conservative commentators asserting that left-wing extremism is underreported and minimized.
• Finally, significant updates on President Trump’s diplomatic successes in Asia and the domestic uproar over a grand White House ballroom expansion round out a fast-moving, news-packed episode.

Listeners are left with a clear sense of deepening partisan divides, rising political stakes, and an administration unafraid of controversy at home or abroad.

Transcript

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[Georgia Howe]

The stakes get higher as the government shutdown approaches one month. With looming air travel delays and food stamps on the verge of running out.

[John Bickley]

I can't guarantee you that your flight's going to be on time.

[Cabot Phillips]

I can't guarantee you that your flight's not going to be canceled.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Tuesday, October 28th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Host]

Nearly two months after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, political violence takes center stage in a congressional hearing today. Daily Wire's Michael Knowles is set to testify.

[Michael Knowles]

The way that the Democrats are able to make the claim that most political violence comes from the right is by not counting any of the left wing violence.

[Georgia Howe]

And President Trump's seismic East Wing demolition continues to shake things up in D.C.

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New York.

[Amber Joe Cooper]

It belongs to us.

[Host]

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

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[Host]

The government shutdown is dragging on, but we finally got some updates, and they're not good news for Democrats.

[Georgia Howe]

Here to walk us through it is Daily Wire D.C. bureau Chief Tim Rice. So, Tim, we're about to see the next big wave of repercussions, correct?

[John Bickley]

Yeah, that's right. Georgia 13,000 air traffic controllers are set to miss their first paycheck of the shutdown today, and that's bound to make an already bad situation significantly worse. We've already seen reports of air traffic controllers taking second jobs as doordash drivers and things like that to supplement their income. And that's led to some pretty significant staffing shortages. 8,700 flights were delayed on Sunday and yesterday. More than 3,000 flights were delayed and over 100 were canceled outright. Now airports have become a real flashpoint. During this shutdown, air traffic controllers and TSA agents were among the first workers to see their pay impacted. And of course, hating flight delays is something every American can rally behind. We reported last week that a couple of major airline pilot unions were calling for an end to a shutdown, and that turned out to be a major precursor of what was to come. I spoke to Daily Wire congressional correspondent Amber Joe Cooper about another union that just threw a wrench at Democrats plans.

[Amber Joe Cooper]

The largest union representing 800,000 federal workers, the American Federation of Government Employees. They're issuing a statement calling for the Senate to pass the continuing resolution to end the shutdown. The president, Everett Kelly, said that it's time for leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people rather than who is going to get the blame for the shutdown that Americans dislike. And she's also calling for back pay for every single employee who has been forced to stay home.

[John Bickley]

And just last week they blamed Trump and congressional Republicans for keeping the government closed. And while this statement doesn't lay the blame on either party in particular, the union calls for a clean continuing resolution, which is what Republicans have introduced over a dozen times times and what Democrats keep rejecting.

[Georgia Howe]

So a pretty major upset for Democrats there. Now. What about food stamps?

[John Bickley]

Yeah. In addition to flight delays and organized labor turning against them, Democrats also have to contend with the fact that food stamp benefits will lapse starting this Friday, November 1st. Here's Amber Joe again.

[Amber Joe Cooper]

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are expiring on November 1st, and that will impact 40 million people. I think there's definitely some added pressure given that so many people are on food stamps. You know, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said on Monday that not only is this affecting airports, but now some states such as his own, are going to have to be forced to cut off SNAP benefits. So it's definitely one of the big talking points this week.

[John Bickley]

Of course, food stamps are not an explicitly partisan issue, and lawmakers from both parties are going to have to explain this disruption to their constituents. And Republicans aren't the only ones going on the offensive. We reported yesterday that the California Department of Social Services is texting residents blaming the imminent SNAP disruption on Trump and Republicans. Now, Republicans were quick to dismiss this as Gavin Newsom using taxpayer money to spread political propaganda, but we're now at a point where each new disruption is going to hit Democrats harder than Republicans.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, something's got to give at some point. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[John Bickley]

You bet.

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[Georgia Howe]

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has prompted a congressional hearing today organized by Republican Senator Eric Schmidt on politically violent attacks. The hearing seeks to examine the origins of political violence and extremism, which has come largely from the left in recent years.

[Host]

Senator Schmidt joins us now. Senator, thank you for coming on the show. So you've organized this hearing and this issue is obviously a high priority for you. What are the goals of the proceedings today?

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

Well, I think the assassination of Charlie Kirk brought left wing Political violence really front and center. And I think it needs to be exposed. This isn't a one off thing. This is sort of an ideology that's taken hold now when you have 25% of those who describe themselves as very liberal believe political violence justified. Over 55% of those on the left believe it's at least somewhat justifiable to assassinate President Trump. There's a problem. And I think if we're ever going to get on the other side of this and get to healing, where we can say free speech, yes, political violence, no, we have to expose the truth, which is that this is overwhelmingly coming from one side.

[Cabot Phillips]

Right.

[Host]

You and your colleagues have not shied away from putting the onus of political violence on the left in recent years. Democrats say that's unfair. But what's the truth here? Is there actual imbalance in terms of violence in the U.S. well, I think.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

That'S part of the hearing. We want to hear from people who've suffered from political violence specifically, but also to lay out the truth and the statistics of what's going on. You know, and this is not particularly new on the left. I mean, you could go back to the 1960s with the weather Underground, but it's playing itself out now at a more rapid pace, a much bigger scale and an ideology that's sort of wrapped up in a culture of death where assassinating people you disagree with is justifiable to these people.

[Host]

Senator, thank you so much for joining us. Now, among those testifying at the hearing today is Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, and he joins the show now. Michael, good to have you back on.

[Michael Knowles]

It's my pleasure to be here.

[Host]

So you were obviously invited to this hearing for specific reasons. Tell us about that and what you plan to address.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, I was invited largely because I was the target of leftist violence on a few occasions, but of organized leftist violence specifically. Two years ago, this was at the University of Pittsburgh. I was doing a debate on the topic of transgenderism. There was a large demonstration. They burnt me in effigy, lit the street on fire. And then two antifa operatives showed up and threw smoke bombs at the attendees and the police and then threw an explosive, a large explosive firework at the police and seriously injured one female police officer, gave her life altering injuries, took her out of work for at least a year and also injured other police officers as well. Happily, there was one intrepid FBI agent in the crowd and he had noticed the uptick in left wing violence at these conservative speaker events. And it was only because he really pushed this up through the doj that any charges were brought at all. So these were two people who were members of an anarchist cell, part of the Torch antifa network. The guy had set off TSA scanners with explosive material multip. It's an illustrative example of violence because if you look up left wing ideologically motivated violence in any of the databases that concern it or at the federal government level, you won't find it, it won't turn up. That just doesn't exist. And this is true for a lot of examples of left wing violence, perhaps most notably the BLM riots, which are just simply not classified as left wing violence. So the way that the Democrats are able to make the claim that most political violence comes from the right is by not counting any of the left wing violence. So we're gonna call attention that fact, as well as to the fact that now even the honest liberals cannot hold up the lie that the violence is coming from the right.

[Host]

What do you think the federal government's role should be in addressing politically motivated violence? Is there a line which they should not cross?

[Michael Knowles]

I don't think we're at fear of over policing left wing terrorists, okay? I think we're barely policing them at all. The federal government has successfully dismantled the Ku Klux Klan, has successfully dismantled organized crime using all sorts of statutes, going after them for rico, for conspiracy, all the way up to tax evasion, I suppose. And so President Trump putting this renewed focus on it, I think is very important because the left has dismissed this as a concern by lying and saying that the political violence is a right wing phenomenon. And it has allowed this problem to fester. So much so that we saw its tragic apotheosis in the murder of Charlie Kirk, and we cannot allow that to continue anymore.

[Host]

Indeed. Well, we'll certainly be watching your testimony with interest here. In fact, I should note that Daily Wire is streaming it live today. Michael, thanks for coming on.

[Michael Knowles]

Pleasure's all mine. Good to see you.

[Host]

President Trump continues his swing through Asia as Democrat and media backlash builds over his White House renovation.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here with more. So, Cabot, let's start on the other side of the globe, where Trump continues to seek out new trade deals ahead of his sit down with President Xi. What's the latest there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, after brokering that big peace deal Sunday between Thailand and Cambodia, and then rolling out a slew of new trade deals elsewhere, Trump headed to Japan. And he got the world treatment. With famous landmarks across Tokyo all lighting up with red, white and blue displays the president first joined Emperor Naruhito for a brief ceremony at the Imperial palace before meeting with the country's newly elected prime minister, Sanai Takei. Takaichi calls herself a protege of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was arguably Trump's closest friend and ally on the global stage. And thankfully for Trump, Takaichi holds very similar views to Abe and made her affinity for the president well known, calling him a, quote, very cheerful and fun person. Following their sit down. Now, the new prime minister also vowed to increase purchases of American pickup trucks, oil and gas and agricultural products as well. There was also talk of new shipbuilding agreements. So Trump is not leaving Japan empty handed. The White House says that it's yet more proof that the threat of Donald Trump's tariffs pushes our trading partners to make deals favorable to the US So deals announced now with Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and also Malaysia on Sunday. And now Japan gets added to the list on Monday. But the world is still really waiting to see what will come of this high stakes meeting on Thursday with China.

[Georgia Howe]

Now have we heard anything about that yet?

[Cabot Phillips]

So officials from both sides have continued to meet and hammer out the framework of this deal. The White House says they're confident that both sides will agree to lower tariffs substantially and maybe even strike a permanent solution to the battle over TikTok as well. Now, for his part, Trump put it more bluntly saying, quote, I think we're going to come away with a deal. And while we certainly heard optimism like this before, only to see deals ultimately fizzle out and then even more tariffs rolled out, investors at least seem to think that this is a done deal. Gold, cryptocurrency and oil prices all spiked on Monday and global markets rallied to all time highs across Asia. The same thing happened here on Wall street as well. The Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500 all hit record highs on Monday. Leading the way were tech companies like Nvidia, which have been hobbled this year as a result of massive tariffs on semiconductors. And this is worth noting, Stateside shares fell for domestic mining companies. That is clearly a sign that investors believe that China is also about to open up the flow of rare earth minerals as part of this looming deal.

[Georgia Howe]

Now some other White House news here at home. President Trump has a major renovation going in the east wing that has drawn a lot of ire from the left. Where do things stand there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, the east wing of the White House has now been demolished to make way for a 90,000 square foot ballroom that the White House says will be funded entirely by private donations. The administration says that it's all a matter of practicality and safety, noting that in the past, if a president wanted to hold a large event honoring foreign dignitaries, often they were forced to erect makeshift tents on the White House lawn, which they said didn't look as nice and also, as you can imagine, posed a lot of security concerns. Here's Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan with more on this ongoing saga.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Keep in mind, Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, fdr, Truman, Nixon, Obama, all of them added things to the White House or made certain renovations or removed things away. But it is Donald Trump who is bearing the brunt of the criticism here for his addition of the ballroom, which many presidents have talked about wanting to have a bigger space. I'm also told that with this new ballroom, people will be safer, there will be security additions, and it will be a legacy for presidential administrations to come. So lots of controversy over this specific addition to the White House. Some are even calling for future presidents to tear it down.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now, it's worth noting there are already some on the left attempting to mount a legal challenge to block the project entirely. A Virginia couple filed a motion in a D.C. federal court last week seeking a temporary restraining order against the demolition, arguing to the court that it violates the National Historic Preservation Act. But the administration says they are well within their authority to make renovations the same way that so many presidents before them have done.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, a little late for that lawsuit. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

[Host]

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

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