Shutdown Nears End & “Black Box” Warning Reversed | 11.12.25

Summary

Morning Wire: “Shutdown Nears End & ‘Black Box’ Warning Reversed”

Podcast: Morning Wire
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Date: November 12, 2025

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Overview

This episode covers two major stories: the approaching resolution of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, with a focus on the politics behind the deal and media coverage; and a landmark decision by the FDA to remove black box warnings from hormone replacement therapy drugs, reversing a more than two-decade-old stance and sparking discussion about medical groupthink and the influence of flawed studies. The show also reflects on Veterans Day remarks by President Trump and offers analysis on the healthcare debate and media bias.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Government Shutdown: End in Sight and Political Fallout

Segment begins ~[02:35]

• Senate has approved reopening the government, with eight Democrats breaking ranks; the bill heads to the House, with votes planned for later that day.
• The political climate is highly charged, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer facing calls within his own party to step down, potentially even being primaried by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2028.
• The continuing resolution will fund the government only through the end of January, potentially setting the stage for another shutdown debate and a renewed fight over healthcare subsidies.
• Republican Speaker Mike Johnson distances himself from the Senate deal, and President Trump floats the idea of "Trumpcare," suggesting subsidies should directly benefit individuals through health savings accounts rather than insurance companies ([05:16]):

  “Instead of going to the insurance companies, I want the money to go into an account for people where the people buy their own health insurance. If we did that, that would be so exciting. And call it Trumpcare.” – President Trump ([05:16])

• President Trump also gave a keynote at Arlington National Cemetery for Veteran's Day, highlighting stories of American military valor ([05:47]).

2. FDA Reverses Black Box Warning on Hormone Replacement Therapy

Segment begins ~[08:08]

• The FDA, under Commissioner Dr. Martin Carey, is removing “black box” warnings from hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs for menopause—warnings initially based on a flawed 2002 study linking HRT to breast cancer.
• Fewer than 5% of menopausal women currently use HRT, with experts estimating that 50–70 million women were discouraged from treatment due to the previous warnings.
• Dr. Makary, interviewed by the show, outlines profound benefits when HRT is started within years of menopause, emphasizing that the previous policy denied women life-changing or life-saving options:

  “Women who go through menopause and start hormone replacement therapy have profound short term and long term health benefits, including reducing the risk of bone fractures by 50 to 60% later in life, reducing the risk of fatal heart attacks by 30 to 50%... and reducing cognitive decline.” – Dr. Makary ([09:34]) “There may be no medication in the modern era aside from perhaps antibiotics or vaccines that can improve the health outcomes of women on a population level more than hormone replacement therapy started within 10 years of the onset of menopause.” – Dr. Makary ([09:53])

• The FDA’s move is widely praised by major medical groups (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The Menopause Society, et al.) and even by heterodox voices like Dr. Peter Attia:

  “An incredible mistake was made 25 years ago, and it's very hard not to argue that this is the greatest single failure of the modern medical system.” – Dr. Peter Attia ([11:45])

• The FDA frames the decision as a rejection of groupthink and fear-driven policy, solidifying a return to evidence-based medicine ([10:34]).

3. Media Bias in Shutdown Coverage

Segment begins ~[12:52]

• Senior editor Virginia Kruta cites a Media Research Center (MRC) study showing 87% of network shutdown coverage favored Democrats; only 13% was critical of them.

  “The numbers really tell that story... they found that 87% of the network coverage was actually favoring Democrats.” – Virginia Kruta ([13:11])

• Methodology focused on “nonpartisan” anchors and experts, not explicitly partisan guests.
• Only a minority of news reports acknowledged facts about how the shutdown started or who blocked funding resolutions — just 12.5% (ABC/CBS) and 31% (NBC) included these basics ([13:38]).
• Rising Democratic dissatisfaction with those who broke ranks and voted for compromise:

  “CNN pollster Harry Entin: What about Democrats nationwide feeling about Chuck Schumer? I think the word of the day is terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible... the least popular Dem Senate leader ever.” ([15:00])

• Liberal commentators and shows like The View and politicians like Bernie Sanders and Gavin Newsom condemn the compromise, with arguments that conceding to reopen government gives Trump a symbolic win ([16:14]).
• Key conclusion: traditional networks “aren’t even trying to hide” their bias ([16:35]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On HRT’s impact:

  "Fewer than 5% of menopausal women take HRT. Dr. Makary says that between 50 to 70 million women have been denied or discouraged from taking this treatment since that study was mainstreamed." – Amanda Prestigiacomo ([08:33])

• On media coverage:

  “The legacy news networks aren’t even trying to hide their degree of bias against Republicans at this point.” – Virginia Kruta ([16:35])

• On party infighting:

  “Are you willing to gamble that the GOP will negotiate on health care in good faith once the government reopens?” – The View ([16:09])

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:35 | Government shutdown nears resolution: political and practical implications | | 05:15 | Trump proposes “Trumpcare”: health savings and direct subsidies | | 05:47 | Trump’s Veterans Day remarks: honoring American military heroes | | 08:08 | FDA removes black box warning on HRT | | 09:34 | Dr. Makary details benefits of HRT | | 11:45 | Peter Attia: reversal is “greatest single failure” address | | 12:52 | Media coverage of the shutdown—bias and narrative setting | | 13:11 | Virginia Kruta on media bias statistics | | 13:38 | Discussion of methodology in reporting shutdown origins | | 15:00 | Democratic blowback against Schumer; Harry Entin pollster quote | | 16:35 | Summary on news network bias |

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Tone & Language

The tone of the episode is factual but pointed, with a clear skepticism toward mainstream media narratives and a focus on perceived bias and misrepresentation, especially regarding government shutdown coverage and medical orthodoxy. Expert interviews and data are foregrounded, and direct, often critical quotes are liberally included for emphasis.

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Summary

This episode of Morning Wire provides a detailed look at national developments: the imminent end of a historic government shutdown, the tangled politics of the resulting compromise and looming health care fight, a historic FDA reversal on HRT, and the pronounced media bias in shutdown reporting. Through expert guests, polling data, and commentary, the episode critiques the legacy media and amplifies voices advocating for evidence over fear and for empowering individuals in health and policy decisions.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

We're delighted to be able to keep the government moving forward, keep spending relatively flat, and then do our job.

[A]

I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, November 12th. This is Morning Wire.

[C]

The FDA says black box warnings for hormone replacement therapy drugs will be a thing of the past, calling them a product of fear, not fact.

[A]

People think about hormone replacement therapy after.

[D]

Menopause in terms of the short term.

[A]

Benefits, but there are profound long term health benefits and we look at the role media bias has played in shaping the way Americans have viewed the shutdown battle and which parties to blame.

[C]

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

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[C]

The government shutdown appears to be on the verge of finally ending as both parties debate the future of health care. And Chuck Schumer fends off calls for his resignation.

[A]

Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcand is here to break down another packed day from Washington. Hey Cameron. So all eyes are on the Hill today as Congress works to end this record breaking shutdown. Finally, where do we stand?

[B]

Well, we could finally see the government reopen later today after the Senate approved their vote. They broke through with the help of eight Democrats to essentially open the government once again. But that bill will now need to go to the House side and they're expected to start taking votes today at around 4pm now this is obviously a major development after the the longest government shutdown in American history. So it definitely comes at a time where, you know, things are very politically split and we're seeing a lot of pushback not only to the Democrats who voted for reopening the government, but we're also seeing pushback against Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who is now facing calls to step down or even be primaried in 2028.

[A]

Yeah, a lot more people wondering now if AOC will end up running to unseat him then. So if and when this shutdown actually ends, where will the focus turn?

[B]

D.C. well, once we have things back up and running, the focus is very quickly going to shift back to the health care debate, but it's going to look a little bit different. Keep in mind, during this shutdown the Democrats said that they wanted the continuing resolution to be contingent upon continuing subsidies for Obamacare. Now as part of this deal, they want to essentially bring it back next month, this discussion as the government will only be funded through the end of January as it stands for right now if this goes through. So we very well could see this debate rise again after that if they don't figure this out before then. This is because premiums are set to spike if the subsidies don't continue. Opponents have said this is just proof that the Affordable Care act was not sustainable in the first place. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson said, hey, that was the Senate side's thing. We didn't really make any promises too much on our own end right now. So there hasn't really been a whole lot of commitment yet in terms of looking at on the House side in terms of figure at a solution there on Obamacare subsidies, there's been some discussion in terms of tax advantage, health savings accounts that's been floated. President Donald Trump has also floated, you know, giving back some of that money in terms of the subsidies back to the American people saying this really only a lot of these subsidies only benefit large insurance companies.

[A]

Instead of going to the insurance companies.

[B]

I want the money to go into.

[D]

An account for people where the people buy their own health insurance. If we did that, that would be so exciting. And call it Trumpcare.

[A]

All right, so Trumpcare, we'll see if that's really in the works here. Before you go, let's get to what else President Trump did yesterday. He was very busy yesterday. What did we see and hear from the president?

[B]

Yeah. So the president provided remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday for Veterans Day. The Daily Wire's White House correspondent Mary Margaret Ohan has some more on that.

[E]

President Donald Trump commemorated Veterans Day with remarks honoring our military's legacy of gallantry and daring. And he expressed gratitude to American veterans for their service to our country. He specifically reflected on the stories of American valor and and shared these stories of titans, icons, innovators, and trailblazers. And to honor some of these veterans, he told specific stories of Major Sullivan Baloo of Rhode island, who fought in the Battle of Bull Run. He told the story of Colonel Bull Wolverton, the commander of the 3rd Battalion who parachuted in on D Day and was killed by German soldiers as he hung from a tree. He also told the story of Army Captain William S.W. who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor after he valiantly defended his comrades in the Afghan mountains when they were under attack. So just multiple stories of these American war heroes.

[B]

Needless to say, things are starting to get moving again here in Washington.

[A]

Indeed, and hopefully this time tomorrow, we're talking about something other than a shutdown. Cameron, thank you so much for reporting.

[B]

Thank you.

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[A]

The FDA is removing black box warnings from hormone replacement therapy for menopause symptoms. The reversal is earning high praise from both the medical establishment and medical outsiders.

[C]

Here with the details is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo. So Amanda, this is really a landmark decision for the medical establishment. But first, can you tell us why these warnings were there in the first place and why they're removed and why this is so significant for women?

[F]

Well, these warnings were slapped on HRT for menopausal and perimenopausal women more than two decades ago by the FDA. But the current FDA under Dr. Martin Carey, the commissioner, he says those warnings were really unnecessary, they were harmful and they were based off a significantly flawed 2002 Women's Health Initiative study that connected this treatment to an increase in breast cancer risk. Experts now agree with McCary that that was not accurate. As for why this is so significant, currently fewer than 5% of menopausal women take HRT. Dr. Makary says that between 50 to 70 million women have been denied or discouraged from taking this treatment since that study was mainstreamed. And he said that the vast majority of those women were denied life changing or even life saving treatment. Morning Wire was able to speak to Dr. Makary about this decision. Here's what he told us about potential HRT benefits when this therapy is given to women within years of the onset of menopause.

[D]

Women who go through menopause and start.

[A]

Hormone replacement therapy have profound short term and long term health benefits, including reducing the risk of bone fractures by 50 to 60% later in life, reducing the risk of fatal heart attacks by 30 to 50%. That's the number one cause of death in women and reducing cognitive decline.

[D]

There may be no medication in the.

[A]

Modern era aside from from perhaps antibiotics.

[D]

Or vaccines that can improve the Health outcomes of women on a population level.

[A]

More than hormone replacement therapy started within 10 years of the onset of menopause.

[F]

Makary noted that this treatment is really for the vast majority of women in this phase of life, though we said that there are some rare exceptions to that. For example, if a woman currently has breast cancer, women should talk to their doctors about this. He also stressed that the FDA no longer adheres to harmful groupthink. And he said that evidence will trump fear. Under this administration, the FDA is taking.

[A]

Action to remove these black box warnings.

[D]

So that women have the right information.

[A]

And are making the decision based on evidence and not on the fear machine.

[C]

Now, for decades, there's been trepidation about these treatments. What kind of reaction are we seeing from the medical community?

[F]

Well, major medical groups are supporting this. The American College of Obstetricians and gynecologists. They represent 60,000 physicians and medical professionals. They praised the FDA for effectively empowering women. The Menopause Society, the American association of Clinical Urologists, and the National Consumers League, which is a consumer advocacy organization, they all applauded the FDA for this. Also of note, just last year, Harvard Medicine magazine acknowledged that this Women's Health Initiative study was widely considered flawed. And, you know, it's not just the medical establishment. We're also hearing from medical professionals who might be considered heterodox. They too, they're on board with this. Dr. Peter Attia, for example, he's a very popular podcast host and author. He's a doctor who specializes in preventative and longevity medicine. He was recently on 60 Minutes just before the FDA made this announcement. Here's how he framed the issue.

[D]

An incredible mistake was made 25 years ago, and it's very hard not to argue that this is the greatest single failure of the modern medical system. We're actually seeing right now that the FDA is finally, after two decades, going to remove a black box warning.

[C]

Well, considering that this affects half the population, it's a pretty notable change. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

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[C]

Government shutdown poised to end on a sour note for most Democrats, it's become painfully obvious just how eager some in the media were to put their thumbs on the scale.

[A]

Daily Wire's senior editor Virginia Kruta has more on that story. Hey, Virginia, is it fair to say the legacy media coverage was in fact biased against Republicans?

[E]

I definitely think that's fair. And the numbers really tell that story. So the Media Research center did a study on the first full month of the shutdown from October 1st to October 31st, and they looked at the evening broadcasts on the three major networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, and they found that 87% of the network coverage was actually favoring Democrats.

[A]

Well, 87%. So how did they arrive at that number?

[E]

Well, when MRC does these evaluations, they only look at statements made by people on the network who are supposed to be nonpartisan. So anchors and experts who are supposed to be right down the middle, they don't look at statements made by partisan actors for pundits or elected officials. And when they use that framework, they found that 83 statements about the shutdown were critical of Republicans and only 12 were critical of Democrats. Those same people, despite talking about the shutdown on multiple broadcasts, showed very little interest in discussing how the shutdown had actually begun and who was responsible for not voting in favor of the clean continuing resolution that had been presented on both ABC and CBS. According to MRC, only 12.5% of the reports on either network mentioned this basic detail. And on NBC, that fact was included in just 31% of the newscast.

[A]

Now, we've reported on the fact that many Democrats are not happy with the ones who broke ranks and made the deal. We've also seen a growing number ready to see Chuck Schumer retire, force him out. How have the networks covered that internal struggle?

[E]

Well, over at cnn, they're really laying it on thick against Schumer. They're highlighting how much blowback he's getting from within his own party. Here's CNN pollster Harry Entin explaining that.

[D]

What about Democrats nationwide feeling about Chuck Schumer? I think the word of the day is terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible. To quote another Charles Barkley, when it comes to Chuck Schumer, look at this least popular Dem Senate leader ever. I looked at all of the polls going all the way back since 1985, the one who has the lowest rating among Democrats is, in fact, Chuck Schumer.

[E]

And on abc, the hosts of the View have been gunning for Schumer since March because, as they said, he caved to avoid a shutdown early in Trump's term. They re upped calls for him to step aside on Monday, and they spent some of their time on Tuesday yelling at Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman for voting in favor of his constituents not starving. Well, Senator Bernie Sanders said the vote was a horrific mistake. Governor Gavin Newsom called it pathetic. And a surrender. Poll after poll found more Americans on both sides of the aisle blaming Republicans. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed the gop. As you mentioned, Democrats had big wins last week, so you had momentum. Why give in now? Why bring a butter knife to a gunfight? Are you willing to gamble that the.

[C]

GOP will neglect negotiate on health care.

[F]

In good faith once the government reopens?

[E]

So there's a bit of a pile on effect happening right now. The argument appears to be that allowing for the compromise gives Donald Trump a win. And that's something that neither Democrats nor media are really happy about doing. But overall, as MRC has found again and again, the legacy news networks aren't even trying to hide their degree of bias against Republicans at this point.

[A]

Yeah, like we said at the top, it's really become impossible to miss it at this point. Virginia, thank you so much for reporting.

[E]

Absolutely.

[C]

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

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