The Economic Reality & ICE Enforcement Checked | 7.15.26

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: The Economic Reality & ICE Enforcement Checked | 7.15.26

Date: July 15, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe

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Overview

This episode explores two urgent national matters:

1. Major changes in ICE enforcement practices following fatal shootings in Maine and Texas, attendant protests, and policy fallout.
2. The state of the U.S. economy amid renewed Middle East conflict, discussing inflation, fuel prices, and wage trends. The episode also covers increased threats against Supreme Court justices, their rare congressional testimony for security, and security concerns at the upcoming White House Correspondents' Dinner.

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1. ICE Policy Shift After Fatal Shootings

(Segment begins 00:19)

Key Points

• Context: Fatal shootings involving ICE officers in Maine and Texas spark nationwide protests and prompt ICE to pause regular enforcement tactics.
• Policy Change: ICE officers are temporarily ordered to stop making traffic stops—a seismic procedural change.
  • Jenny Terre, DW immigration reporter (01:58): "A memo went out on Tuesday morning telling officers that they are no longer to conduct vehicle stops. For the time being, this is a temporary pause on those traffic stops."
• Reason for Change:
  • These shootings occurred during attempted traffic stops; both resulted in the deaths of migrants.
  • The Maine shooting is especially controversial—"details... are pretty murky, especially in Maine. The latest shooting, the officers weren't wearing body cameras..." (Jenny Terre, 02:18)
  • Slow agency response and lack of body cams despite Congressional funding escalate scrutiny.
• Public Reaction:
  • Anti-ICE protests intensify, with demonstrators targeting Senator Susan Collins’ office in Maine, demanding political accountability (03:29).
  • Protesters claim the shootings are more evidence of ICE's excessive violence.
• Impact on ICE Operations:
  • The traffic stop ban "will massively impact ICE's ability to make arrests" (Jenny Terre, 03:52) as officers often rely on these for both primary and collateral (secondary) apprehensions.
  • Enforcement may shift to reliance on judicial warrants, which are harder to obtain and potentially riskier.
  • Some limited exceptions exist (e.g., criminal warrants and partner agency involvement).
• Duration & Motivation:
  • "This is the policy change for the foreseeable future." (Jenny Terre, 05:22)
  • ICE may be reevaluating officer training and aiming to protect less-experienced officers from volatile encounters post-shooting.
  • Agency also seeking to avoid confrontations with demonstrators (officer safety).

Notable Quotes

• "There is concern that some of these individuals who may be wrapped up in these shootings are not as seasoned as other officers." (Jenny Terre, 05:34)
• "They're trying to protect their own...in the wake of these shootings... it's also just for officer safety." (Jenny Terre, 05:54)

Timestamps

• 00:19–06:25: Full ICE discussion

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2. The Economy Amid Renewed Iran Conflict

(Segment begins 08:53)

Key Points

• State of the Economy:
  • The June inflation report was the best in years, with both slowing inflation and a rare period of actual deflation—a brief decrease in prices (09:52).
  • E.J. Antoni (Heritage Foundation Chief Economist): Explains the significance using a car analogy: "Not only did inflation slow, but we actually got into deflation...the car is in reverse. You're going backwards. And now the mile markers are also going down." (E.J. Antoni, 09:52)
• Impact of Iran Conflict:
  • The re-escalation is rattling financial markets. Fuel prices have begun rising in localized areas but are expected to jump more due to war-related supply concerns (10:43–11:35).
  • Additional factor: Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries have affected global refining capacity, pushing up fuel prices further.
  • Reduced Chinese demand offers a "minor reprieve," but doesn't offset supply crunch.
• Trends to Watch:
  • Inflation-adjusted wages are highlighted: After a period of progress, paychecks now go further as wages rise and prices momentarily fall.
  • "We are almost now back to where we were before the Iran war started. That's really, really good progress." (E.J. Antoni, 13:00)
  • The pro-growth policy agenda is credited for some gains.
• Futures Markets:
  • Explains how markets react rapidly—oil futures reflect anticipated rather than current price realities.

Notable Quotes

• "We were...making a lot of progress this month...much of that has been given back." (E.J. Antoni, 09:13)
• "It's not just what's going on in the Middle east, it's what's going on in Europe, again with refineries." (E.J. Antoni, 11:08)
• "One of the things is inflation adjusted wages... what can that paycheck actually buy." (E.J. Antoni, 13:00)

Timestamps

• 08:53–13:43: Full economic discussion

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3. Supreme Court Justices Testify on Security

(Segment begins 14:43)

Key Points

• Unique Testimony:
  • For the first time in years, Supreme Court justices testify before Congress, urging increased security budgets amid greatly elevated threats (15:02).
  • Trigger Events:
    • The Dobbs (Roe v. Wade) decision leak prompted a surge in threats; one thwarted assassination attempt targeting multiple justices (15:11).
  • Justices’ privacy is “no longer possible.”
  • Ben Domenech: "They could change either the balance of the Court or potentially scare those justices into making decisions that they don't want to make." (15:38)
• Personal Impact:
  • Amy Coney Barrett describes having to explain bulletproof vests to her children—"an indication of just how much these Justices have lost the type of privacy and respect that they used to have..." (Ben Domenech, 16:06)

Notable Quotes

• "I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one." (Amy Coney Barrett, as referenced by Ben Domenech, 16:06)
• "[Now] there are literal Google Maps that went out trying to identify where all of these different people lived so that people could go and protest..." (Ben Domenech, 17:22)

Timestamps

• 14:43–19:18: Supreme Court security discussion

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4. Security Upgrade at White House Correspondents' Dinner

(Segment begins 18:02)

Key Points

• The upcoming White House Correspondents’ Dinner is rescheduled and expected to have increased security after an assassination attempt at the previous event (18:02).
• Some evidence of “stepped-up security,” but many in DC question whether preparations match the evolving threat landscape.
• Ben Domenech: “For someone who intends something ill... it's easier than ever...to get access to that information and to be able to potentially navigate it with the harsh possibility of being able to kill someone.” (18:58)

Timestamps

• 18:02–19:18: White House Correspondents' Dinner security

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Memorable Moment

• Amy Coney Barrett’s security revelation: "I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one." (16:06)

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Conclusion

This edition of Morning Wire delivers sobering updates on the intersection of law enforcement, public safety, the economy, and political security:

• ICE's sweeping policy change reflects a volatile mix of operational risk and public backlash.
• The economic outlook is unstable, with recent progress potentially undermined by geopolitics.
• Even the nation's highest judges face personal threats as political confrontations intensify.
• Public and political events are on edge, with growing anxiety over security.

For those who missed the episode, this summary offers a clear roadmap of urgent national stories—what’s changed, why, and what to watch next.

Transcript

[E.J. Antoni]

And we're live on Matchday as Doug reaches for a Buffalo wing. He's got it. Oh, and he's gone for a can of Pepsi, too. What a finish. There's no doubt about it. It just tastes better. Matchdays deserve Pepsi.

[John Bickley]

A fatal shooting in Maine sparks anti ICE protests and a significant shift in federal policy.

[E.J. Antoni]

He had been given an order to leave the country. He was in a vehicle, pulled out in the vehicle, weaponized the vehicle. He was shot by an ICE agent.

[Georgia Howe]

We have the details on the fallout and the new ICE procedures.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, July 15th. This is Morning Wire. How's the economy faring amid the flare up of the Iran conflict? We look at the numbers most impacting Americans wallets.

[E.J. Antoni]

I would anticipate in the coming days that you're going to see more of the impact from this re escalation in

[Georgia Howe]

the war and heightened security threats prompt rare congressional testimony by Supreme Court justices and a new approach to the White House Correspondents Dinner. I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I

[Jenny Terre]

had to wear one.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. The fatal ICE involved shootings in Maine and Texas have prompted protests targeting both ICE and Republican lawmakers. And now we have a major shift in agency policy.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Terre joins us now to discuss. Hey, Jenny. So you're reporting that ICE officers are being told to stop making traffic stops as the agency tries to prevent more of these shootings. A major policy shift here. What have you learned about this new order?

[Jenny Terre]

Yeah, like you said, this is a huge change for ice. We've heard from multiple Homeland Security sources that told us a memo went out on Tuesday morning telling officers that they are no longer to conduct vehicle stops. For the time being, this is a temporary pause on those traffic stops. Now this comes after the main shooting and also the Houston shooting. These took place within a week. Officers said that they were trying to make vehicle stops in both shootings and they fatally shot two migrants. The details on these shootings, though, are pretty murky, especially in Maine. The latest shooting, the officers weren't wearing body cameras and there are questions about why. The agency has been slow to provide those to officers because they had received funding months back from Congress for that.

[John Bickley]

As you said, the details from the main incident are murky. What do we know for sure about what took place.

[Jenny Terre]

So ICE has come out with a statement. They waited about 12 hours to actually say anything, though, and they didn't give many details. But what they did did say was that they were trying to conduct a traffic stop, that the driver of the vehicle was refusing to pull over and was driving away, and that the officer was fearing for public safety, and that's what led to them firing that shot.

[John Bickley]

Meanwhile, the anti ICE protesters say this is yet another, you know, unmerited act of violence from ice. And we had protesters targeting Susan Collins office, correct?

[Jenny Terre]

Yes, that's correct. So dozens of protesters came out and tried to essentially storm their way into her office in Maine and demand that she be voted out for her support of ICE in the aftermath of the shooting.

[John Bickley]

Now, this feels like this new policy could have a lot of downstream effects. How will this impact the agency's ability to make arrests going forward?

[Jenny Terre]

It will massively impact ice's ability to make arrests because officers often prefer to use this tactic to pull over vehicles because not only can they get their targets, but they can also make what are known as collateral arrests. They can find someone in the vehicle who is also in the country illegally and take them into custody. So it helps drive up their arrest numbers. So if that's not in play, their arrest numbers are going to go down, according to our sources within the agency. And what they often have to resort to if they're not making traffic stops is judicial warrants, which are hard to obtain. They need to do the legwork of collecting evidence and getting a judge to sign off on those warrants to then bank down a door. Which presents another issue of catching someone in their element where they could have access to weapons. The order that was put out on Tuesday morning says that there are some limited exceptions that include ICE making traffic stops when officers have criminal warrants and can get the help of another agency. So if they have an agency partner that's working with them as part of ICE's 287G program, they can get some help in making arrests on the streets. But really what they will likely resort to is waiting for someone to come out of their vehicle so that they're not necessarily pulling them over on the streets.

[John Bickley]

Now, you said at the top this is a temporary pause. You know, how long should we expect ICE to pause these traffic stops? And what do you think they're hoping to accomplish in the coming weeks with this pause?

[Jenny Terre]

Right now? This is the policy change for the foreseeable future. And it's not clear when they're going to shift back to making traffic stops. There is concern right now that the agency had brought on too many new officers all at once, that they expedited training for them and they kind of cut corners in a way. So there is concern that some of these individuals who may be wrapped up in these shootings are not as seasoned as other officers. Now, we don't know if that's the case in Maine and Houston, but it is a concern and I think that's something they're going to be evaluating as they put a pause on this policy. Another thing is they're trying to protect their own. They're trying to make sure that in the wake of these shootings, we know that there are demonstrators who come out who try to agitate ice, try to provoke them, and they don't want them getting caught in the crosshairs of any of that. So it's also just for officer safety.

[John Bickley]

Well, a tragic situation both in Maine and Texas. And let's do hope that this shift here, this pause, does result in fewer incidents like this in the future. Jenny, thank you so much for reporting.

[Jenny Terre]

Thank you.

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[Georgia Howe]

re escalation of the conflict with Iran has many Americans eyeing fuel costs and inflation.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now for a check in on the economy is E.J. antoni, chief economist for the Heritage Foundation. E.J. great to have you back on.

[E.J. Antoni]

Well, it's my pleasure. Thank you for having me again.

[John Bickley]

So first big picture, how are things looking on the financial front?

[E.J. Antoni]

Well, we were, I think, making a lot of progress this month at the start. At least much of that has been given back. Now unfortunately, as you said, we're seeing that re escalation of the conflict with Iran. So we're still on shaky ground here. Right. We got a very good inflation report for the month of June, but that's in the rear view mirror. And furthermore, it seems like there are some things going on with the seasonal adjustments there. So it's very likely we did not see as much of a price decrease as the report would initially lead us to believe.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. What did the report tell us in terms of my understanding, this is the best inflation report we've had in multiple years, correct?

[E.J. Antoni]

That's right. Because not only did inflation slow, but we actually got into deflation. So I think it helps to think of this as if you're driving in your car and you look at the speedometer. That is your rate of speed. It is how quickly you are moving forward. That's the inflation rate, the mile markers on the side of the road, that's the price level. Just because you slow down and your speedometer gets lower, that's the inflation rate getting lower. That doesn't mean the mile markers get lower. The mile markers keep going up, they just go up slower that's less inflation. What we actually saw, though, was deflation. In other words, the car is in reverse. You're going backwards. And now the mile markers are also going down. So some welcomed relief for consumers.

[John Bickley]

How much are costs of fuel going up? How quickly has this re escalation impacted things?

[E.J. Antoni]

It's starting to show up in a few gasoline markets around the country already. However, that likely has to do with cyclical changes that are separate from the war itself. So I would anticipate in the coming days that you're gonna see more of the impact from this re escalation in the war. But the other big thing that I think we need to pay attention to is what's going on in Europe right now, because we've seen Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries that have knocked out a lot of refining capacity. So now we're getting into point where it's not so much that we don't have the oil. It's getting to a point that we don't necessarily have the refining capacity to take the oil that's now available and actually turn it into things like gasoline, like diesel, like jet fuel, for example. We're seeing crack spreads really blow up right now. So that's not good news.

[John Bickley]

To be honest, I'm a little surprised that you're saying that things have worsened this quickly with this re escalation that's just happened over the last week or so. Has this really impacted things so dramatically?

[E.J. Antoni]

Well, I think we have to remember that when we're talking about these oil prices, we're looking at futures markets. In other words, these are oil contracts that are not closed yet. They will be closed sometime in the future, and then oil delivery gets taken sometime thereafter. So this is essentially the market trying to price in what is oil going to be selling for in the weeks or sometimes months to come. And the issue there is that I think we have a bit of a disconnect here between what the market is anticipating prices are going to be in the future versus the price for dated crude. To actually get crude into a refinery today, to turn it into usable products today. And again, it's not just what's going on in the Middle east, it's what's going on in Europe, again with refineries. We do have a little bit of help from China, actually. The Chinese economy has slowed down so much that they are importing a lot less oil right now because they just don't need it as much. So that's helping us in that although there is a supply crunch, there's a little bit less demand globally too.

[John Bickley]

We always like to ask you one metric or trend that you believe is not getting enough attention nationally that our audience should be tracking. What would you point us to?

[E.J. Antoni]

Well, I think one of the things is inflation adjusted wages. In other words, it's not just what is the size of the average American's weekly paycheck, but what can that paycheck actually buy. And in the month of June, it was great. We saw really, really good progress there because not only did those paychecks get bigger, but with the fall in the level of prices on average, that meant that that paycheck went even further than it otherwise would have if prices stayed the same. So we are almost now back to where we were before the Iran war started. That's really, really good progress. I think it speaks to the pro supply side or the pro growth agenda that this administration has helped enact.

[John Bickley]

Well, E.J. thank you so much for your expert insights as always.

[E.J. Antoni]

My pleasure. Thank you for having me.

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[John Bickley]

In a rare occurrence, Supreme Court justices testified Tuesday about the need for a beefed up security budget amid the escalation of politically motivated threats against them and other US Officials.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us to discuss is Daily Wire opinion editor Ben Domenech, host of the Big Ben Show. Ben, thanks for coming on.

[Ben Domenech]

Great to be with you.

[Georgia Howe]

So we just saw something we're not used to seeing on the Capitol, Supreme Court justices actually testifying first. Why were they there and what did we hear from them?

[Ben Domenech]

Well, the reason that they were there is because of the stepped up threats that we've seen toward the American judiciary, but particularly the Supreme Court in recent years, threats that have been prompted by a number of different factors, I think. One is that these members of the Court who have always been very protective of their privacy, simply no longer can function in that way when it comes to living their lives. Another is that the leaking of the Dobbs decision was clearly a flashpoint that created a actual serious threats, including one assassin who traveled across the country intent on killing not just one, but multiple members of the Supreme Court, was ultimately captured and prevented from doing so. And the Court itself has just received so many threats in recent years alongside various decisions because people view it as a situation where, quite frankly, they could affect the outcome based on those threats. They could change either the balance of the Court or potentially scare those Justices into making decisions that they don't want to make. We heard from Amy Coney Barrett, who spoke eloquently about the fact that she never thought that picking this job, this role of service in the country would lead to her having to explain to her children why she had to wear a bulletproof vest or what that even was. And I think that this was an indication of just how much these Justices have lost the type of privacy and respect that they used to have in, in years past.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, you touched on this, but the most infamous of the threats was the one against Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 by a man who now identifies as a woman. Now, we have both the left and the right saying that there's a real threat here. What have we seen in terms of recent patterns? Are there ideological trends in terms of who is most target?

[Ben Domenech]

Well, there's no question that the fact that the majority on the Supreme Court is of the right means that they are the ones who are the most targeted and particularly those who have become recognizable figures. They used to be able to go around privately or have, you know, at most one security guard or the like. That's just not true anymore. It's particularly not true after you had the experience, as I said, with the Dobbs decision, where there were literal Google Maps that went out trying to identify where all of these different people lived so that people could go and protest in front of them. They identify their houses, they identify where their children go to school. They put threats online about them constantly. And I think that the Supreme Court really needs to be firmed up in terms of the protection that is offered to all of these justices so that we can't have some kind of of climactic, tragic situation in the future.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, another security related question. The White House correspondent's dinner has been rescheduled to be held next week. That's, of course, after another assassination attempt targeting President Trump and some other officials at the last one. How has the federal government responded to that threat? Have they ramped up security for this upcoming event?

[Ben Domenech]

You know, it's unclear to me at this point that they actually have, which I think should be a shock to a lot of people. There's indications that there is gonna be stepped up security, but the trut is that they have kind of the same approach that they've used with a lot of different events. I think they're just going to have more people and I think that they're going to have, you know, a harsher checking approach to the different credentials that people use in order to get into the area around this dinner. At the same time, you know, a lot of people in D.C. are just asking, why can't they protect these events better? Threats have changed. People have the ability to research areas now. They have the ability to look at at all the different security measures. And for someone who intends something ill toward the people who are inside, you know, it's easier than ever, really, to get access to that information and to be able to potentially navigate it with the harsh possibility of being able to kill someone.

[Georgia Howe]

Certainly a sign of the times. Ben, thanks so much for reporting.

[Ben Domenech]

Great to be with you.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. The reporting that fuels this show is only possible because you tune in every day and because of our Daily Wire subscribers.

[John Bickley]

To enjoy the show ad free and join our mission, become a [e-mail] we'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.