Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Trump Ends Shutdown & Venezuela Mobilizes Troops
Date: November 13, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley (Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief), Georgia Howe
Key Reporters/Guests: Cameron Arkand, Cabot Phillips, Tim Pierce

Overview

This episode covers three major stories:

• The end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history
• Violent protests erupting at a Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley
• Heightened military tensions between Venezuela and the United States

The hosts deliver analysis, direct quotes, and on-the-scene reporting for each topic, focusing on political implications, security issues, and international relations. The tone is factual, urgent, and at times strongly opinionated.

1. Government Shutdown Ends

Key Developments

• The House passes a resolution to fund the government through January, effectively ending the record-breaking shutdown.
• Eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans to break the filibuster, making passage possible.
• The shutdown, lasting over 40 days, led to widespread impacts nationwide—from grounded flights to frozen food stamps.
• Healthcare, particularly Obamacare subsidies, now becomes the next legislative flashpoint heading into December.

Insights & Discussion

• Political fallout:

  • Republicans express satisfaction and frame the outcome as a victory after a “grueling battle.”
  • Democrats are split; some are upset, others helped move the deal forward.

• Speaker Johnson (R) highlights voter backlash:

  • "Voters are going to remember which political party played games with their lives... so that they could look tough to the radical elements of their base. And real people suffered because of that game." (05:09)

• President Trump lambastes Democrats’ tactics:

  • "This was a no brainer. This was an easy extension, but they didn’t want to do it the easy way... They deprived more than 1 million government workers from their paychecks and cut off food stamp benefits for millions and millions more Americans in need. They caused tens of thousands of federal contractors and small businesses to go unpaid." (05:44)

• Future debates:

  • Next flashpoint is the continuation of Obamacare subsidies.
  • House Democrats propose a three-year extension; Republicans express sustainability concerns.

Memorable Moment

• Celebratory, yet exhausted tone as the shutdown ends:
  • "This couldn't have come soon enough." (06:31, John Bickley)

2. UC Berkeley TPUSA Event Turns Violent

Key Developments

• TPUSA sees increased activism following the assassination of founder Charlie Kirk.
• Final tour stop at Berkeley descends into violence:
  • Hundreds of masked protesters chant, insult, and physically attack attendees.
  • A man is assaulted and taunted: "Hey white boy, you’re bleeding, white boy." (09:24)
• FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force launches an investigation—targets antifa’s involvement and the university's handling of security.
• DOJ probes potential First Amendment violations, suggesting university policy may have “punished conservatives for potential threats from the left.” (From Cabot’s summary, 11:30)

Firsthand Reporting & Quotes

• Cabot Phillips describes firsthand experiences:

  • "There’s just been this shift that I’ve seen among conservative students on campus since Charlie’s death. There is just a palpable determination in the room that was not there before. The crowds are bigger and more enthusiastic than they’ve ever been." (11:44)

• Event under lockdown:

  • Only half of the 2,000 ticket holders allowed in "because of what we called the heckler’s veto—the violent mob allowed to fester outside." (10:30, Georgia Howe quoting DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon)

• Escalating pattern:

  • Instances of administrative restrictions, student disruptions, and growing conservative defiance.

Notable Quotes

• Chant from protesters:

  • "When fascists come and cause a wreck, they get a bullet in the neck." (08:56, paraphrased by Cabot Phillips)

• DOJ’s warning to universities:

  • Potential for universities to be held accountable if they restrict events due to threats from opposing groups.

3. Venezuela Mobilizes Troops in Response to U.S.

Key Developments

• Venezuelan military mobilizes 200,000 troops in response to U.S. deployments.
• U.S. sends largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Caribbean amid accusations that President Maduro is a drug lord.
• U.S. efforts focus on disrupting drug trafficking—20 boats/submarines destroyed so far.
• Diplomatic stalemate: U.S. demands Maduro’s ouster; Caracas offers economic access but won’t meet that condition.

Analysis

• Possible scenarios:

  • Direct invasion unlikely given military ratios (U.S. troops: ~15,000 vs Panama 1989: 27,000; Venezuela is much larger).
  • U.S. aims to pressure with presence, disrupt trafficking, and isolate Maduro diplomatically.

• Comparison to Panama 1989:

  • Both feature U.S. confronting dictators accused of drug trafficking, but Venezuela’s defenses and alliances (Russia, Cuba) make for a higher-stakes scenario.

Notable Quotes

• War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s warning:

  • "If you’re trafficking drugs to poison the American people and we know you’re from a designated terrorist organization, you’re a foreign terrorist and a trafficker, we will find you and we will kill you. No one is better at tracking and networking and mapping and hunting than the American military." (13:40)

• President Trump’s coy response regarding military presence:

  • "It’s got to be somewhere. It’s a big one." (14:13)

Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:35 | President Trump signs the bill to reopen government | | 02:45 | Government shutdown ends: Causes, resolution, and next steps | | 05:09 | Speaker Johnson reacts to end of shutdown; party responses | | 05:44 | President Trump criticizes Democrats’ shutdown tactics | | 07:46 | Berkeley Turning Point USA event devolves into violent protest | | 09:24 | Assault at Berkeley: "Hey white boy, you’re bleeding, white boy." | | 10:30 | DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon on “heckler’s veto” and First Amendment | | 11:44 | Cabot Phillips: Surge in conservative activism post-Kirk murder | | 12:33 | Venezuela mobilizes; U.S. military pressure analyzed | | 13:40 | Pete Hegseth on drug traffickers, U.S. military commitment | | 14:13 | Trump’s ambiguous answer on carrier deployment | | 15:15 | Historical comparison: Venezuela crisis vs. Panama 1989 |

Notable Quotes & Highlights

President Trump on shutdown:
"This was a no brainer. This was an easy extension, but they didn’t want to do it the easy way... The Democrats do. They deprived more than 1 million government workers from their paychecks..." (05:44)

Speaker Johnson on political consequences:
"Voters are going to remember which political party played games with their lives..." (05:09)

Cabot Phillips on campus climate:
"There is just a palpable determination in the room that was not there before. The crowds are bigger and more enthusiastic than they’ve ever been." (11:44)

Pete Hegseth on U.S. military action:
"We will find you and we will kill you. No one is better at tracking and networking and mapping and hunting than the American military." (13:40)

Summary

This Morning Wire episode delivers a brisk, detailed look at three headline stories. The government shutdown’s end is treated as both a political and practical relief, but also sets up heated healthcare debates in December. Campus violence at Berkeley signals escalating tensions and ideological divides as both student and federal authorities face tough questions about political violence and free speech. On the international stage, Venezuela’s sabre-rattling and U.S. military posturing in the Caribbean portend an ongoing, high-risk standoff, drawing historical comparisons but also underscoring the unique stakes of the current moment.

Listeners receive context, eyewitness insight, and a preview of the debates and crises shaping America’s near future.