Trump-Macron Ukraine Meeting & Colony Ridge Raided | 2.25.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Trump-Macron Ukraine Meeting & Colony Ridge Raided
Release Date: February 25, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe
Presented by: The Daily Wire

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1. President Trump's Strategic Meeting with President Macron on Ukraine

[00:03 - 04:09]

The episode opens with Georgia Howe announcing a significant meeting between President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office, focusing on strategies to end the ongoing Ukraine war. Trump emphasizes the administration's commitment to peace, stating, "We're working on deals right now. In particular, the big one is to get the war stopped."

John Bickley delves into the outcomes of the meeting and raises critical questions about Ukraine's financial obligations to the U.S., questioning whether Ukraine will repay the substantial aid received.

Cabot Phillips, Daily Wire senior editor, provides an in-depth analysis of the diplomatic dynamics. He notes a shift in Macron's stance, highlighting that previously, Macron had labeled Trump as "brain dead" but has since referred to him as a "personal friend," commending his efforts to broker peace. Phillips outlines Trump's primary concern regarding Europe's insufficient funding for their own defense and Ukraine's support, to which Macron responded positively, indicating European leaders' readiness to increase their contributions.

A pivotal point in their discussion is the proposal for European troops to act as peacekeepers in Ukraine post-conflict. Trump confidently asserts, "Yeah, he will accept that. I've asked him that question. If we do this deal, he's not looking for more war. He doesn't mind."

Furthermore, Phillips explains Trump's push for Ukraine to compensate the U.S. for over $100 billion in aid, focusing on access to Ukraine's natural resources and future energy revenues. Initially, President Zelensky resisted this notion, declaring, "I cannot sell our country," but has seemingly softened his position contingent upon U.S. security guarantees. Trump anticipates finalizing this agreement imminently, stating, "I will be meeting with President Zelensky... the agreement's being worked on now. They're very close to a final deal."

Niall Gardner, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher and Heritage Foundation fellow, supports the potential deal's mutual benefits, asserting it would bolster both U.S. investment in Ukraine and the nation's long-term security.

2. Federal and State Raid on Colony Ridge Housing Development

[06:36 - 10:16]

Georgia Howe transitions to a significant law enforcement action targeting Colony Ridge, a Texas-based housing development notorious for attracting illegal immigrants through deceptive financial schemes. John Bickley introduces Spencer Lindquist, an investigative reporter who has extensively covered Colony Ridge, to shed light on the recent raids.

Lindquist recounts Governor Abbott's announcement about the collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and the Texas Department of Public Safety to dismantle Colony Ridge. He explains that Colony Ridge spans approximately 60 square miles north of Houston and has been under scrutiny for using taxpayer identification numbers to facilitate land purchases by individuals lacking U.S. documentation. This tactic has not only accelerated the development's growth but also attracted criminal elements, leading to multiple arrests, including murder suspects and a human smuggler involved in a mass casualty event.

Bensman, Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, comments on the implications of the raids, suggesting that increased law enforcement presence will deter illegal immigrants from investing in Colony Ridge, thereby mitigating criminal activities.

Lindquist further details the legislative response, highlighting Representative Janice Holt's introduction of a bill aimed at enhancing the documentation of land sales in Texas. This legislation seeks to close loopholes that allow foreign nationals and illegal aliens to purchase land without proper scrutiny, thereby supporting law enforcement efforts to track and manage such transactions.

3. Apple's Withdrawal of Advanced Data Protection from the UK Market and Massive U.S. Investment

[10:16 - 14:41]

The discussion shifts to Apple Inc.'s recent decision to remove its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature from the UK market. Georgia Howe invites Megan Basham, Daily Wire Culture reporter, to elaborate on this development.

Basham explains that Apple's ADP offers robust encryption for user data on iCloud, ensuring that even Apple cannot access this information. However, under pressure from the British government, Apple was requested to implement a backdoor to bypass this encryption for law enforcement access—an unprecedented demand among democratic nations. Apple declined, citing security risks, and consequently decided to withdraw the ADP feature from UK users. Basham notes that this move has strained Apple's relationship with the UK, as reflected in the British Home Office's non-committal stance on the matter.

In a contrasting development, Apple is forging a stronger alliance with the Trump administration. Basham highlights Apple CEO Tim Cook's commitment to investing over $500 billion in the United States over the next four years. This investment aims to create 20,000 jobs and establish new manufacturing facilities across the country, partially as a strategic move to circumvent Trump's tariffs on imported goods. Trump praises this commitment, stating, "He's investing hundreds of billions of dollars... We're going to have a lot of chip makers coming in, a lot of automakers coming in."

Cook describes this initiative as Apple's largest-ever spend commitment, emphasizing the company's confidence in American innovation. This substantial investment is poised to benefit numerous states by generating new facilities and employment opportunities, further solidifying Apple's economic ties with the U.S.

4. Federal Employees' Email Policy Under Trump's Administration

[04:32 - 07:55]

During the Trump administration, a controversial policy was implemented targeting federal employees' accountability. Georgia Howe introduces the topic, referencing an email sent to tens of thousands of federal workers by the Office of Personnel Management. The email instructed employees to justify their employment by listing their weekly accomplishments, under the subject line, "What did you do last week?" Employees were asked to respond with five bullet points and CC their managers. This directive followed Elon Musk's remarks equating non-response to resignation.

Democrats criticized the policy as intimidating and undermining the federal workforce's morale. Trump defended the initiative, asserting its purpose for accountability: "What he's doing is saying, are you actually working? And then if you don't answer like you're sort of semi-fired or you're fired because a lot of people are not answering because they don't even exist."

Several agencies, including the Defense Department, State Department, and FBI, instructed their employees not to comply. FBI Director Cash Patel advised a pause on responses, promising internal reviews instead. Trump maintained that employees handling confidential matters would be exempt from this policy.

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Conclusion

The February 25, 2025, episode of Morning Wire provides a comprehensive overview of pivotal political and socio-economic developments. From high-stakes international diplomacy aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, decisive actions against illegal immigration hubs like Colony Ridge, to major corporate shifts exemplified by Apple's strategic decisions, the podcast delivers insightful commentary underscored by direct quotes and expert analyses. The episode also touches upon internal federal policies affecting government employees, painting a broad picture of the current political landscape.

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For those who missed this episode, tuning into Morning Wire offers a detailed and factual briefing on essential news topics shaping today's world.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

President Trump meets with French President Macron in the Oval Office about ending the Ukraine war.

[Donald Trump]

We're working on deals right now. In particular, the big one is to get the war stopped.

[John Bickley]

How did the meeting go? And will Ukraine pay the US Back for the aid given?

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, February 25th, and this is Morning Wire. Federal and state agents team up to raid illegal immigrant Haven Colony Ridge.

[Cabot Phillips]

For years, Colony Ridge was a no go zone for federal ICE agents and federal officers. Today, that is not the case. It is a go zone.

[John Bickley]

And Apple pledges a $500 billion investment in the US and refuses to spy on its users.

[Cabot Phillips]

This is a British government asking a American company to undermine the the privacy and security of users who might not.

[Spencer Lindquist]

Even be American or British.

[Cabot Phillips]

It's a very bizarre situation.

[Georgia Howe]

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

[Spencer Lindquist]

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[John Bickley]

On the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump hosted French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Europe's role in ending the conflict.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here with more. So Cabot Trump hosted Macron at the White House yesterday, but just last week, Macron convened a meeting of European leaders about how to handle Trump. So how did yesterday's meeting go?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, it's definitely worth noting. The meeting comes at a tumultuous time for America Europe relations. But on Monday, Macron, who in the past has called Trump brain dead, struck a much friendlier tone, calling him a personal friend and commending him for working on a deal to end the war. Trump, for his part, called Macron a very special man in my book and assured him that any peace deal would benefit Europe. Now, one of the president's biggest gripes with Europe is that they have not done enough to fund their own defense as well as Ukraine's. But on Monday, Macron said he and other leaders were ready to step up.

[John Bickley]

Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger partner to do more in defense and security for its continent.

[Cabot Phillips]

As part of that effort, Macron said he and other European leaders would be willing to send troops to Ukraine to serve as peacekeepers once a deal is presumably reached. Russian President Vladimir Putin had initially expressed opposition to the idea of more European boots on the ground in Ukraine. But Trump said Monday that Putin would accept those terms.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, he will accept that. I've asked him that question. If we do this deal, he's not looking for more war. He doesn't mind. But I've specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, and Trump also says that he's close to a deal with Ukraine that would offer some economic reparations. What's the latest there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, Trump says once a deal is reached with Moscow, the Ukrainians must find a way to pay the US Back for the hundred billion plus dollars we've poured into protecting them. He wants access primarily to the country's vast oil and mineral reserves, along with the cut of revenue from future energy deals there. Zelensky was initially opposed to that idea, saying, quote, I cannot sell our country. But now he's apparently on board. As long as the US Will offer Ukraine security guarantees in the future. Trump says the final agreement there could be signed as early as this week.

[Donald Trump]

I will be meeting with President Zelensky. In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement. So the agreement's being worked on now. They're very close to a final deal.

[Cabot Phillips]

For more on that deal, I spoke with Niall Gardner, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher and current fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

[Spencer Lindquist]

Such an agreement, if it is struck, would be beneficial to both the United States and to Ukraine. This would also, in my view, enhance the long term security of the Ukrainian people. So the more US Investment there is in Ukraine, I think the better it is for the future of Ukraine.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, switching gears, another topic that Trump brought up at Monday's meeting was that much discussed email to federal employees. What did he have to say on that front?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, for those who missed it. Over the weekend, tens of thousands of federal workers began receiving an email from the Office of Personnel Management asking them to justify their employment by listing off what they had accomplished the previous week. Those emails came with the subject line, what did you do last week? And read. Please reply to this email with approximately five bullets of what you accomplished last week and CC your manager. That message came shortly after an ex post from Elon Musk saying, quote, failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. Now, Democrats expressed outrage at the email, saying it was a form of intimidation against the federal workforce. But Trump stood by it.

[Donald Trump]

I thought it was great by asking the question, tell us what you did this week. What he's doing is saying, are you actually working? And then if you don't answer like you're sort of semi fired or you're fired because a lot of people are not answering because they don't even exist.

[Cabot Phillips]

It's worth noting there were a number of agencies which directed their employees not to respond, including the Defense Department, State Department and FBI. New director Cash Patel sent a bureau wide email telling employees to, quote, pause any responses, saying they'll handle reviews internally. Trump says those working on confidential matters like the FBI and State Department would be exempt.

[Georgia Howe]

All right. Well, Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Anytime.

[Spencer Lindquist]

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[Georgia Howe]

Several federal and state agencies raided the Colony Ridge housing development on Monday. The development is known for catering to illegal immigrants by offering loans with no U.S. documentation.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire investigative reporter Spencer Lindquist, who's been reporting on Colony Ridge for over a year now, is here with the details. Hey, Spencer, so tell us a bit about Abbott's announcement yesterday.

[Spencer Lindquist]

So Abbott announced yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security and the Texas Department of Public Safety were teaming up in a joint operation target the development. The governor wrote on X yesterday that, quote, colony Ridge is being targeted, adding that quote, texas DPS troopers and special agents are assisting Homeland Security Investigations with an operation in Colony Ridge. And to remind listeners, Colony Ridge is a massive land development just north of Houston, and it's been extensively reported on here at the Daily Wire. The development covers roughly 60 square miles and we've reported that it systematically attracts illegal aliens through its marketing and shady financial tactics. Abbott also said that he had worked on the operation with border czar Tom Homan for months and noted that criminals and illegal aliens would be targeted in the raids.

[John Bickley]

What's brought this action to a head? Now?

[Spencer Lindquist]

Colony Raid has been under a lot of scrutiny for some time now, particularly since we visited the development and released our first investigation on it in September of 2023. The development encourages people to own land in the United States and allows buyers to purchase property by using a taxpayer identification number rather than a Social Security number. A clever loophole if you're looking to attract illegal aliens. Their strategies have come under scrutiny and even provoked lawsuits from the Department of Justice and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. But there's no denying that the development's tactics have sparked rapid growth. And the development has also attracted numerous criminals into the area, with many being caught in the last month.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, tell us about that. The criminal activity that we've seen there recently.

[Spencer Lindquist]

There's been a long list of illegal alien crimes in the development. Two illegal alien murder suspects who were wanted by the international police for murder were both caught living there. And a Guatemalan human smuggler who the feds say was responsible for a mass casualty event had purchased multiple properties at the development. Colony Ridge CEO John Harris just recently claimed that crime is a non issue at the development. And then days later, three illegal aliens were arrested, resulting in a major drug bust. Law enforcement found that the previously deported illegal alien had 344 pounds of meth stashed away in a trailer at his Colney Ridge property. And just before that bust, an illegal alien pled guilty to luring a woman into the development before shooting and killing her along with two accomplices. Todd Bensman is a Senior National Security Fellow at the center for Immigration Studies, and he told me that these raids are particularly significant given that the area had previously been under policed. Here's what Bensman had to say.

[Cabot Phillips]

I think that the obvious immediate impact is that illegal aliens are not going to be as interested in buying and investing in that area if they know that there's a pretty good chance that ICE is going to be lurking around and pick them up and send them home.

[John Bickley]

Now, you've reported on some developments on the legislative front. What's the latest there?

[Spencer Lindquist]

So the area surrounding Colney Ridge is represented in the Texas State House by Representative Janice Holt. She took the seat of Ernest Bales, who was ousted by voters in the primary after we reported on his financial ties to Colney Ridge. Representative Holt recently introduced legislation that would allow the state government to more accurately document land sales. And that bill could help officials track foreign nationals and illegal aliens who purchased Texas land.

[John Bickley]

Well, Spencer, thanks for reporting. We'll definitely have you back on as more details come to light on those reds.

[Spencer Lindquist]

Thank you for having me.

[John Bickley]

Apple has pulled its most advanced security feature from the UK Market after the British government demanded the company created backdoor access to user data. Meanwhile, the company is pledging to spend $500 billion on American manufacturing, in part to avoid Trump's tariffs on products made outside the US Daily Wire Culture reporter.

[Georgia Howe]

Megan Basham is here now with more. So, Megan, let's start with the UK government pushing Apple to give them access to user data. What specifically were they asking for?

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, you know, that was quite something because we're talking about an unprecedented request here, something that really no other democratic nation has demanded. Essentially, what happened is two years ago, Apple introduced a new iCloud feature for iPhone users known as Advanced Data Protection ADP. And what it does is it allows users to encrypt really almost anything they upload to iCloud that includes messages, notes, photos, iPhone, backups, things like that. ADP renders all of that indecipherable to anyone who isn't the user. But then last month, according to whistleblowers, the British government asked Apple to create a backdoor mechanism to allow them to bypass that encryption in order to access the private user data and in fact, data that even Apple isn't able to access. And what's key here is that UK officials were not just requesting the right to spy on their own citizens, but this demand included the ability to retrieve content that any Apple user anywhere in the world had uploaded to the icloud. And that means they were asking to see data of other countries, users who without informing the governments of those nations. Now, this request was reportedly made last month, but Apple hadn't disclosed it until a few days ago when they announced that they weren't going to comply. Because they say that once a backdoor like this exists, it's only a matter of time before bad actors beyond government agencies learn how to use it. Now, that said, Apple did state that they were dropping the ADP feature from users in the UK and sources told the New York Times that Apple is hoping that will convince British officials to drop their demand. Apple put out a statement saying that they are gravely disappointed that they won't be able to offer the security feature to British customers. And they added, quoting here, as we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products and we never will.

[Georgia Howe]

Now have British officials come out and said anything one way or the other.

[Megan Basham]

You know, only in the sense of saying that they're not going to comment. So the British Home Office, which is the department that oversees national security, told the BBC, we do not comment on operational matters. So they wouldn't confirm or deny that they made this request of Apple. But if you happen to be listening to us in the UK right now, what this means for you is that you won't have access to adp, new users won't be able to get it, and there have already been reports that British users who had it are now seeing error messages when they try to open it up.

[Georgia Howe]

So a little bit of a frosty relationship with the UK government for Apple, but it sounds like the company is actually warming up to the Trump administration. Tell us about the movement there.

[Megan Basham]

Yes. So I think just as we've seen with all the other tech titans like Jeff Bezos, like Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook is now taking friendly meetings with the president. So much so, yesterday President Trump announced that Apple is planning to invest more than $500 billion in the US over the next four years. That money's going to go to hiring 20,000 new workers and and to new manufacturing facilities across the country.

[Donald Trump]

Yesterday I had Tim Cook in the office from Apple. He's investing hundreds of billions of dollars. I don't know. I hope he's announced it. Hope I didn't announce this, but what the hell, all I do is tell the truth. That's what he told me. Now he has to do it right. So it's a good. But he's investing hundreds of billions of dollars and others too. We're going to have a lot of chip makers coming in, a lot of automakers coming in. They stopped two plants in Mexico. They were under construction, starting construction. They just stopped them. They're going to build here instead because they don't want to pay the tariffs.

[Megan Basham]

Cook called this Apple's largest ever spend commitment and he said his company is bullish on the future of American innovation.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, no doubt there will be some lucky states getting new facilities and new jobs. Megan, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

Anytime.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us and if you enjoyed what you heard this morning. Share this episode with a.