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John Bickley
With President Trump washing his hands of the Iran talks, the US Takes out key military targets and several members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
Steve Yates
They want to make a deal so badly, I just don't know if they're worthy of making a deal. I don't know that they're going to honor the deal.
Georgia Howe
That's the problem is the US Effort to degrade Iran's military changing the equation.
John Bickley
I'm Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, July 10th. This is Morning Wire.
Georgia Howe
One of the tightest Senate races in the country heats up in Michigan with a controversial AOC backed candidate poised to take the Democratic nomination.
Steve Yates
Most polls agree that I am dominating the field among young people, 83 to
John Bickley
6 at this point. And as Democrats scramble to pick up the pieces in Maine, an internal battle threatens to upend the process.
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Ben Domenech
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Georgia Howe
Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. The US has taken out more strategic targets in Iran and several members of its elite military force after the conflict reignited in the Strait of Hormuz.
John Bickley
Joining us now is Steve Yates, senior research Fellow for National Security Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Steve, great to have you on.
Steve Yates
It's a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
John Bickley
So look, we've seen a rapid escalation of conflict between the US And Iran this week. Trump declaring the ceasefire's dead. Maybe the Iran deal's off the table. Are we looking at a temporary escalation or has the ceasefire really effectively collapsed?
Steve Yates
Well, I don't expect the ceasefire or a deal to be what delivers an ultimate outcome. But I do expect the president is going to keep his options open. He's going to hit hard. He's going to be very, very blun and then he's going to leave the door open to continued talks. He sort of intimated that Kushner Witkoff could be going and meeting with other people in the not too distant future. But I think that's just part of his style for how he's looking to try to manage this into a landing place which is not yet defined.
John Bickley
You say you don't think this is actually the means by which a true agreement is going to be reached. Where do you see this going? Does this have to be regime change?
Steve Yates
Well, I do think that the irgc, the Revolutionary Guard, has to be degraded further. They are committed in a messianic way to a mission that really is incompatible with making peace with the United States, Israel and other neighbors in its near abroad. When you have that reality, I just firmly believe that wars only end when power compels one side to acquiesce. What I mean is we're going to have to hit them hard enough and degrade the IRGC far enough that maybe the people of Iran finally have a prospect that it's safe to step outside and express their view.
John Bickley
I see. So in terms of the strikes that we have seen over the last 48 hours, have they been effective? What kinds of targets are we choosing? Do you think this is moving in that direction of really degrading the rogc?
Steve Yates
It's definitely degrading the points from which Iran has been engaging in what I would consider to be harassment attacks. They haven't been controlling the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf. They have been basically controlling it by terror, by a threat. So it's not necessarily what they're capable of. It's the fear that they're able to create, which is terrorism 101. I think that we are degrading their ability to deliver that. But you never get to zero. There's just going to be weapons in the world and remnants that can do this kind of thing. I do think that we need to, especially all the islands that are in the Gulf. Those are repositories of weapons and other means of control that the IRGC has been using. Kharg island remains a juicy target. Might be very difficult to take and control and operate for our purposes, but it should be taken out of the hands of Iranian control. And that is ultimately the checkmate when it comes to economic sustainability for the regime.
John Bickley
Yeah, Kharg Island a key focus for good reason, as you've highlighted, you believe that we can at least eliminate Iran's ability to control the island, though maybe not take over it ourselves. That requires boots on the ground, correct?
Steve Yates
Yeah, that's what people tell me. I do think that we can do a lot more with technology and unmanned devices in 2026 than when a lot of the armchair quarterbacks are trying to talk about things that were sort of the Persian Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan. It's a fundamentally different field of technology and capabilities now, but it's not zero risk. And we have very low toler for risk publicly. And so if we have one casualty or one prisoner, we start to buckle a little bit these days. And so with that as sort of the leavening of this, I think that taking it out of their control is within our capability, I think reasonably controlling it, occupying it, running it. That's where we're in proximate distance of these missiles that could come from anywhere in Iran at any given time. And like I said, you don't get to zero risk, and that's more problematic.
John Bickley
Looking ahead next few weeks, what are you looking for to see signs of progress or regress, not just the conflict, but the negotiations?
Steve Yates
Well, I think the negotiations will meet a better conclusion when there are fewer members of the IRGC leadership coming to the table. And so whether it is unleashing our allies to do what they are uniquely capable of doing, whether we take operations, obviously there are several layers of Iran's leadership that were eliminated in the early stages, and those that survived are watching copiously for lessons to avoid that fate. And so it might be harder to locate and eliminate some of these targets in this point in time than it was earlier in the conflict. Nevertheless, I think that we have asked our allies to hold back while negotiations were underway, and maybe it's time to go ahead and let the dog hunt, because this is a situation where it's pretty obvious the IRGC is the long tent in the pole, whatever the other remnants of the regime are. I don't believe that there are moderates, but they are less dangerous if it takes longer to negotiate with them.
John Bickley
Is there anything about this, the last few days, the current stage of the conflict, that you feel is being underreported or misunderstood?
Steve Yates
Well, to me, a big missing link in all of this is the lack of widespread Internet access inside of Iran, not for the regime elements to be able to communicate, but for the wider world to be able to see and hear from the Iranian people. It has been a conspicuous absence from this, and it leaves unanswered where would they be? Why are they not in the street? I think they have an answer to that. We are just not able to hear it. And if we could, I think that might reassure more Americans and maybe others in the international community about what we're really dealing with as we try to transition from the major military options.
John Bickley
Well, we appreciate your expertise and we will look forward to having you again on the show.
Steve Yates
A pleasure. Thanks very much.
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John Bickley
One of the most closely watched Senate races in the country is heating up in Michigan. With just under a month to go before the Democratic primary, voters will choose between Representative Haley Stevens, the More moderate establishment backed candidate in Abdul Al Said, a Bernie Sanders and AOC backed former county health official running running well to
Georgia Howe
her left the winner takes on the Republican nominee, Mike Rogers who's running unopposed and he joins us now. Congressman, thanks for coming on.
Mike Rogers
Hey, thanks for having me. It's great to be here.
Georgia Howe
First, you don't know yet who your general election opponent is going to be. Does that change how you're campaigning right now or are you already treating Al Said as the likely nominee?
Mike Rogers
We're out campaigning because either of these Democrats we're going to beat. But El Said is so concerning because this is where the energy of the Democrat Party is today. Matter of fact, the DSA and I think it was the workers party said that they're coming into Michigan. They're sending ground troops into Michigan to go door to door and get their base whipped up. And all the polling shows that he's ahead and that's where the energy is. And that's what I people don't understand this. The Democrat Party in America is in trouble and this guy I think should be at the head of the parade for why, why it's in trouble. You know, I worked on a shop floor. I helped build cars in Michigan. And you know, when I was growing up our school was in the top tier. We were a manufacturing machine. We did in defense industrial based work. All of that has been wiped away by really horrific Democrat policies. And these workers know it. And so we have a huge contingent of our supporters are these, these you know, working class, working family voters. So it's going to be close because it's Michigan. But I'm telling you they're not going to. I just don't think they're going to put up with another doing something we've been doing for 32 years, sending the same people back who think the same, talk the same, vote the same and expect a different result. We believe just by the connection we've made around the state that people are ready for this change.
Georgia Howe
Now you mentioned the auto industry. Michigan of course is the capital or the auto capital of the world. How have tariffs affected the auto industry in Michigan? How's the industry doing just as compared to a year ago and how is that affecting the race?
Mike Rogers
What the tariffs have done and I've been to probably 100, if not more small first, second, third tier suppliers to the automobile business and manufacturing of all sorts. What we're seeing now is reshoring is actually happening and these folks are getting new jobs, getting new contracts. A guy who hadn't put a second shift on in 20 years is adding a second shift. They're getting new lines in their factory that they hadn't done in 30 years. It's because these companies are coming back saying, hey, I want to get in on making sure I don't get get some of these tariffs on the manufacturing side. So the manufacturing oriented, car oriented tariffs are having a positive impact right here in Michigan. They're creating new jobs. And by the way, that means wages go up. That's really important.
Georgia Howe
Now would El Said be more of the same or is he actually ultra progressive? I'm thinking about that clip that was released recently where he said we do need to defund the police. He's been trying to walk back from that claim. What kind of candidate is he really?
Mike Rogers
Oh, this guy is as leftist as you get. I mean, he. But here's the thing. The energy of the party is there. That's the energy that Bernie Sanders was coming next week with AOC to campaign for, for Abdul. That's where the energy of the party is. I mean, I'm worried that this is a permanent fixture in the Democrat party and it is crazy versus common sense. And that's why we're going to win this even in a tight seat like Michigan. I just don't think people who get up and work for a living are ready for the government to take away their, you know, negotiated health care. You know, tell them exactly what kind of education their kids have to have. I mean, you start giving up these rights, you'll never get them back from the government. And these people know it. They're about leave me alone. They're like, protect my family, protect my freedoms. Hey, protect our factories and leave us alone, man. That is not the message that the Democrats are trying to sell here in Michigan.
Georgia Howe
All right, well, Congressman, thank you so much for coming on today.
Mike Rogers
Thanks for having us.
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Georgia Howe
of care@amnpartners.com Graham Platner's decision to pull out of the Maine Senate race has sparked a bruising internal battle for control of the Democratic Party in the state.
John Bickley
Joining us now to discuss the messy situation in Maine is Daily Wire opinion editor Ben Domenech. Host of the Big Ben Show. Ben, great to have you back on.
Ben Domenech
Good to be with you.
John Bickley
So, quite the week for Democrats and the media. First, we haven't had the chance to get your response to Platner's announcement yet. You've made the case that this could have been seen as actually a mistake by him. He could have dug in more, tried to get more political capital out of it. What have we learned now about why he finally caved?
Ben Domenech
Well, I suspect, and a lot of people around who have been covering this campaign suspect that there were going to be a lot more stories that were going to come out. One of the things that was very interesting in terms of a development that has been widely reported now is that Platner was originally supposed to give a statement that was far more big tent welcoming, trying to get along with the Democratic establishment. Establishment. He refused to do so. Instead, he took to the video that he ultimately released with an attitude of defiance, one that basically said, none of these things are true. I'm being absolutely smeared, but you can't count on a situation where I'm going to be able to win in the fall. And so this is all about winning, and that that's what he's trying to do. That's a very different message than the Democratic establishment wanted to deliver. Democrats have seen this bite them in the past. I think it's certainly going to bite them now. The fact that Platner was willing to go is something that Chuck Schumer is happy about, lots of D.C. democrats are happy about. But I think ultimately he's going to become a martyr for the DSA cause, and I'm sure we'll be welcoming him to the podcast or ranks soon enough.
John Bickley
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised by that. And you're right that in the video, he does portray himself as the victim of people that are in power now. The big question who will the Democrats install to replace him on the ballot? Who are the likely options?
Ben Domenech
So far, you have a situation here where there are just so many different options that the Democrats could go with. You know, I think that, you know, the one that is probably the most scary to Republicans is Tony Jackson. But I think that the ultimate decision that Maine has to make and the Democratic establishment has to make is whether they're going to respond to the Graham Platner situation by nominating a woman instead, which is something that would probably make a lot of sense for them to do. They have a number of different options on that front. And I. And I think that, frankly, at the end of the day, Democrats are, are almost going to end up writing off this seat. This is a situation that is so bad, it's gone so sideways for them. And it's so advantageous for someone like Susan Collins, who despite being there for 30 years now really is sitting in the catbird seat. I think that she ultimately could, you know, come out of this situation winning, you know, running away because you can't really stand up a campaign with just a handful of months to go.
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John Bickley
And with no Democratic voters actually having voted to support that candidate. Do you see this being a long term damag situation for the Democrats in terms of the battle for control in the party that's really heightened this year?
Ben Domenech
I think that this is a situation that Democrats have really never experienced in the last quarter century. They've never seen this kind of revolt from in their midst. The last time that you had someone really topple, you know, an establishment figure within the Democratic Party, it was Barack Obama in 2008 and he was someone who toppled Hillary Clinton because she ran a bad campaign. Campaign before that. You have to go all the way back to 1992 when Bill Clinton knocked off a number of different Democrats who thought that they were going to be able to just slide into the presidency. I think this time around things are very different for Democrats. They haven't experienced their own Tea Party movement. And this is the most, this is the closest thing I think we're, we've ever seen to, to it, you know, which is basically a movement that is organic, that is fomented by an activist class that enables them to connect, to communicate and to fundraise to a greater degree. And that is that, you know, has, has launched them not just, you know, into the Congress in the person of AOC and the squad, but of course now the mayor of New York City and potentially, you know, a nominee in Michigan as well. A number of different people have come out of this and gone on to better success. And I think that you're going to see this be a real thorn in the side of Democrats going forward, who really, in order to win, just given the way that polling is for Republicans, Democrats just have to be normal in order to get the kind of historical trend behind them that you would normal see in a midterm election.
John Bickley
But we'll see how this goes in November for Democrats. Ben, thank you so much for joining us. Always appreciate your insights.
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
John Bickley
subscribers to enjoy the show ad free and join our mission Become a member@dailywire.com we'll be back this evening for the more news you need to know.
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Morning Wire: “Trump Punishes Iran & El-Sayed Senate Radical?”
July 10, 2026 | Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe
Key Guests: Steve Yates (Heritage Foundation), Mike Rogers (Republican MI Senate Candidate), Ben Domenech (Daily Wire Opinion Editor)
This episode of Morning Wire dives into three major developments shaking U.S. politics and foreign policy:
The episode features in-depth analysis, notable candid commentary, and timely insights as the election cycle intensifies.
Segment Start: [00:34]
John Bickley:
“With President Trump washing his hands of the Iran talks, the US Takes out key military targets and several members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.” [00:34]
Steve Yates:
“They want to make a deal so badly, I just don’t know if they’re worthy of making a deal. I don’t know that they’re going to honor the deal.” [00:42]
Steve Yates:
“Wars only end when power compels one side to acquiesce. ... We’re going to have to hit them hard enough and degrade the IRGC far enough that maybe the people of Iran finally have a prospect that it’s safe to step outside and express their view.” [03:00]
Steve Yates:
“Kharg Island remains a juicy target. Might be very difficult to take and control and operate for our purposes, but it should be taken out of the hands of Iranian control. And that is ultimately the checkmate when it comes to economic sustainability for the regime.” [04:23]
Steve Yates:
“A big missing link in all of this is the lack of widespread Internet access inside of Iran, ... it leaves unanswered where [the Iranian people] would be. Why are they not in the street? ... If we could [hear from them], I think that might reassure more Americans and maybe others in the international community about what we’re really dealing with.” [07:15]
Segment Start: [10:10]
Mike Rogers:
“But El Said is so concerning because this is where the energy of the Democrat Party is today. ... The DSA and I think it was the workers party said that they’re coming into Michigan. ... All the polling shows that he’s ahead and that’s where the energy is.” [10:50]
Memorable Quote:
“I just don’t think people who get up and work for a living are ready for the government to take away their, you know, negotiated health care. ... They’re about leave me alone. ... That is not the message that the Democrats are trying to sell here in Michigan.” [13:53]
Segment Start: [15:01]
Ben Domenech:
“One of the things that was very interesting ... is that Platner was originally supposed to give a statement that was far more big tent welcoming, trying to get along with the Democratic establishment. He refused to do so. Instead, he took to the video ... with an attitude of defiance, one that basically said, none of these things are true. I’m being absolutely smeared.” [15:39]
Ben Domenech:
“It’s so advantageous for someone like Susan Collins, who despite being there for 30 years now really is sitting in the catbird seat ... you can’t really stand up a campaign with just a handful of months to go.” [17:33]
Ben Domenech:
“I think this time around things are very different for Democrats. They haven’t experienced their own Tea Party movement. ... This is the closest thing I think we’ve ever seen to it.” [18:23]
Steve Yates (on Iran):
“Wars only end when power compels one side to acquiesce.” [03:08]
Mike Rogers (on Michigan voters):
“They’re about leave me alone, ... That is not the message that the Democrats are trying to sell here in Michigan.” [13:53]
Ben Domenech (on Maine):
“He took to the video ... with an attitude of defiance, one that basically said, none of these things are true. I’m being absolutely smeared.” [15:52]
Ben Domenech (on Democratic Party unrest):
“They haven’t experienced their own Tea Party movement. And this is ... the closest thing ... we’ve ever seen to it.” [18:23]
The episode provides frank, timely commentary and vivid on-the-ground insights into the evolving landscape of 2026 American politics.