Two Men Target WNBA Draft & Trump’s “Low-Key” Iran Strategy | 8.10.26

Summary

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Morning Wire – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Two Men Target WNBA Draft & Trump’s “Low-Key” Iran Strategy
Air Date: August 10, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley (Daily Wire Executive Editor), Georgia Howe
Special Guests: Lynden Blake (Daily Wire Sports Reporter), Steve Yates (Heritage Foundation, National Security Expert), Amanda Presto Giacomo (Daily Wire Reporter)

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Morning Wire dives into several high-profile news stories at the intersection of sports, politics, and public health:

• The escalating controversy over men participating in women’s sports, fueled by two ex-NBA players declaring for the WNBA draft and the league’s ambiguous gender policies.
• The U.S. Senate’s postponed vote on the Protect College Sports Act due to concerns over the act’s wording and potential effects on Title IX and women's athletic protections.
• President Trump’s “low-key” strategy with Iran, balancing economic pressure with limited military action in response to escalating Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
• Major developments in healthcare regulation: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. cracking down on an organ procurement organization after alarming safety failures, and the DEA’s imminent ban on the opioid-like compound 7OH kratom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Men in Women’s Sports & WNBA Draft Controversy

[02:29] – [06:54]

Senate Stalls Protect College Sports Act

• The Senate delayed a vote on the bill meant to regulate collegiate sports participation.
• Key Issue: Unclear language on what defines eligibility could override both Trump’s executive orders and state protections for women's sports.
• Opposition came from both conservative and bipartisan lawmakers, many demanding explicit protections for Title IX to keep men out of women's sports.

Quote

“You have John Kennedy, among others, in the Save Women's Sports crowd because they were saying that this specific act and the wording of it did not protect Title IX and keep men out of women's sports. ... This bill has been shelved until September because of the recess.” – Georgia Howe, [03:12]

WNBA Faces Pressure After Ex-NBA Players Make a Statement

• Ex-NBA players Enes Kantor and Royce White declared their intention to enter the WNBA draft, highlighting the league’s loopholes.
• The WNBA has never explicitly defined 'woman' in its bylaws, opening the door to criticism and satire.
• The league's commissioner, Kathy Engelbert, called a meeting with teams to address “the topic of transgender athletes.”

Quote

“When you have something as ridiculous as not being able to tell what a man and a woman is, then you have to go to these extremes to make a point.” – Georgia Howe, [04:31]

Real-World Impacts: The French Example

• Example cited of Julie Tater, a male player dominating in French women’s basketball—Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, leading in scoring and rebounding.
• This reignites fears that U.S. women’s leagues could face similar fairness issues.

Quote

“He is absolutely dominating women's basketball over in France... When you have such a squiggly line on what you allow and what you don't allow, you're going to get in these scenarios.” – Georgia Howe, [05:59]

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2. Trump’s “Low-Key” Iran Policy in the Face of Red Sea Attacks

[09:15] – [13:49]

Red Sea Tensions & U.S. Response

• Houthi militants, backed by Iran, killed at least seven people in a major Red Sea port attack.
• The U.S. is encouraging regional allies, especially Saudi Arabia, to take more responsibility in constraining the Houthis, aiming to avoid direct escalation.

President Trump’s “Low-Keying” Approach

• Trump: “We are low keying it. We are only semi negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact that they have no money.” ([10:41])
• Heritage’s Steve Yates supports using intense economic pressure but also calls for renewed military measures against key Iranian forces, warning that financial tactics alone may not yield “strategic change.”

Quote

“Keeping that pressure in place has to be having an impact. ... But it’s also pretty clear now that multiple months in, that's [not] sufficient to get the strategic change necessary.” – Steve Yates, [11:05]

Peace Talks and Third Parties

• Oman is mediating possible Iran-U.S. agreements, but Yates warns against letting intermediaries with divergent interests set the agenda.
• Israel and the UAE are seen as more reliable regional actors.

What to Watch Next

• Potential for U.S. or allied covert/military operations to counter “economic terrorist forces” in Tehran.
• Lavish warning about Iran’s use of “economic terrorism” to destabilize key sectors like global shipping.

Quote

“There are real terrorists, world’s number one state sponsor of terror... trying to use that behavior shaping against more powerful countries. And that has been sadly successful in recent months.” – Steve Yates, [12:58]

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3. Healthcare Oversight: Organ Donation Scandal & 7OH Kratom Ban

[13:57] – [18:12]

HHS Shuts Down Troubled Organ Donation Group

• Kennedy, Jr. targets Network for Hope (an Organ Procurement Organization/OPO) for persistent patient safety violations and refusal to correct problems. The OPO covers hospitals in KY, IN, OH, WV.
• The case of TJ Hoover, nearly subjected to organ harvesting while still alive, highlights breakdowns in the system.

Quote

“He was very much alive during that honor walk. His eyes were open. He was tracking me and they told me it was just reflexes. ... He was thrashing, crying and grabbing the doctor's hands to stop him.” – Donna Rohrer (via Amanda Presto Giacomo), [15:14]

New Federal Organ Donation Reforms

• Requirement for each OPO to have a patient safety officer.
• Mandatory reporting of any safety stop initiated by the hospital, patient’s family, or staff, triggering federal investigation.

DEA Moves to Ban 7OH Kratom

• The DEA, spurred by HHS and FDA research, is set to temporarily ban the highly concentrated kratom product “7OH”, which mimics effects of heroin and fentanyl and is marketed toward youth.
• The ban would not affect traditional kratom products, but targets potent, addictive commercial versions found in common retail settings.

Quote

“The concern is that concentrated 7OH acts on the same opioid receptors as as drugs like heroin and fentanyl. ... HHS views this as an emerging opioid threat, and they’re trying to get ahead of it before it becomes an even bigger addiction issue.” – Amanda Presto Giacomo, [17:41]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Georgia Howe [04:31]: “A lot of people are saying, wow, the WNBA is having meetings about what the W stands for in their league.”
• John Bickley [13:49]: “Yeah, it’s clear that something has to change for progress to be made.”
• Amanda Presto Giacomo [15:39]: “These reforms are all happening after federal investigators uncovered some pretty shocking findings... at least 28 patients may not have been dead at the time organ procurement actually started.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• WNBA & Senate Sports Bill Discussion – [02:29] to [06:54]
• Red Sea/Iran & Trump’s Policy – [09:15] to [13:49]
• HHS Organ Procurement Crackdown – [13:57] to [16:39]
• DEA 7OH Ban – [16:39] to [18:12]

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is urgent and unsparing in its language, leaning into skepticism about institutional clarity and regulatory loopholes—whether in sports, global security, or healthcare. The hosts let guests voice strong opinions: doubting the effectiveness of vague policies, calling for backbone in foreign affairs, and demanding concrete action after medical scandals.

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Conclusion

Listeners gain a compact yet detailed briefing on major controversies and policy shifts—from sports league integrity and U.S. foreign affairs to medical safety—driven by expert analysis and first-hand reporting. Morning Wire stays true to its “facts first” promise while not shying away from clear stances and memorable, issue-driven commentary.

Transcript

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[John Bickley]

Men playing in women's sports take center stage in the national debate as the Senate postpones a key vote on college sports over the issue. While the WNBA announces meetings amid mounting

[Georgia Howe]

pressure, the question becomes how can an organization that was created to celebrate women to platform women is hesitant to defend the very thing that makes women's sports possible?

[John Bickley]

I'm Daley Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, August 10th. This is Morning Wire.

[Daily Wire Host]

President Trump says the US Is low keying its negotiations with Iran as Iran backed terrorists strike a key port in the Red Sea.

[Steve Yates]

We have to go back to America first, trusted, capable allies second. And that correlation of power shaping outcomes

[John Bickley]

and alarming allegations lead RFK Jr to crack down on a major organ procurement organization while the DEA bans the controversial drug seven.

[Daily Wire Host]

Oh, thanks for waking up with Morning wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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[John Bickley]

A vote on the Protect College Sports act was postponed in the Senate over the weekend in part due to concerns about men playing in women's sports. The move comes as the debate over trans identifying men in the WNBA has ratcheted up even further, with the league announcing that it's holding meetings to address the issue, as multiple former NBA players say they're going to try out for the league.

[Daily Wire Host]

Joining us now with more is Daily Wire reporter and host of that so Criminal Lyndon Blake. So Lyndon this debate over men and women's sports has been all over the headlines just this past weekend, not only because of the WNBA drama, which we're going to get to, but also because of the Save College Sports Act. So can you just unpack for us what is going on with that in the Senate?

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah, the Protect College Sports act that was supposed to be voted on Friday. It was held up there in the Senate because it cannot get enough support, they say, into the wee hours of the morning, into Saturday before they had to leave it at that and try to get back to it later. But it's not going through because it's being shelved after some senators are opposing it, including Tommy Tuberville, who's a former Auburn football coach. You have John Kennedy, among others, in the Save Women's Sports crowd because they were saying that this specific act and the wording of it did not protect Title 9 and keep men out of women's sports. So to put in simple terms, this bill that was introduced by Ted Cruz, among other senators, it was a bipartisan bill because of the lack of clarity in wording, it could potentially override Trump's executive order and any work that states have done individually to keep men out of women's sports. That's the big issue here. They just want that wording redefined. So now this bill has been shelved until September because of the recess. And people are saying even when they meet back next month, it could still drag out further after that.

[John Bickley]

Now, as we noted at the top, this all comes during this WNBA saga that continues to really escalate. We've had the commissioner now of the league weigh in and talk about some meetings that are going to take place. This comes after some other major headlines. So what sparked the commissioner to feel like she had to issue a statement?

[Georgia Howe]

Well, what sparked this is two men said, hey, I'm declaring for the WNBA draft in April of 2027. I'm talking about Enes Cantor and Royce White, two former NBA players, said that, hey, if all it takes is saying I'm a woman, which currently in the WNBA guidelines, it doesn't talk about biological woman, anything like that. Which I know at this point you're saying, why is that necessary? Well, we've seen in situations like France, it is necessary when you have biological men in women's league. So on Friday night, you had Kathy Engelbert, the commissioner, send a memo to all the teams saying, hey, at the meetings next week, we are now going to talk about the topic of transgender athletes. Because it has been a story since mid July, really, with Sophie Cunningham coming out and saying that biological Men should not compete in women's spaces. But of course, a lot of people are saying, wow, the WNBA is having meetings about what the W stands for in their league. It is one of those mind blowing topics, but at this point it needs to be addressed. And Ennis, Cantor, Royce White, they're getting a lot of pushback online and plenty of support saying like, this is, this is ridiculous. But when you have something as ridiculous as not being able to tell what a man and a woman is, then you have to go to these extremes to make a point.

[John Bickley]

Now you mentioned the French player and that's been another major headline. This is very serious. A 6 foot 3 male is dominating French professional basketball in almost every category, correct?

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah, we're talking about Julie Tater. He is absolutely dominating women's basketball over in France. Player of the year, defensive player of the year, led the league and scoring and rebounding. People are saying, why isn't this biological male coming overseas and playing in the WNBA making the money that these women make in this sport? And they're saying that since players are saying we welcome that, then I don't know how they would feel if they got cut because they're letting this man come over there in their league. It is a huge topic. When you have such a squiggly line on what you allow and what you don't allow, you're going to get in these scenarios. And that's what experts like Chris Bard, who is a NBA Fox Sports reporter, he's an analyst, he played the game. He is even coming out saying, this is what you get when you act stupid and don't say, the WNBA is for women.

[Daily Wire Host]

Well, this is the logical conclusion of what happens when you have no clarity in the rules. Lyndon, thanks so much for reporting.

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah, and there is a movie about this on Daily Wire called Lady Ballers. And you know who looks like they could star in Lady Ballers too? Royce White and his new wig.

[John Bickley]

He might have a new role.

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[Daily Wire Host]

Iran backed Houthi terrorists killed at least seven people Sunday in an attack on a crucial port in the Red Sea. But President Trump has signaled he's in no rush to ramp up strikes again on Iran, saying the economic pressure is doing its work on the regime.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now is Steve Yates, national security expert at the Heritage Foundation. Steve, thank you so much for coming on.

[Steve Yates]

Thank you very much.

[John Bickley]

So let's start with the Red Sea. That's a front that's reopened recently due to the Houthis, as Georgia mentioned. How is the US or our allies responding to Houthi aggression so far?

[Steve Yates]

Well, initially we were responding by urging our allies, the Saudis, to take the lead on constraining the Houthi rebels in Yemen. They had been in a multi, multi year war trying to degrade that threat before and it was during the Biden administration that we somewhat pulled back on that front. And so this would be an example where we call on a regional ally to kind of carry a bit of the burden of maintenance, something that we're going to need in a post conflict Iran scenario anyway. And it's an important way to keep the Iranian wish of expanding this into a broader regional conflict involving multiple choke points as leverage against us. So I think that we need to have more evidence that the Saudis and or others are taking this action. To date, I don't think we've seen that, but I think that's the go to for the US to focus on Iran proper and have this balanced approach to the region.

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[John Bickley]

And it falls in line with Trump's call for our allies to really pull their weight more in these conflicts. Anyway, Trump said over the weekend that he isn't trigger happy with Iran. I'll read the full quote here. He told Axios, quote, we are low keying it. We are only semi negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact that they have no money. How should we interpret that?

[Steve Yates]

Well, there's a part of this that I think is empirically true. I think that Secretary Besant and the broader team have put maximum financial pressure on the regime and that should frankly stay in place. There's been a couple of indications of things being pulled back when we were in pursuit of a memorandum of understanding earlier. And I'm just not a believer in pulling back until you've had measurable results for a period of time. And so I think that part, keeping that pressure in place has to be having an impact. But it's also pretty clear now that multiple months in that that's sufficient to get the strategic change necessary for there to be an understood change in the broader region. And so I still think that whether it's allies in the front, joint operations together with us or by sea and by air and by stealth. America, going back to the basics of the earlier part of this campaign, I still think some military measures are necessary to further degrade the Republican Guard and the secret police inside Iran.

[Daily Wire Host]

Now we keep hearing that a deal with Iran is possibly imminent as Oman is leading the talks. How instrumental is the US in those peace talks with Oman?

[Steve Yates]

Well, I think it's good that we have third parties involved to try to use their offices to bring ideas to the fore and maybe create some communication channels. That would not necessarily be easy. At the same time though, we have to be careful of our intermediaries dragging us into what their preferred outcomes might be, which are not necessarily American or our other allies interests. We have allies, allies with real skin in the game and real capabilities. I would say Israel and the United Arab Emirates stand above several of the others. The Saudis could weigh in in other ways, but those that are convening the conversation, whether it's Oman or Pakistan, they are not durable, reliable, sort of shapers of this broader region. And we have to be careful on that front.

[John Bickley]

Final question, you know, what should we be keeping an eye out for in the coming days?

[Steve Yates]

Well, first and foremost, I hope that there are some operations that are taken to degrade the capabilities of what I see as the intransigent and economic terrorist forces in Tehran. I mean, there are real terrorists, world's number one state sponsor of terror. But what I've engaged in in recent months is effective economic terrorism where they have minimal attacks that cause insurers and others to panic, making it impossible to conduct normal commerce, and trying to use that behavior shaping against more powerful countries. And that has been sadly successful in recent months. And that has to stop. And so whether it's military operations or better economic pressure, I think we have to change this cycle of on again, off again negotiations and on again, off again attacks.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, it's clear that something has to change for progress to be made. Steve, thank you so much for coming on.

[Steve Yates]

Thank you very much.

[John Bickley]

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Is taking action against an organ procurement organization following serious patient safety concerns uncovered by federal investigators. Meanwhile, the administration is moving to ban the controversial drug 7. Oh, here are the details. Is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presto. Giacomo. Hey, Amanda. So we've covered HHS's investigation into the organ donation system in the past, and now we're seeing more action from Kennedy on this front. Tell us about this most recent move.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Yeah. So Kennedy recently announced that he's going to decertify Network for Hope. He said that this opo, which stands for Organ Procurement Organization, they've had persistent patient safety issues and refused to correct those problems. Network for Hope is fairly large, too. It operates across Kentucky, parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, and it coordinates organ donations through about 200 hospitals. A woman named Donna Rohrer spoke alongside Kennedy when he made this announcement. She says that her brother, TJ Hoover, was a victim of the system. Back in 2021, he was declared dead after an overdose and he was prepped for organ donation. That was until the family pushed back because they noticed that he was very much alive during that honor walk. His eyes were open. He was tracking me and they told me it was just reflexes.

[Steve Yates]

Then during the heart cat, he was

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

thrashing, crying and grabbing the doctor's hands to stop him. Even after those signs, the organ procurement process continued until the physician refused to proceed.

[John Bickley]

Really shocking details from this incident. Now, there are some other reforms that are being made to the organ transplant system. Since Kennedy has taken over, what other moves has he made?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Yeah, there have been a lot. A few examples. OPOs are now required to appoint a patient safety officer. There's also a new rule that if there's any safety related stop during this process, whether that be from the hospital, the patient's family, or the OPO staff, that must be formally reported to regulators. That's going to open investigations and hopefully bring about more transparency. And back in September, HHS actually moved to shut down the University of Miami's OPO after they found safety and performance issues and some brief background here. These reforms are all happening after federal investigators uncovered some pretty shocking findings. They reviewed hundreds of cases in Kentucky where organ procurement started but was not completed. They found that 30% of those cases had concerning features. 73 patients were found to be incompatible with organ donation. And at least 28 patients may not have been dead at the time organ procurement actually started.

[John Bickley]

Now, shifting gears a bit, there's another major HHS related change in the works. The Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to soon ban that substance, seven oh, like we mentioned at the top. What do we know about that right now?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

The earliest that order could have been implemented was August 5th. Obviously that day has come and passed. But there's speculation that the DEA could move forward on this as early as this week, potentially even today. Now, if it is finalized, the ban would be temporary and last at least two years. 7OH is a compound that's naturally found in the kratom leaf. But this action is aimed at highly concentrated 7oh products. Traditional kratom products will still be available on the market. The seven OH products that are being targeted, they're very accessible and they're often marketed toward younger people. They're in gas stations, convenience stores, smoke shops. They're sold as powders, pills, drinks, tablets, gummies, and in some cases even ice cream cones.

[John Bickley]

And to be clear, HHS is behind this incoming ban?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Yeah, absolutely. HHS and specifically the fda, they've done the medical research and the review to pave the way for this ban. And the concern is that concentrated 7 oh acts on the same opioid receptors as as drugs like heroin and fentanyl. People are becoming dependent on it, and they're experiencing very serious withdrawal symptoms which largely mimic opioid withdrawal. HHS views this as an emerging opioid threat, and they're trying to get ahead of it before it becomes an even bigger addiction issue and harms more Americans.

[John Bickley]

Right. And we actually had Reagan Conrad on to talk about this very issue in a past episode. Amanda, thank you so much for reporting.

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[Daily Wire Host]

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]

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