U.S. Secures Iran’s Airspace & Walz Wilts Under Pressure | 3.5.26

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: "U.S. Secures Iran’s Airspace & Walz Wilts Under Pressure"
Date: March 5, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Morning Wire delivers an in-depth update on two major news stories: the escalation of U.S. military operations against Iran—including unprecedented moves and clear gains in the Persian Gulf—and the political fallout in Minnesota as Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are grilled in Congress regarding a massive fraud scandal involving billions in federal funds. The episode also pays tribute to American soldiers killed in recent Iranian attacks and discusses widespread international and legislative responses.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Military Escalation in Iran

Timestamps: 00:04 – 06:19

• Striking Quotes:
  • Megan Basham: "Iran's murderous terrorist leaders are paying for their crimes against America, and they are paying in blood." [00:04]
  • Cabot Phillips: "The Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Combat ineffective. Decimated. Destroyed. Defeated. Pick your adjective." [00:20]
• Major Developments:
  • The U.S. has gained near-total control of Iranian airspace and largely destroyed Iran's naval capabilities.
  • Notably, a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship named Soleimani over 2,000 miles from Iran, marking the first U.S. submarine sinking of an enemy ship with a torpedo since WWII. [02:41–03:50]
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: "Has only just begun to fight." [as paraphrased, 02:41–03:50]
  • Airstrikes have successfully killed the leader behind a plot to assassinate President Trump.
  • The U.S. and Israel's defensive measures have intercepted the majority of Iranian missiles and drones, though the sustainability of this defense due to cost and volume differences is questioned.
  • General Dan Kane reports Iranian missile launches down 86% and drone attacks down 73% since the conflict began. [04:52]
    • "Iran's theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting...and one way attack drone shots are down 73% from the opening days." – General Kane [04:52]
• Escalation Adds International Pressure:
  • Iran lashes out against neighboring countries’ bases in at least 10 countries; incidents draw in UK, France, Germany, and NATO (Turkey).
  • Tense moment as a missile is intercepted in Turkish airspace—a potential Article 5 trigger.
  • So far, Iran remains isolated, with no major allies intervening on its behalf.

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2. Capitol Hill Showdown: Minnesota's $9 Billion Fraud Scandal

Timestamps: 07:26 – 12:22

• Background:
  • Governor Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison testify before the House Oversight Committee on historic fraud in Minnesota involving federal funds siphoned from programs such as nutrition assistance, Medicaid, and child care.
  • The hearing follows a damning report, "The Cost of Doing Nothing," detailing billions in missing or misused funds.
    • E.g., Housing Stabilization soared from $2.6 million to $100 million annually, with many unverifiable invoices; $9 billion in Medicaid may be gone; $300 million COVID assistance embezzled by Feeding Our Future.
• Key Exchanges:
  • Jim Jordan (R-OH) presses Walz about why payments resumed to flagged NGOs:
    "Whistleblowers raised concerns... Why didn't you tell the truth about why you restarted the payments?" [09:08]
  • Megan Basham notes "Ellison and Walz strongly pushed back" and claim political retribution, citing cooperation with federal prosecutors and recent tightening of safeguards.
    • Keith Ellison: "Our cooperation with the FBI and the Department of Justice have led to serious criminal charges for over 75 individuals." [10:15]
• Whistleblower Retaliation:
  • More than 30 state whistleblowers allege retaliation for alerting leadership, reportedly being denied promotions, vacations, and experiencing career harm.
    • Cong. Brandon Gill raises: "Your administration's response to whistleblowers has also been described as, quote, nearly unbearable retaliation...." [11:16]
  • Accusations surface that concern about "bad press," lawsuits, and especially fear of being labeled racist (since many fraud perpetrators were from the Somali immigrant community) led to inaction.

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3. Honoring Fallen Soldiers: The Human Cost of War

Timestamps: 12:55 – 16:13

• Incident Details:
  • Six American soldiers killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait; the missile evaded air defenses and struck a tactical operations center.
  • Victims hailed from across the U.S., including Captain Cody Cork (35, FL), Sgt. First Class Nicole Amour (39, MN), Sgt. First Class Noah Dejens (NE), Sgt. Declan Cody (20, IA), Major Jeffrey O'Brien (45, IA), and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan (54, CA).
    • "One of the guys killed... Captain Cody Cork... known for his infectious spirit, his generous heart and deep care for those who served alongside him." – Lyndon Blake [13:09]
    • "Sergeant First Class Nicole Amour... was just days away from returning home to them." [13:09]
    • "Sgt. First Class Noah Dejens... was described as the kind of guy who would just always help you out." [13:09]
  • President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth vow to avenge the deaths.
    • "[Trump] added that we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives." [15:28]
  • The Pentagon affirms the soldiers’ service and sacrifice.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Military Milestone:
  "Looks like POTUS got him. Twice. An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II." – Cabot Phillips [03:25]

• Political Tension on the Hill:
  "Either you're lying or the court's lying and I'm just asking you which one is it?" – Jim Jordan, Committee hearing [00:43]

• Human Impact:
  "These are the stories that you hate to tell, but it's important to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for all those of us living here in the United States." – Lyndon Blake [13:09]

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Structured Timeline Overview

• 00:04–06:19: U.S. strikes against Iran, destruction of Iranian navy, unprecedented use of submarine torpedo, international escalation and response, assessment of U.S. air defense sustainability.
• 07:26–12:22: Congressional hearing on Minnesota fraud, timeline and size of the scam, testimony and defenses from Walz & Ellison, whistleblower retaliation and sociopolitical context.
• 12:55–16:13: Naming and honoring U.S. soldiers killed in action, description of their lives and sacrifice, details of the missile strike, Trump administration’s response.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive look at the current U.S.-Iran conflict from the military frontlines to the political repercussions at home, critically analyzing both new military strategies and systemic challenges in governance and accountability. Through a combination of hard news, investigative commentary, and personal storytelling, listeners receive a multifaceted update on pressing matters of national and international consequence.

Transcript

[Megan Basham]

Iran's murderous terrorist leaders are paying for their crimes against America, and they are paying in blood.

[Georgia Howe]

The Trump administration tightens its grip on Iran, announcing complete control over the regime's airspace and declaring its navy a thing of the past.

[Cabot Phillips]

The Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Combat ineffective, Decimated, Destroyed, Defeated. Pick your adjective.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive Ed Editor John Bickley. It's Thursday, March 5th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Jim Jordan]

Either you're lying or the court's lying and I'm just asking you which one is it?

[Cabot Phillips]

I just simply know what the attorneys

[Keith Ellison]

at the agency believe that it was a misinterpretation and I would note that

[Jim Jordan]

those people couldn't be you were trying to hide behind the court.

[John Bickley]

Governor Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and state AG Keith Ellison come under fire on Capitol Hill over their alleged cover up of fraud in the state.

[Georgia Howe]

And the Pentagon identifies the six fallen soldiers killed in the Iranian attack over the weekend.

[General Dan Kane]

Our nation stands with you and we are eternally grateful for your courage, your resiliency, your devotion to this mission and to our nation.

[John Bickley]

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

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[John Bickley]

United States ramped up its military operation in Iran on Wednesday, targeting missile sites and naval warships, deploying some weapons for the first time since World War II.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire Senior editor Cabot Phillips is here with the latest on the conflict. So Cabot A lot happening just in the past 24 hours. Hours. Catch us up to speed?

[John Bickley]

Yeah. Since our last report, the US And Israel continued to bombard Iranian missile sites, production facilities and naval warships. And on Wednesday, in a new sign, the operation was broadening in its scope. A US Submarine destroyed an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. For context, that is more than 2,000 miles from Iran. The Pentagon released footage of the strike, which marked the first time, as John mentioned, since World War II, that a US sub had sunk an enemy ship with a torpedo. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference where he made clear that the US Quote, has only just begun to fight. He also offered details on the sinking of that warship, which was ironically named the Soleimani in honor of the Iranian general killed in an airstrike during President Trump's last term.

[Cabot Phillips]

Last night, we sunk their prize ship, the Soleimani. Looks like POTUS got him. Twice. An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.

[John Bickley]

Later on, Hegseth went on to say that the US and Israel are now close to achieving total air superiority over Iran, which obviously will allow them to further ramp up their assault. He also announced that airstrikes had killed the man responsible for an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump.

[Cabot Phillips]

Iran tried to kill President Trump. And President Trump got the last laugh.

[John Bickley]

As the fighting continues, it's important to note that the US And Israel have been largely successful at shooting down the vast majority of missiles and drones launched from Iran. But the big question now is just how long we can keep that up. The Pentagon expressed confidence Wednesday that Iran's missile and drone supplies would dry up before our air defense stockpiles ran out. But remember, their weapons are far less sophisticated and easier to build than the expensive high tech interceptors being used to take them out. So to keep that numbers advantage, the strategy of the US So far has been to first target not just Iranian missile stockpiles, but also the launch sites where they're being sent from and the facilities where they're being manufactured. And to date, that strategy appears to be working. Here's General Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[General Dan Kane]

To that point, Iran's theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease just, just in the last 24 hours. And their one way attack drone shots are down 73% from the opening days.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, as you mentioned earlier, this conflict continues to expand because now more countries are being targeted by Iran, which other countries have now become involved.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, as the Iranians have grown more desperate, they've begun indiscriminately targeting military bases and infrastructure in at least 10 different countries. Cyprus has now been added to that list, and some of those missiles have now struck military installations belonging to the U.K. france, and Germany. The British responded by dispatching new forces to the region and allowing the US to use their air bases for strikes, while the French and Germans expressed a new openness to launching strikes of their own in response. And then on Wednesday, Turkey announced that NATO forces had shot down a missile that had entered their airspace. The missile's final target is not known at this point, but obviously if it had gotten through and hit Turkey or any other NATO member, it could lead to a massive escalation and trigger the mutual defense clause, which would draw all 32 member states into the conflict.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, and thus far, no significant allies have come to Iran's aid.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, we are seeing an isolated Iran for sure.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, well, for more on this rapidly developing story, tune in to Cabot's new show, Wired in live at 4pm today on Daily Wire.

[John Bickley]

Thanks, Georgia.

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[Georgia Howe]

a tense showdown on Capitol Hill yesterday as Minnesota Governor Tim Walls and Attorney General Keith Ellison sat before the House Oversight Committee. They were there to answer for billions in federal funds allegedly stolen through fraud in their state.

[John Bickley]

Here with the details is Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham. Morning, Megan. So, to start, remind us what exactly prompted this hearing yesterday.

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, John. So this hearing is part of a federal investigation into sprawling allegations of fraud in Minnesota that have been on for several years. And just before the hearing started, the oversight committee released this new report titled the Cost of Doing Nothing that details some of these allegations. So just to go over a few of them, it included how fraudsters have been exploiting federal programs like nutrition assistance, child care, and Medicaid to the tune of billions. So Housing Stabilization Services, for instance, ballooned from 2.6 million to over $100 million a year, with invoices for that were never delivered. And federal prosecutors have suggested that up to $9 billion in Medicaid funds could be missing from as many as 14 different Minnesota programs. Perhaps the most infamous example here is a program called Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors say that that single Nonprofit stole nearly $300 million in Covid assistance that was supposed to go to feeding vulnerable children. And instead, the directors of this program spent the cash, luxury vehicles and properties overseas. This was the exchange that Chairman Jim Jordan had with Governor Walz.

[Jim Jordan]

Whistleblowers raised concerns, as the chairman said, auditors raised concerns. Everybody raised concerns. March 30, 2021, the payments are stopped, and a little over a month later, the payments are restarted. Why didn't you tell the truth about why you restarted the payments?

[Megan Basham]

So, as you heard there, the House report alleges that dozens of these NGOs racked up hundreds of violations, and yet the state kept sending them millions of dollars. And Republicans say that Ellison, Walls, and other state officials did have credible allegations about this fraud way back in 2019, and yet they did nothing. That's what the Republicans allege, and they want to know why.

[John Bickley]

Right. The how much did you know and when did you know it? Question overhanging all of this. How did Ellison and Walls explain that?

[Megan Basham]

Well, you know, both men strongly pushed back against this idea that they did nothing about the fraud. Walls argued that taken some steps in recent years to tighten some safeguards. And he says that his state is just being targeted for political retribution.

[Keith Ellison]

I have taken decisive action.

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Our cooperation with the FBI and the Department of Justice have led to serious

[Keith Ellison]

criminal charges for over 75 individuals.

[Megan Basham]

Now, Attorney General Ellison largely echoed that message. He said that his office has prosecuted fraud cases and that they are working alongside federal investigators in order to hold perpetrators accountable. But GOP lawmakers say that the prosecutions that they're pointing to Are are really just a tiny fraction of the number that they should have been addressing. And meanwhile, state whistleblowers say that when they try to raise red flags about this rampant fraud, Walls and Ellison and other state officials actually retaliated against them.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. Let's talk about that allegation. Did the whistleblowers come up at the hearing?

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, very much so. So the report claims that over 30 whistleblowers raised red flags inside state government, but Sen allegedly retaliated against them instead of going after the fraud. And this was Congressman Brandon Gill raising that issue.

[General Dan Kane]

Your administration's response to whistleblowers has also been described as, quote, nearly unbearable retaliation. We've heard claims that, quote, they've been denied vacations, promotions, and that it's hurt people's careers to speak out against fraud. Do you think that that had something to do with the prevalence of fraud in your administration?

[Megan Basham]

Now, the whistleblowers say that the Walls administration silence them because they were afraid of, quote, unquote, bad press or lawsuits because so many of the perpetrators of this fraud do come from the Somali immigrant community.

[John Bickley]

Right.

[Megan Basham]

The whistleblowers also say that Walls and Ellison feared loss of political support from that community and also being labeled racist if they acted. So there is still the outstanding question about whether any Minnesota officials actually benefited from some of this fraud. Certainly questions are still swirling around Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and this investigation is going to continue. So we may get more information yet, John.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, let's hope we do. And certainly a lot of Americans very interested in seeing if there are eventually consequences for a lot of this. Megan, thank you so much for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

Yep, my pleasure.

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[John Bickley]

The Pentagon has identified the six soldiers who were killed Sunday in an Iranian strike in Kuwait, miles away from the main army base.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire reporter Lyndon Blake joins us now with more. So, Lyndon, what do we know about these individuals who were killed?

[Lyndon Blake]

These are the stories that you hate to tell, but it's important to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for all those of us living here in the United States. So I can tell you that one of the guys that was killed in that attack has been identified as Captain Cody Cork. He was 35 years old. His family described him as the life of the party. His parents and stepmother did release a statement. They said he was known for his infectious spirit, his generous heart and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone who was blessed to know him. He was from Lakeland, Florida. These people were from really scattered out throughout the United States that were all serving there on that same base. Another one of the victims in this attack was Sergeant First Class Nicole Amour. She was a 39 year old mother of a high school senior and a fourth grader. And her husband said she was just days away from returning home to them. CNN had reported that Amor had just talked to her husband hours before that attack took place. She was from Minnesota and she had served our country for more than two decades. Another victim is Sergeant First Class Noah dejens. He was described as the kind of guy who would just always help you out. And his military people would say that that's rare. Oftentimes you would find someone that would just do anything for you. And that's what he was described as. He was a husband and a father who loved practicing martial arts with his son. In Nebraska is where they lived. The martial arts studio is now setting up a fund for his kid. Another victim was Sergeant Declan Cody. He was just 20 years old from Iowa. He was one of the youngest in his class and his father said that his son stood out among them. While he was deployed, he was studying cybersecurity. He was taking these online classes at Drake University. Late last night, two other soldiers who were killed in the strike were identified. According to a War Department press release, it's 45 year old Major Jeffrey O' Brien from Iowa and 54 year old Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, who was from California. Major o' Brien was confirmed dead from an Iranian kamikaze drone while operating out of a trailer. While Chief Warrant Officer Marzan is believed to be deceased, a medical examiner will certify the identification. That's according to a separate press release from the Pentagon. And I mentioned they are from all over the country, but they were all assigned the 103rd Sustainment Command.

[Georgia Howe]

And what do we know about that incident?

[Lyndon Blake]

Yeah, so this is what happened. And Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says this is one of those things that he describes as a squirter missile, meaning that this missile was the one that was able to get through the air defense, whereas the air defense blocked everything else. He said that the missile hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but there was just that one projectile that made it through, and that was the one that killed the six soldiers. And Trump did say that the United States will avenge their deaths. He added that we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives. So, again, those in the Trump administration just paying their respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice indeed.

[Georgia Howe]

Lyndon, thanks for reporting.

[Lyndon Blake]

Thanks.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us. And for those listening to the show, you can also watch the show free on Daily Wire. Plus, we'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.