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Cabot Phillips
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Georgia Howe
The US Takes out one of the world's top ISIS leaders who is targeting Christians in Nigeria.
Narrator/Announcer
The strike comes as the standoff in the Middle east heightens.
Alan Miller
We still prefer the president strongly prefers a diplomatic solution.
Georgia Howe
I'm Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, May 18th. This is Morning Wire.
Narrator/Announcer
President Trump flexes his influence in a series of elections, including one involving a Republican senator who voted to convict him.
Cabot Phillips
When you participate in democracy, sometimes it
Georgia Howe
doesn't turn out the way you want it to. But you don't pout, you don't whine, you don't claim. The election was stolen. And a massive Unite the Kingdom rally in London has met with pro Islamic counter protesters and thousands of police.
Alan Miller
This is the biggest event in British history. This is the moment, a turning point for Britain.
Cabot Phillips
We want our country back.
Narrator/Announcer
Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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Rates may as President Trump considers renewing military strikes against Iran, the Pentagon killed a top ISIS leader in a covert operation in Nigeria over the weekend.
Georgia Howe
Cabot Phillips, host of Wired in Live, is here with the details. Hey, Cabot. So the fighting paused with Iran for now, but we still saw some significant action militarily over the weekend. Let's start there. What exactly did we see?
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. Early Saturday morning, U.S. forces in conjunction with the Nigerian military tracked down and eliminated Abu Bilal Al Munuki, a man President Trump called, quote, the most active terrorist in the world and second in command of ISIS globally. The operation was aimed more broadly at weakening isis, but according to the White House, it was also a direct response to Christian persecution in Nigeria. President Trump has said that he would come to their aid, quote, guns blazing. And now he has, as War Secretary Pete Hegseth put it over the weekend, quote, for months we hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians and we killed him and his entire posse. This should serve as a reminder that we will hunt down those who wish to harm Americans or innocent Christians, wherever they are.
Georgia Howe
What a statement there from Peg Seth. Now we also saw some anti terrorism action here on US Soil. What went down there?
Cabot Phillips
Yeah, this story went a bit under the radar. But on Friday, Mohammed Dawood Al Saadi was captured in Turkey and extradited to the U.S. al Saadi was allegedly responsible for organizing more than a dozen terror attacks across Europe. This was a bad dude. On Friday, Al Saudi appeared in a New York courtroom where he was charged with conspiring to organize and carry out more terror attacks, this time though targeting Jews in America, including a large synagogue in New York City. According to prosecutors, Al Saudi is a high ranking commander of Katayeb Hezbollah, an Iranian backed terror proxy based in Iraq. The White House says this arrest is just further proof of the danger posed to Americans by the Iranian regime.
Georgia Howe
Indeed. And on that note, where do things stand now with the Iranian and US Negotiations?
Cabot Phillips
Well, negotiations ongoing, technically, but the Iranian regime has yet to make an offer seemingly anywhere close to what President Trump is looking for and are still refusing to engage on their nuclear program. President Trump called their latest offer, quote, garbage, saying on Air Force One over the weekend that he literally threw it away.
Georgia Howe
I looked at it and if I
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don't like the first sentence, I just throw it away.
Georgia Howe
If they have any nuclear of any form, I don't read the rest.
Cabot Phillips
Now zooming out. According to numerous reports, the Pentagon has already drafted plans for new military action in case President Trump decides Iran is not serious about peace talks and he wants to go back in.
Georgia Howe
But there's no doubt that resumption of fighting would definitely have a lot of political risks for the president.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah, there's no doubt. If you look at independents and moderates in both parties, that is where we've seen an enormous swing in opposition now. And nationally, support for the conflict is now 18 points underwater. And there's no question why. It's the economy, John. The spike in energy prices caused by the fighting has driven inflation to its highest level in more than three years. And there is a real chance that things get even worse. To this point, we've been tapping into strategic oil reserves to try and alleviate distress on the global market, but that can only last for so long. And so far, the message from the White House has been, you know, this is worth it to protect the United States. But that kind of big picture messaging is very hard to sell when folks are feeling the pain of four or five and six dollars gas at the pump and less than six months now from midterms.
Georgia Howe
So the messaging more important than ever from Trump. Now, before you go, there was a significant gathering of Christians in our nation' Capitol yesterday. What went down there?
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. On Sunday, tens of thousands of Christians descended on the national mall for rededicate 250. This was an event celebrating America's Christian heritage and foundation. There was worship, prayer sermons, and even appearances from a number of Trump cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and then on the Congress side, House Speaker Mike Johnson. President Trump made an appearance via video. The gathering was part of the Trump administration's broader Freedom250 initiative, which will gear up this summer and include dozens of events celebrated celebrating American exceptionalism.
Georgia Howe
We'll be looking forward to covering those when they happen as well. Kaba, thank you so much for reporting.
Cabot Phillips
Absolutely.
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Georgia Howe
If you align with Democrats to stop his agenda like Massie does, you're going to lose.
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If you align with Democrats to drive
Georgia Howe
him out of office like Cassidy did,
Alan Miller
you're going to lose.
Georgia Howe
That was Senator Lindsey Graham reacting to a major shakeup in the Republican Party after two term Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy was defeated in the state's primary on Saturday. President Trump had targeted Cassidy over his 2021 vote to convict him.
Narrator/Announcer
Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham is here now with the details. So, Megan, this was a really significant loss in terms of discerning which way GOP voters are leaning. Cassidy failed to even make the runoff. Can you give us some context about why this primary is getting so much attention?
Megan Basham
Yeah, Georgia, it's getting a lot of attention because this was the first time in 15 years a sitting Republican senator was defeated in the primary. Trump backed Julia Letlow took the top slot with about 45% of the vote, and state Treasurer John Fleming took 28% of the vote. So those two will go to a runoff in late June. Now, the background here is that Trump had endorsed Cassidy back in 2020, after which Cassidy became one of just seven Senate Republicans to vote to convict Trump over that January 6 riot. But you know, interesting that on Saturday afternoon, as those polls were still open, he wasn't willing to answer Fox contributor Jason Chaffetz on whether he would still vote the same way again.
Georgia Howe
Yeah, Jason, you may go back and flagellate yourself over decisions in the past. I do not. I move on.
Megan Basham
So Trump felt that that was a betrayal. He called Cassidy a quote unquote disloyal disaster. And obviously, a lot of GOP voters agreed that this was a reason to distrust Cassidy.
Narrator/Announcer
Now, it's noteworthy that this also wasn't a one off. A few weeks ago, we saw a very similar result in Indiana. What can we take away from this trend?
Megan Basham
Yeah, well, I mean, what we saw in Indiana was a bloodbath. GOP voters ousted nearly every single incumbent who defied Trump's directive to redraw that state's congressional map. And I think that underscores that voters are rewarding candidates who show alignment with Trump's agenda and they're punishing those that are seen as obstacles. But that said, I do think there's different ways to read that message. Yes, I think GOP voters want to see loyalty to Trump, but the impeachment vote and those votes on whether to redistrict are also being seen as proxy tests for whether a politician can be trusted to fight for those objectives that the base wants. So I think that's really the common denominator here.
Narrator/Announcer
Now, one big question is, what does this mean for Congressman Thomas Massie? He's been running for reelection in Kentucky, and his primary race is reportedly the most expensive in campaign history. So what are we seeing there?
Megan Basham
Yeah, so far, around $35 million has been spent in that standoff between Massey and Trump's primary choice, a former N IV Seal, Ed Galrain. So I think that's going to be a more interesting test because Massie is pretty different from Cassidy as a candidate. He's not a moderate by any stretch of the imagination. And you could actually say that he's been defying Trump from his right flank by opposing Trump on issues like tariffs and the war in Iran. So I think that this race and the Texas Senate race are going to be clear indicators of exactly how the base is feeling right now.
Narrator/Announcer
Now, before you go, since you often cover faith topics, Cabot mentioned the rededicate 250 event. Were there any standout elements about that from your perspective?
Megan Basham
You know, I think Georgia, just how unprecedented this is in the modern era. The. The only analogs I can think of were when President Lincoln called the nation to prayer after the Civil War. And also General Washington calling me for the original Thanksgiving Day. So prayer and Thanksgiving for our nation. So I think this is following in those footsteps and I'm excited to see it.
Narrator/Announcer
Well, a really interesting cultural moment for sure. Megan, thanks for reporting.
Megan Basham
Yeah, my pleasure. Colorado is trying to silence free speech again. A state law forces businesses to use customers preferred pronouns even if they're biologically inaccurate. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian bookstore and a sports apparel company are challenging the law, but a court recently ruled against them. They appealed the ruling and with ADF's help, they'll keep fighting Another attempt by Colorado to skirt the First Amendment. Learn more about how you can support free speech by texting wire to 83848 or going to joinadf.com wire huge numbers
Narrator/Announcer
of protesters engaged in a massive Unite the Kingdom rally in London over the weekend and they were met with opposing pro Islamic demonstrators and more than 4,000 police officers.
Georgia Howe
The police set up a so called sterile zone and used armored vehicles, horses and drones and dogs in what officials called one of the biggest policing operations in years. Joining us now to discuss the massive Unite the Kingdom event as co founder of the Together association and independent journalist Alan Miller, who was there between these clashing rallies. Alan, great to have you on.
Alan Miller
Thanks for having me here.
Georgia Howe
So first we've been tracking the increased frustration among many people in the UK over the way the government is handling a lot of things. Immigration, one of the key policies. That's an issue. What was the focus of Unite the Kingdom?
Alan Miller
I think the key focus is a number of areas. One really important part of it is free speech and United Kingdom around the sense that free speech is something that should be for everyone. It's a foundational principle. And over the recent years there's been a lot of pressure put on free speech. We've seen that there have been many arrests for so called non crime hate incidents. That's where people are saying things or posting them on social media and there are arrests from that. We've seen debanking around people's political views as well. And also we've seen how both the police and the judiciary has been weaponized organized around certain types of protests and it's not consistent down the line. And all of this is built up into a crescendo around a lot of the key issues where people are very concerned around the boats, the small boats that are coming in with illegal migration with some of the hotels having those, those people there that often not documented and concerns around the local areas with increased crime and things like that. And when people discuss them or raise issues with them or say they have concerns about them, they've often been branded as though they are the ones with the problem. People had said the Prime Minister went on the news twice to say this is divisive and it's extreme. He has been insulting that and insulting the British public and that was very much the sentiment of people that I spoke to while on the rally. People very much wanted to get the point across that they're fed up of being treated with this contempt as though they're tarnished with something that's really bad. The idea that, you know, being proud about this nation and its history and its traditions then makes you a far right or a fascist or any of these terms, which are very specific terms. But the other thing that happened, John, is that people are saying we're just not listening to it anymore. It's like we have this expression because water off a duck's back.
Georgia Howe
Now, this started off, of course, as the Unite the Kingdom rally, but it was quickly answered by a pro Islamic or pro Palestinian series of demonstrations. What exactly were the counter protesters trying to do there?
Alan Miller
So for the last couple of years, since October 7th and the brutal attacks there, there have been these pro Palestine rallies and demonstrations having really significant numbers. We've seen everything as it happens, from support to terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, people celebrating those type of jihadi ideals. Some of them there, many people say they're scared to come into. And often it's presented that if you criticize those things, you're an Islamophobe or you're a racist and they should be able to discuss these things without them being smeared and branded. And that's something that's very concerning to people and people are very furious about it.
Georgia Howe
Not hard to understand why in that case. Now, officials went all out preparing for this rally over the weekend in ways that, frankly, we have never seen them prepare for things like left wing or Islamic rallies in recent years. What are we to make of this immense police presence from this weekend?
Alan Miller
Well, we've had a lot of people saying that they're not happy with the introduction of live facial recognition on our streets. And this was the first time that they were doing it at a big protest like this. And they said they're going to do it only for the people who are coming to Unite the Kingdom, not to the other protests where all sorts of things have been chanted and said. Some things when they talk about incitement to hatred or violence that are linked to, to, as I say, terror organizations and other things. So it's not to do those protests, but it is to do Unite the Kingdom in the same time. The prime minister said that they're going to make sure that the police will be checking what people are saying. And they. He took great pride in saying that he stopped people coming into the country to speak. People from the States, people from Europe at a time when they don't seem as diligent to be able to stop and protect our borders from other people. And the British public is not prepared to be prevented from insisting on freedom, free speech and privacy just because people call them names and insulted and actually, it's gonna be counterproductive. And I really hope to see a situation where with all these things, like with the rights to have a jury trial, which they're trying to stop, with imposing digital id, with limiting free speech, that we turn this around with everyone and the public and have our voices heard and make Britain better together.
Georgia Howe
Well, all so important and also very important that people like you were on the ground documenting what actually took place at this rally rather than the way it's been characterized by politicians and the press. Alan Miller, thank you so much for joining us.
Alan Miller
Thank you, John. Thanks for having me.
Narrator/Announcer
Thanks for waking up with us. The reporting that fuels this show is only possible, possible because you tune in every day and because of our Daily Wire subscribers.
Georgia Howe
To enjoy this show ad free and join our mission, become a member at dailywire. Com. We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.
Episode: US Takes Down Terrorists & ‘Unite The Kingdom’ Sweeps London
Date: May 18, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Featured Guests: Cabot Phillips, Megan Basham, Alan Miller
This Morning Wire episode centers on three major stories: a significant U.S. military operation taking down a top ISIS leader in Nigeria, the ongoing political fallout within the Republican Party as Trump-backed candidates challenge dissenters, and a massive “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London met with counter-protests and an extraordinary police response. The episode examines the implications of these events on global security, U.S. domestic politics, and the state of free speech and protest in the UK.
On ISIS leader's death:
“For months we hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians and we killed him and his entire posse.”
— Pete Hegseth (relayed by Cabot Phillips, 03:27)
On evaluating Iran’s proposals:
“If they have any nuclear of any form, I don’t read the rest.”
— President Trump (quoted by Georgia Howe, 04:59)
On UK free speech:
“Free speech is something that should be for everyone. It’s a foundational principle. And over recent years there’s been a lot of pressure put on free speech. We’ve seen arrests for so called non crime hate incidents... The Prime Minister went on the news twice to say this [rally] is divisive and extreme. He has been insulting that and insulting the British public.”
— Alan Miller (13:13–14:25)
On Trump’s grip on the GOP:
“[Republican voters] are rewarding candidates who show alignment with Trump’s agenda and they're punishing those that are seen as obstacles.”
— Megan Basham (09:46)
On historic Christian gatherings:
“The only analogs I can think of were when President Lincoln called the nation to prayer after the Civil War... So I think this is following in those footsteps and I’m excited to see it.”
— Megan Basham (11:26)
This episode delves into high-stakes shifts in global and domestic affairs, showcasing American anti-terror actions, the continue tightening of Trump’s control over the GOP, and growing unrest across the Atlantic as civil liberties come under renewed pressure in the UK. Featuring firsthand reporting and context from key voices, the episode paints a vivid picture of pivotal moments shaping the near future in politics and culture on both sides of the Atlantic.