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Mary Margaret Olihan
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Cabot Phillips
find your thing, you want the whole world to know about that thing. So you use a thing called Canva to make it an even bigger and better thing. Whether you want to create flyers for that thing, make presentations for that thing, or design merch for that thing. You can do anything so people can see your thing, feel your thing, love your thing. The next thing you know, it's a thing. Canva, the thing that makes anything a thing. Good evening, everybody, and welcome to Wired In. I'm Cabot Phillips. Thank you so much for tuning in. I'd like to start with a shout out to all of our first time listeners on Spotify and Apple podcasts. Welcome. If you're new, here's the deal. Every Monday through Thursday, I will be here getting you up to date on all the stuff that happened while you guys were at work or raising your kids. You know, being productive members of society. Every episode, we'll talk to insiders at the White House. We'll bring on senators and members of Congress and ask them the questions you actually want answered. And I'm not just gonna do the same old boring softball interviews. We'll talk to Pentagon officials and foreign policy experts on both sides of the aisle to keep you up to date abroad. We'll chat with economists about the markets and inflation. We'll hear from doctors on the latest medical trends. We hit everything on this show. And above all, I promise to respect your time and your intelligence. That is the official Wired in guarantee or your money back. Now, the show is technically free, so there is no money for me to give back. And that's not actually a real guarantee. We don't even have a slogan on the show. It doesn't matter. You get the idea. Okay, again, thank you so much to our audience who has already given us a follow on Apple and Spotify. We are currently at number eight on the charts. We're rising fast. So please give us a follow and help us get to number one. Thank you so much to everyone who already has followed us. That's the best way to help this show grow. All right, without further ado, let's get to it. On today's show, we're going to hear from the Trump administration on the latest peace deal with Iran and talk with a former top official at the State Department about what actually is in this package. We'll get you the highlights from a wild night in D.C. where the White House played host to a cage fight. And and we'll show you the counter programming put on by leftist activists. We'll debate the explosion in new AI data center construction and tell you about a new initiative to offer government funding for, you guessed it, Ozempic. Maybe I can get on that. And at the end of the day, I will do a live Q and A and get to questions from you, our audience. But that portion is only available to Daily Wire members. So if you wanna get in on the action, head over to DailyWire.com subscribe and sign up now. All right, let's do this thing. Roll that graphic. And just a reminder for you lovely folks at home, Daily Wire annual memberships are now 45% off with code DAD45. Now, technically, this is a Father's Day deal. Yes, it makes a great gift for your dad who will actually use this gift. So you can feel good about that. But I'll be honest, nobody's actually checking here at the Daily Wire whose cart that membership ends up in. So get one for your dad, get one for yourself, get one for everyone. While the price is this good, a full year of everything on the platform for 45% off. That's less than 50 cents a day, guys. Go to DailytheWirePlus.com and use code DAD. That's D A, D45. Well, yesterday in Washington, President Trump celebrated his 80th birthday president by partaking in his favorite pastime deal making. On Sunday, he announced that a long elusive deal to end the war in Iran had been reached. The two sides will reportedly formalize things in the coming days and hopefully take part in a signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday. The official terms have yet to be released, but President Trump says the Iranians have agreed to open up the Strait of Hormuz, drop their pursuit of a nuclear weapon, allow for the removal of existing nuclear materials, and open the door for inspections of of Iranian nuclear facilities moving forward. For their part, the Iranians say the US has agreed to cease all strikes against the regime and offer new economic concessions, including the lifting of sanctions and the formation of a reconstruction fund, among other things. We're gonna get to the nitty gritty on this deal in a few minutes, but I wanna start with the political fallout. And who better for that than our good friend Mark Halperin, host of the morning meeting. And next up with Mark Halprin. Mark, great to have you back. You are officially our first guest on Spotify and Apple. Congratulations. Your commemorative T shirt is in the mail.
Mark Halperin
Mark. Me, me, me, me, me, me, me. Audio only.
Tim Rice
Perfect.
Mark Halperin
I enjoy the audio format because I don't need to wear product in my hair. Congratulations, sir. You're a face for both television and radio.
Cabot Phillips
Well, I regret to inform you that I hope you have a face for Spotify, because there is video on Spotify.
Mark Halperin
Yeah, good point. All right, Mark, Just another platform of distribution. Yeah, but a big one.
Cabot Phillips
We're in the content game, so let's do it. Mark, the details of this deal are still scant. We're hearing different things from the White House and Iranian state media. But as things currently stand, what do you make of this agreement?
Mark Halperin
Well, I think the turning point perhaps came when the administration acknowledged privately to me and maybe other reporters that the leverage point that they touted for so long as being key, that Iran was going to run out of capacity to store its oil. They'd have to shut down their oil production facilities, which would ruin them, and that they needed the revenue from selling oil freely, that that was the big pressure point. I think once they realized, based on their intelligence reports, that that was no longer a pressure point, the president came up with a pretty good plan here. The main domestic pressure on the president is to. Is to lower gas prices before the midterms. And I think he has a chance now to do that if the strait is able to open and stay open. And then they can leave these other issues, they claim, for 60 days. But I would not be stunned, I would not be shocked, I would not be surprised if these talks went past the midterms, allowing the president to revisit some of these issues out from the clear of the question of control of Congress.
Cabot Phillips
We know that voters don't have the longest memories. A lot of people move on pretty quickly. But if this is the end of the conflict and the fighting is done and they're just ironing out the details from here on out, do you think this is still weighing on voters by midterms? Do you think that the economic turmoil that they experienced over the last four months is something that they're still going to carry with them by November if
Mark Halperin
gas prices come down and if there's no other source of economic instability, I think this will go a long way towards neutralizing that as a dominant issue, working decisively against Republicans. But the environment overall in the long term, as you know, you and I have talked about it, the long term economic anxieties that people have going all the way back to the financial crisis and in some ways even earlier 2008, all of that doesn't get erased if the war ends, but it's just they can deal with gas prices. I think the president has got a pretty good story to tell. And as you know, some of the economic data is positive. It's not all negative, even in, even with these high gas prices.
Cabot Phillips
This is a bit of a loaded question, but as we get closer to midterms, we know President Trump's approval rating is in the mid-30s, high-30s, depending where you look. Do you think midterm voters will be able to separate their opinion of Donald Trump from Republicans on the ballot? Historically, have we seen that? And do you think that will take place in a couple months?
Mark Halperin
In some cases, yes. But mostly no. History suggests, and there's no reason to think this year will be an aberration, that the great correlation for midterm voters, independent voters, and then who do truly swing, potentially vote either way, and then the question of inspiring people to turn out to vote, that the greatest correlation comes from the president's approval rating. So while there's some people, like say, Congressman Mike Lawler in New York, who might survive a big Republican or a big Democratic year because of other factors in their individual races, most Republicans will be racing into a pretty strong headwind because the president's approval rating, it can go up some, but I don't know how much it can go up even if gas prices go down.
Cabot Phillips
One of the topics where President Trump has taken a lot of heat has been on his relationship with Israel. We know critics on the left and also folks on the right as well have accused him of doing Israel's bidding when it comes to the Iranian war. What do you make of the friction between Trump and Bibi Netanyahu lately? Trump publicly calling him out a number of times, going after him on the record to reporters. There are people who say, look, this is an act for the cameras. Their relationship is fine behind closed doors. What do you think?
Mark Halperin
Well, I think it's definitely better behind closed doors than the president's weekend salty comments to reporters would suggest. But there's three reasons for him to be genuinely angry with Bibi Netanyahu. First of all, I've never covered a president who didn't into their first year in office feel that way about Netanyahu. He Netanyahu is so knowledgeable about American politics, so, so capable of trying to manipulate American presidents, that they all come to hate him. That's just the reality. So that's number one. Number two, there really is a difference now between the United States and Israel on the question of what to do. Israel says let's continue with the kinetic war, let's continue to go for regime change. And that's not where Donald Trump's head is at. So there's real policy differences. Then finally, Israel could destroy the ceasefire. Israel could destroy the agreement that they signed electronically if Israel continues to fight with Hezbollah. Now, Israel would tell you that this is caused by Hezbollah firing on Israel. And of course there's much truth to that. But. But the president seems to want Israel to show unusual, undue restraint. And I wouldn't be surprised if before Friday's meeting where allegedly this gets codified and get put puts into progress, I wouldn't be surprised if before then Israel hit Lebanon back after Hezbollah fires at them and the Iranians say, sorry, no deal, because that's your proxy, that's your surrogate, and they won't stop fighting in Lebanon.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah, that's the big question that we're all watching, how Israel handles this. You look at polling more closely than maybe anybody. It's one reason that I love reading your work so much. I'm interested. What has jumped out to you lately? What trends are you looking at that should give Republicans optimism and then trends that should give them cause for concern.
Mark Halperin
Optimism. Truly, if you read every poll over the last couple months and they're pretty consistent for those who think polling is not accurate, if they're not accurate, they're pretty much all of the Democratic brand is not great. The view voters have of Democrats in general is pretty weak. What should worry Republicans is in some of these battleground states and even in some races, House and Senate races that aren't expected to be competitive and unlikely will be competitive. Democrats are doing quite well. Just the overall environment, the overall horse race numbers are extremely discouraging for Republicans right now. And that's not what a Democrat would say. It's not what a biased reporter would say. It's what a fair reporter would say with access to Republican polling data.
Cabot Phillips
What's that word you used, fair reporter? A fair. I've heard of those before. I Think I'm talking to one right now.
Mark Halperin
They're as common as a thin drinker of Diet Coke, but they do exist.
Cabot Phillips
That's a good Donald Trump tweet. Throwback. Speaking of Trump, he had his birthday celebration yesterday and it was just a coincidence that the UFC event happened on his birthday at the White House. Total coincidence. I personally, I'm a huge UFC fan. I loved the event first. Are you a UFC fan at all, Mark?
Mark Halperin
Fanish. I'm not. I've never gone. But I'm pretty familiar with it and I have extraordinary appreciation for its cultural import.
Cabot Phillips
Okay, that's a good answer because I learned a few weeks ago that when you were on the show that you are a Pilates practitioner and I think that flexibility would serve you well in the octagon. I have a little MMA experience that would help. I'm just saying, what do you think of.
Mark Halperin
I can punch and kick at the same time, if that's what you're asking.
Cabot Phillips
You could do the head kick. You got the flexibility. The Pilates lends itself to that. Before we go, how do you think this actually plays with voters? There is so much conjecture about the reaction to all of this. The left is saying it's an example of the corporate corruption with Paramount in the White House. Do you think people actually care? Do you think anyone's mind was changed based on the event last night?
Mark Halperin
Maybe some young men find the Republican brand cooler after last night. Maybe some Republicans who. Who will be turned out to vote because they're enthusiastic. I think you'd be hard pressed if you closed your eyes and said what Democrats nationally known Democrats could have hosted that event. Which ones would feel comfortable in that environment? And the answer is not many. And why? Because they don't really have a cultural affinity, a cultural closeness to that culture. And that is the culture of many young people in America. A lot of men, some women as well. And that's a problem for a Democratic brand that's lost its capacity to win in large numbers, white and non white working class voters. So I think it was a sign of the cultural differences between the party and one that we saw in the 2024 election worked very much the benefit of the Republican Party.
Cabot Phillips
Well, we're going to have more highlights from last night's event, but for now, Mark, we're going to let you go. Thank you so much for helping kick off.
Mark Halperin
Great to see you, man. Congratulations again.
Cabot Phillips
Really appreciate it, Mark. You're welcome back in here.
Mark Halperin
See you soon. Thank you, man.
Cabot Phillips
All right. That was Mark Halperin. Host of the Morning Meeting. And next up with Mark Halperin. And next up here is Mary Margaret Olihan, Daily Wire White House correspondent. Let's jump across town and bring her on. Mary Margaret, great to have you.
Mary Margaret Olihan
Great to be here.
Cabot Phillips
I'm glad to hear that you're healing up. We know you were sick last week. You fought through the pain, you lost your voice.
Mary Margaret Olihan
But you much like the UFC fighters at the White House.
Cabot Phillips
Exactly. Which I want to get to in a moment. But I'd be remiss if I skipped over the big news today. President Trump hitting the road very early this morning for Europe. Tell us what he's got going on.
Mary Margaret Olihan
Yeah. So the president boarded Air Force One at I believe 3am this morning after just having so much fun all night at the UFC250 fight at the White House. And he was on his way to Geneva with a whole cast of characters, Marco Rubio, Steven Chung, a number of other top Trump administration officials heading with him to this G7 summit in Geneva where Trump will be mixing and fraternizing with all of these world leaders, including some that he has had a little bit of beef with lately. He has scheduled bilaterals with Macron, with Qatar, zamir with the UAE's president, Egypt's president, Indian prime minister, and more. And we are likely going to hear a lot about, obviously, this Iran deal. It's already come up quite a bit. But also the Ebola outbreak, the war in Ukraine with Russia, and some of the squabbling among our own allies. And some of the people that the president has particularly called out in recent months, like Giorgia Meloni in Italy or the prime minister in Germany and some others for the role that they played in not helping out the United States as it pertains to the Strait of Hormuz and other issues like that.
Cabot Phillips
I love how you, you say you know, Giorgio Meloni, you say Macron, but then when you get to some of the harder names to pronounce, you say the, you know, Egypt's president, Turkey's president.
Mary Margaret Olihan
Way to call me out, cabin.
Cabot Phillips
I had to call you out on that. I'm sorry.
Mary Margaret Olihan
We've all done it. We're supposed to just play it smooth
Cabot Phillips
cuz you often can't decide. Okay, do I do the pronunciation that they do over there, which makes me sound like the whitest Westerner ever, or do I do like the Americanized version? Or you could just say the title. Sorry to call you out. Anyways, what are the vibes heading into this meeting? What are we seeing from these European leaders, are they banding together against President Trump or are we seeing a little bit more diplomacy winning out?
Mary Margaret Olihan
Well, it's a little bit of both. We saw Emmanuel Macron earlier today. It's actually evening now in Geneva. But during this first bilateral that Trump had with Macron, they had an amicable discussion about Iran and this deal that the president has been touting. And the president, you know, he offered a couple different remarks on that topic. But one thing that we've heard a lot about in recent weeks, besides Iran, the president was truthing about it over the last 24 hours is this issue of mass migration. So Trump has really called out these other countries for really facilitating mass migration. And the State Department, we've written about this extensively, they have urged European countries, speaking specifically European nations, not to be encouraging mass migration, not to be replacing their own populations with the populations of other countries and causing problems for the United States through their embrasure of these types of mass migration policies. So that's definitely something that's gonna be coming up a lot. Also, President Trump is really unhappy about, like I said, Giorgia Maloney and Germany's chancellor, who had both not come to our aid as it pertained to the Strait of Hormuz. So Maloney really did not pull through there. And I believe the German chancellor said that Iran had humiliated us, which President Trump did not take kindly to. So we might be able to expect a little fireworks as it comes as it pertains to those two.
Cabot Phillips
Now, we're gonna get more details on the Iran peace deal with our next guest in a moment. But tell us what you're hearing from the White House today on that front. I know you're constantly having communication with the administration behind closed doors. How are they feeling about this deal?
Mary Margaret Olihan
Well, we've had a couple different calls over the over the weekend, I think Friday and today, specifically with senior administration officials, very high ranking officials describing what this peace plan looks like, what this deal looks like, what they want to achieve. Obviously, first and foremost, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. We have heard this over and over and over and over again. But today on a call with, with senior administration officials, we learned about how Vice President Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have really worked to bring about this deal. They obviously said that President Trump is the kingmaker here, but at the same time, without these three men, the deal wouldn't have come to pass. So the top line is that Trump, Vance and Iranian parliament speaker, whose name I'm not gonna try to pronounce they have all signed this deal, so digitally signed, the actual signing should happen on Friday. And while we don't have that deal yet, and there's a lot of people who are very unhappy about that fact, including our own Ben Shapiro, are asking, where is this deal? Just show it to us. If it exists, we'd like to know what it includes, what it pertains. I've heard Republican senators on the Hill are also saying that they don't wanna weigh in on it yet until they can actually see what is in this deal. But what we were told by these administration officials is it's a combination of economic, diplomatic, milit pressure that got us to where we are today and enabled us to even have these conversations. And so these administration officials, they're saying they're willing to talk sanctions, now talk relief. We're prepared to make small gestures if Iran is willing to return the favor and make small gestures in return. So at the end of the day, Cabot, it does sound like this is more negotiating, but a bigger deal of negotiations than we had seen before.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. Now you mentioned some GOP lawmakers coming out expressing their doubts about this deal or at least expressing some anger and not getting more details. Lindsey Graham was one of them. He came out today and said that he was, quote, concerned. I'll do my Lindsey Graham voice. Okay. I am very concerned that we have not had more information about this deal, Mr. President. Pretty good?
Mary Margaret Olihan
It was okay. It was good. It was fine.
Cabot Phillips
It wasn't that bad. Okay, I'll stop doing impressions if you start doing pronunciations of Iranian parliament leaders. One more thing, Mary Margaret, before we go. The White House doing a new UFO file drop on Friday. This is, I believe, their third such drop. I know there are critics and skeptics who say they're just trying to distract us from bigger stories. They don't want us paying attention to them. I must confess, I must be a sucker cuz I see these UFO files and I'm like, yes, give me more. Show me. What did we learn from the White House about these UFO files? What are you hearing?
Mary Margaret Olihan
Well, Cabot, I had a very cool meeting on Thursday where I was in a scif and I got debriefed on a lot of these UFO files or UAP files that came out on Friday. And I was very interested and a little bit alarmed by what I heard and saw. And you can see all of it. And I believe it's@war.gov, you can see these new files that dropped. But the gist of it Cabot, is that there have been sightings of what are described as glowing orbs. And not just in one part of the country, but we saw files describing FBI testimonies, witness interviews about these glowing orbs in the Northeast United States as well as in Colorado and in another unspecified location in the west, where individuals saw, again, glowing orbs that they described as kind of fiery in the sky, usually in pairs of two, sometimes glowing red, sometimes glowing white. A number of different incidents like this that highly alarmed the individuals who saw them. And what we learned from these officials is that, you know, these are UAPs, which means they don't know what they are. But we do know that the United States is investigating them. And there's some very creepy videos if you're interested in seeing them. There's some on my timeline also@war.gov and you can go look for yourself and decide what you think, because we don't know what they are. And so that's kind of the next step in figuring out what we're looking at there.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah, I know a lot of people hear UFO or uap, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, which is the government term, and they kind of laugh it off and say, oh, the government is, you know, little green men. I've interviewed top gun pilots in the U.S. navy and air Force. I've interviewed Navy admirals who have had encounters with what they described as very concerning technology that they are confident the US does not have. And so they view this as a national security threat. This is a serious issue. I know it gets, you know, we can have fun with it, but I think it's important to talk about this in a serious way because there are very, very credible folks in our government, in our military, in the Pentagon, who want to get to the bottom of this. And I am one of those people who wants answers. So, Mary Margaret, thanks for trying to get those answers for us. We appreciate your work.
Mary Margaret Olihan
Thanks for having me, Cabot.
Cabot Phillips
That was Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan. We're all trying to feel healthy, right? Drinking more water, getting our steps in taking our vitamins. Most people spend a lot of time thinking about their heart, their weight, or if you're me, thinking about your muscles. But almost nobody thinks about their liver. Liver health affects literally everything. Your energy, your digestion, how your skin looks, even your metabolism. It's time we show our liver some love. And that is where dose comes in. Dose is a clinically backed liver health supplement. And unlike most supplements, you don't have to take a giant pill or dissolve that nasty Gritty powder. Like other places, it comes in a delicious two ounce shot. I've taken morning supplements in powder form in the past. I literally would have to hold my nose and try not to gag while I forced it down because they all tasted so terrible and I never even really felt a difference. But Dose tastes fantastic, has me feeling awesome throughout the day, which is especially important for me right now as I try to stay sane on five hours of sleep a night with my toddler and four month old. I come in every morning after my garage gym workout. I pour myself a shot of Dose and down it goes. That's it. It's so easy. I've told you guys before, my wife is super health conscious. Some would even say crunchy. And she is always reading every ingredient before we bring new food into our house. Well, when I got my package from Dose, she read everything that goes into it. She was examining each label in every ingredient and I'm happy to say it got her stamp of approval. So you know it's good stuff. So if you're wanting to get healthier and feel better but you don't know where to start, dose is the move. If you're ready to give your liver the support it deserves, head to DueDaily, Co Cabot or enter Cabot to get 35% off your first subscription. Your body does so much for you. Let's do something for it that's D O S E D A I L Y Co for 35% off your first month subscription. We're now joined by Daily Wire D.C. bureau Chief Tim Rice. If you've been watching on Daily Wire Wired in for the last few months, you know that the audience has decided that Tim's segments, which are almost every day, need a name. And Tim, I'm happy to tell you the audience has voted. They have decided that the Tim Rice segment shall be called Rice and Beans because of your affinity for spilling the beans in Washington. So congratulations, Tim. You've got your own segment title. You're stuck with it.
Tim Rice
I love it. I would love anything that our dear viewers would vote for. But I do happen to like that one in particular. So great to be here on Rice and Beans.
Cabot Phillips
You wouldn't love every suggestion you say that, but some of them were a little derogatory. But I'm not going to read those. Okay, Tim, start with the big UFC event last night. For those who did not tune in, let's play a clip. Here is Justin Gaethje, who ended up winning the title, walking out before his fight. Have a look at where he started Ain't no grave hold my body down look down yonder Gabriel Put your feet
Dr. Yosef Witkin
on let's and see
Cabot Phillips
don't you blow your trouble Till you hear from me Just watching that, I. I cut myself by accident last night. And my blood, it was red, white and blue. Some people might say, capit, that sounds like a medical condition. You should get that checked out. But I say, no, I'm a patriot. For those who are only listening, absolutely not. That was Justin Gai walking out of the Oval Office into the octagon on the South Lawn. Tim, everyone seemed to have an opinion on this event. Some saying it was a desecration of the White House, others saying it was the most American thing ever. Now that it's actually happened, what did you think?
Tim Rice
Look, I mean, it's going to come as no surprise to anyone here that I think it was the most American thing ever. Or if not the most American thing ever, then an absolute win for the President and an incredible kickoff to this summer of America 250 celebrations. I mean, look, we've discussed on this show and elsewhere that I think, and I think many on our team agree that people who are on the left, Democrats, people in the media complaining about this being a desecration. I saw Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton, as always, sort of perfectly sums up the way the left thinks about things. She said, donald Trump is desecrating your house, the People's house, by hosting a bare knuckle brawl on the White House lawn as if he's inviting grifters to fight each other to the death for free food on the White House lawn. This is the ufc. This is one of the most popular sports in the country. This is an institutionalized league. This is something that Americans love across parties. It draws millions of people. When Netflix streams these fights, when you see them on streaming, I mean, this would have been as cool as if he had invited the World cup team to go have a scrimmage on the White House lawn. And you look at the people who went, which I think is the other sign after the fact that this was a clear win. This was, you know, it was political, but not partisan, if that makes sense. Cuz of course, members of the Trump administration were there, members of the Trump family were there. Democrats weren't there, cuz they chose not to go. But you look at celebrities were there. Mark Zuckerberg was there with his wife, various actors and singers, Zach Brown Band performed. No one thinks that the Zach Brown Band is like, you know, it's not like it's not like Kid Rock, you know, Zach Brown. I love his music, don't get me wrong. But he's a hippie, dippy guy now, going and giving interviews about how he's a vegan and stuff. But he came to play an awesome concert at an awesome event, and so it was really cool. I was very jealous to have missed it, but I've talked to a lot of people today who were there or watching it at parties around D.C. and everyone just said the same things. It was an amazing fight, amazing spectacle. The performances were incredible. The weather held out. It was pouring rain everywhere around D.C. and I think it only rained a little bit here and stopped just before this big open air fight. So, I mean, you know, it was an incredible event and hopefully, as I said, a sign of what's to come for other celebrations this summer.
Cabot Phillips
Tim, I'm gonna be honest. I did not listen to a word you just said because they had highlights of the fights playing on the screen while you were talking, and I was mesmerized.
Tim Rice
That's fine.
Cabot Phillips
No, I did listen. The part that jumped out. Hillary Clinton saying, this is a desecration of the White House. I seemed. My memory is hazy. I seem to recall an incident at the White House that some would call a desecration. It's eluding me at this point. I can't remember.
Tim Rice
Anyways, Cavett, but that joke is funny for two reasons. Because obviously we all know what you're referencing, but you could also be referencing Bill and Hillary Clinton stealing White House China and then boasting about it. And of course, you could be referencing Hunter Biden probably doing cocaine at the White House. Biden and Kamala inviting transgender people to take their tops off and bare their prosthetic breasts on the White House lawn. I mean, Democrats love actually desecrating the White House.
Cabot Phillips
This was just cool for our audience at home. Who has their bingo cards. Some of you may have just won bingo because we have the word prosthetic, transgender, breasts. That just was spoken. Okay, good. Fill in your bingo cards, Tim. Folks on the left held some counter programming last night during this UFC event, I guess to try and say, hey, we can also have fun. Let's watch this clip from what they call the Rise Up Sing out event. Have a play. No one is getting left behind this time. No one is getting left behind. Not this time. No one is getting left behind this time. How do we get there together or never get there at all? That event also featured famed American philosopher Jane Fonda, who gave a rousing speech as well. Unfortunately, I got left behind this time because I did not watch that event. What do you think of this just dynamic performance?
Tim Rice
First of all, I would encourage. That's one of the clips. There are a couple other clips going around. We don't have time to play them all. Everyone just pop onto X and watch the clips. It's the most embarrassing thing that you'll ever see. You might die of secondhand embarrassment. That's my only warning. Look, this is doubly embarrassing, right? Because for one, this is just embarrassing. This off key janky, weird banjo inflected protest against who knows what. Exactly. But it's also really embarrassing for Democrats because like guys, you're the Democratic Party, you have all of the allies in Hollywood, the music industry, pretty much everyone usually. Where was Bruce Springsteen? Where were the Rage against the Machine guys? Where were all these musicians who are constantly endorsing Democrats, demonizing Republicans and saying that they're gonna come out and fight for American democracy? I don't actually know the answer to that. Maybe this was just the slapdash counter protest that they didn't put too much thought into. Or maybe some of the big acts realized, well, I won't go as far as to come out and endorse the America 250 stuff, but I understand that that's gonna be pretty popular among my fans. So you can imagine a Bruce Springsteen, a Tom Morello, any of these big rock stars turning down, politely declining an invitation to come to the counter protest. Sort of. You know, I won't come out in favor, but I'm not gonna come to the anti march either.
Cabot Phillips
I guess you could say Bruce Springsteen got left behind this time. When you were describing saying this janky off tune performance. You have a Dave Matthews Band poster on your set that's often behind you. I thought you were gonna say Dave Matthews Band because that's what that sounds like to me. But I don't mean to throw too much shakes on you guys.
Tim Rice
You know, he's also a usual suspect. I do have to say he is. It pains me, but he is. He is. He is up there with the janky hippies.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. All right, Tim, we will let you go. Thank you so much for being here. Always a pleasure to have some rice and beans on the show.
Tim Rice
Thanks, Cabot.
Cabot Phillips
All right, that was Daily Wire D.C. bureau Chief Tim Rice. Well, this year companies across the United States have continued to build new data centers at a historic pace, spending billions of dollars in the process and providing much needed infrastructure for the AI boom. Supporters of the new construction say it'll ensure that America maintains our edge in the fight for tech supremacy. While critics have voiced concerns over the environmental and health impacts of these new data centers, our next guest is Judge Glock, Director of research and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Judge, great to have you back on, man.
Judge Glock
Thanks so much for having me.
Cabot Phillips
So, just to start, for folks who aren't totally up to date on this topic, can you just give us some context? How many data centers are being built nationwide and just how influential is this to our economy at the moment?
Judge Glock
Well, it's hard to estimate the actual number of data centers, but these things are huge and they're growing immensely quickly. So the best estimate of how powerful a data center is is how much electricity uses. We were talking just last year we had about 31 gigawatts of electricity in these data centers. So a huge number. By next year, we're thinking we're going to have about double that, 60 something gigawatts of data center capacity. This is an already massive industry that is doubling within one or two years, and it looks to continue to be growing in the future. Some estimates are the new data centers are adding, say, about one and a half percent of all of our GDP right now, and that's likely to keep going up. So it's just this massive building boon. I mean, somewhat comparable to like the highway build out in the 60s and 70s, and it's one of the main things powering our economy right now.
Cabot Phillips
Judge, you've no doubt seen that this has become a growing concern for folks on the left and the right, especially among those in the Maha movement. What is your message to folks who say, hey, I understand we need some data centers, but they're concerned about the impact it could have on their specific communities.
Judge Glock
So I happen to live in Northern Virginia and I'm actually right next to Loudoun county, which is the surprising global epicenter of data centers. Most people don't realize that, but Loudoun county probably has more data centers than Beijing. So it's really substantial around here. And you can drive down and see them. They're not the prettiest things on earth. They're kind of big concrete blocks, few dozen feet tall. Maybe every once in a while they paint a couple blue stripes on them to pretty them up. But in terms of their impacts, they're really, really minimal. They're not pretty. They do emit kind of a low hum if you're really close to them and you kind of strain, which wouldn't be pleasant, but you shove these things a few hundred meters down the road and they basically don't bother anything. The environmental impacts are minimal. It's not like building a new power plant next door that's emitting soot or something. They just kind of sit there and throw off a few jobs and a lot of tax revenue.
Cabot Phillips
I'm picturing those like tall, you know, like electrical towers that a lot of times they'll put branches on to make them look like trees. I'm just thinking, yeah, maybe from a PR standpoint we could encourage data centers to maybe paint some murals. Like here in Nashville, every building has a giant mural on the side. Maybe we could do some nice local art commissions on these data centers.
Judge Glock
Yeah, let's fussy them up a bit. Just maybe put some weird like castle battlements on them or yeah, draw a giant local's face on them who was previously opposed to it. And you buy them off by saying we'll make a big poster of you right on the data center. That would probably. There's lots of ways to make these things a little nicer to look at. But otherwise again, I don't get the big hullabaloo in most of these cases.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah, so walk us through this because look, there is some evidence, if you look it up, there are some studies that talk about the potential health impact of these data centers. There have been some examples of higher rates of miscarriages for people living within a radius of these data centers. So that's obviously concerning. What is the line between allowing for construction that we know benefits our economy as a whole, but also protecting those who could be harmed in the process. Folks who aren't able to say, hey, I don't own the land a hundred yards behind my house. I can't do anything if they build a data center there. But now I'm kind of scared about what if I get pregnant and there's a negative impact.
Judge Glock
Yeah, again, I personally wouldn't like to have them right next to my house. If I had to look out my window and see say 100 foot tall data center bearing down over me and my neighbors, I might not be thrilled. And again, that hum can be really annoying for someone close by. But the other side of this is, as you mentioned, one, basically we need these data centers to continue to power our economy forward. And frankly to my mind, it's one of the least sort of impactful building projects you can have around. If you have an Amazon fulfillment center down the street from you, you're going to have lots of big trucks driving by, they're going to be throwing off diesel fumes and everything else. If you have a local factory that's going to be emitting pollution, a lot more noise as well, everything we do in the economy today has side effects. And that's just the nature of living in an industrial electronic age. So the way we deal with this is often we just place them a little bit out of the way and you know, you look at some of these local communities and frankly if these things are again, you know, few hundred meters, few hundred yards down the road, they're really not causing much harm and frankly much, much less harm than most anything we kind of have going building out in the industrial warehouse sector today. They don't have many workers driving back and forth. Not trucks driving around all the time. Yeah, they're just a few very minor, very localized impacts. And as long as these local communities can find a place that's not right next door to put them, they're throwing off a lot of benefits.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. Trump has coined this term panikin. I think I might be like AI Panikin adjacent right now where I'm thinking, okay, like we're gonna be talking with the doctor later on about Ozempic and how we don't know the long term health effects yet of Ozempic so maybe we should slow roll it. When it comes to the data centers, I'm in the boat of until we really know the impact on humans, maybe let's work to keep them as far away from residential areas as possible. But I totally understand the economic side of this. If we stop building these, what will it do to our economy? And don't we think that China is loving the idea of there being outrage over these things? And so I think there's a healthy balance and with any new industry there is a balance. You're have that but on. Oh, go ahead judge.
Judge Glock
Oh no, it's just exactly like I said, this is a very location dependent thing. I totally understand. Very localized opposition them. You drive up the street in Northern Virginia and you do see some of these data centers right next to home. I wouldn't like that. I totally understand why locals are opposed to it. But again, if you're going to build something in your community and your community needs jobs, it needs new construction, this seems like a pretty good thing to have as long as it's not too, too close to your house.
Cabot Phillips
Now, more broadly on the topic of AI, this entire debate which has become a nationwide debate over these data centers, but this all comes as the White House has been in a bit of a feud with AI Giant Anthropic after ordering the company to restrict access to its most advanced models to any foreign nationals. Can you just walk us through that dust up what's going on here between the White House and Anthropic?
Judge Glock
Yeah, so I mean we have a long history of export controls on computer products and information. Famously in the 1990s Apple even used in one of its ad that its personal computer was so powerful that the government was restricting exports from it. And they said, oh, your PC doesn't have to get restricted by the federal government like ours does. So I mean computer manufacturers, the tech industry has been dealing with these export regulations for years now. On software it's a little bit, a little more tricky because you do have these local are these people that can download it to any potential second. So it's a little hard sometimes to restrict it say to just US residents or just people living in the continental United States who are also citizens. So when the Trump administration says we have these pretty significant concerns about what Anthropics Claude and Fable system could do to break out of some of these like cryptography code breaking activities and they said we might want to do export restrictions on them, the Anthropic said basically, well, we have to take down the whole thing. And at this point we don't know a lot about how it played out or what the actual concerns are. But the early reporting says that they're still trying to work out an agreement on how to release this without allowing in the hands of foreign nationals.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. One final question. If you look at polling on AI more broadly, the majority of Americans right now say they believe the risks outweigh the benefits. So what is your message to those who are concerned by the potential downsides?
Judge Glock
Well, I've spent a lot of my career studying regulation of businesses and you know, anytime there's a new business there is concerns and they're often very legitimate. You have an issue about what is this going to do to, you know, our community, to our jobs, to the environment. To my mind, this again just seems like one of the less impactful sort of new industries we have to deal with. Basically it's something we stare at our computer. Maybe we don't like what it says. Maybe they have these code breaking capabilities that we need to in particular focus on limiting. But otherwise this is not like shooting lead into the atmosphere which poisoned us for generations. This is not like this new dangerous thing that's killing thousands of people every year. You know, in terms of regulated industries, there are legitimate concerns we're going to have to face here. But we have a lot of more dangerous stuff frankly happening in our society right now. And besides some of these particular cryptography and code breaking things, I think we can be pretty sure at this point at least that AI is not going to kill us all. Maybe in the future we'll have to worry about that.
Cabot Phillips
I understand. I do have to push back a little though on the idea of this not being a super impactful technology or revolution for the average American. We're already seeing jobs, especially entry level jobs, being impacted by AI and we're already seeing the potential for even more jobs to go away in the future. So don't you think that is, I mean that's a huge. Maybe we're not talking about cybernet and Terminator types of situations where the world ends, but for a lot of people it could feel like the world is ending if there's no longer a place for them to work because their skills are now automated.
Judge Glock
Yeah, there is that concern. And I should perhaps be careful about saying, well, it's not that bad because we don't think it will end civilization next few years. That's something that should concern us all. If that's going to happen at some point, then we really need to dig in and figure out how to regulate this. But in terms of job, basically we have a near record unemployment rate right now. We have pretty high wage growth. We have air. You have to squint really hard to find examples of how AI might be impacting jobs for 20 somethings. You still have high level employment. Yes. Basically anything that's ever been invented in the United States of America displaces jobs. We don't have a lot of buggy drivers, we don't have a lot of stenographers sitting in typing pools typing everything out that might have had to go through a typewriter. We have computers do a lot of this. And on the whole this works out well for society. That's not a reason not to be concerned. But in general we want to let progress to continue. If there are particular harms happening with some new technology, we can face those. But the fact that some people are gonna lose jobs is just very the nature of the fact that we an industrial society, we're no longer living on farms, we're continuing inventing new things.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. That is the debate that's going on. It's a fascinating one and a very impactful one. Judge Glock, thank you so much for your time. You're welcome back anytime. We really appreciate it.
Judge Glock
Thank you so much. Looking forward to it.
Cabot Phillips
All right, that was Judge Glock from the Manhattan Institute. Guys, if you're watching and listening on Spotify and Apple podcasts, thank you so much. Again. If you could leave a five star review and please go give us a follow, that would help so much. So we're glad if you're watching and listening there. But the best place to watch Wired in is on the Daily Wire plus app. That is where you should be. That is how you get push alerts when we go live. You'll get breaking news as it happens. You'll also get the latest from our investigative reporting team. The Daily Wire app, I'm happy to report is free and available now on the App Store. Google Play, Apple tv, Roku, Samsung lg. Well, this month New York's health department released new rules concerning its new law allowing for doctor assisted suicide, which Governor Kathy Hochul calls the Medical Aid in Dying Act. Supporters of the measure say it'll provide options to those suffering from incurable diseases, but critics say it sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the sanctity of life. Here with more is Dr. Yosef Witt during a board certified psychiatrist. Doctor, great to have you back. We always love seeing you, Cabot.
Dr. Yosef Witkin
Glad to be here.
Cabot Phillips
So let's start big picture New York becoming the latest state to open up doctor assisted suicide. What's your take?
Dr. Yosef Witkin
It's a slippery slope. It's something that I'm very worried about. I think it starts in this place where people say, hey, that kind of sounds reasonable. Someone has a terminal brain cancer, why not let them finish their life with dignity? If they want to take some fentanyl and exit that way, that's not a big deal. Well, that's what a lot of people thought. But now if we go over and we look at places like Canada with their maid program, which is essentially euthanasia, doctor Led euthanasia over there, it's now expanded to mental health conditions. And so it starts with this thing that sounds reasonable. And all of a sudden they're essentially killing people with mental health conditions, which is completely different because mental health conditions, you can recover from them. And so I just see it as a slippery slope. I see it as something that will eventually lead to just an easy way to get rid of inconvenient patients.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah, I'm interested in your take as a psychiatrist because I'm sure you're dealing with patients who are suffering from severe mental illnesses and might be having those suicidal ideations. Does a law like this maybe impact their thinking where they're coming to you saying, hey, this is a disease they feel like they're never going to be cured of. And they say, well, if someone else is able to have the government help them end their life, why can't I? And could you see that impacting your patients that you're working with?
Dr. Yosef Witkin
I mean, what we've seen in Canada, just based on the statistics, is as this becomes more acceptable, actual suicide rates go up. You know, when people look around and they say, well, the government is letting us, you know, essentially kill people with depression. You know, let them end their lives, that's not such a big deal. You know, the taboo goes away. And some of this taboo about suicide is protected, is protective. And if you look at some of these interviews with people who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, you know, and they were picked up in the water and they survived that. You know, so many of them say the same thing. I am so grateful that I survived. And they have a new lease on life after that. And so the thing with killing someone because, you know, they say that they're depressed and, you know, they're suicidal, is. I mean, that's a final decision that someone makes. And it is completely against what I stand for as a psychiatrist. I mean, my job is to keep my patients alive, and so I absolutely hate it.
Cabot Phillips
This might be just an old Wives teller myth, but I think many people have heard this notion that suicides can come in bunches where, you know, if there's a social, you know, if there's a social unit or community where there's a suicide that oftentimes that can lead to other suicides. Is that a real phenomena? And if so, do you think that this could cause that to be more prevalent?
Dr. Yosef Witkin
Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And it's social contagion. And I think. I mean, there was a popular Netflix show, the name of which escapes me now, that essentially followed a girl who killed herself because of some bullying.
Mary Margaret Olihan
And.
Dr. Yosef Witkin
And what happened after that was that there were a lot of these copycat suicides because it just became a trendy thing to do. You know, just like with the transgender movement, you know, when. When people start to talk about that, you get these confused young children who say, oh, well, you know, maybe that's the reason why I'm unhappy. Let's. Let's do that. And much like with suicide, you know, when you start hearing about it in the news, you start hearing about governments allowing this and doctors doing it and how actually a noble thing that allows people to die with dignity, all of a sudden people say, oh, well, that sounds kind of reasonable. This isn't that bad. And so, absolutely, Cabot, you're right to be worried about that.
Cabot Phillips
I want to get to something else that has been legalized in the name of patient freedom and that's marijuana. For years the conventional wisdom was, look, this is a harmless substance, there's no real long term downsides. But we've started to see some really concerning data coming out that contradicts that notion. Can you tell us more about that?
Dr. Yosef Witkin
What I want people to know is that the cannabis nowadays is completely different from what people were smoking in the past. You know, back in the 70s, the THC concentration was 3%. Let me tell you why that matters. It matters because now if you go into a dispensary, it's 30%. It has increased by a factor of 10. And a lot of this happened from the 2010s onwards. So a lot of people, you know, they look at doctors like me who are sounding the alarm on the health, which I'm going to get into really, really soon, and they're saying, this is just a reefer madness. Doctor who just has an axe to grind about cannabis. It is not that at all. And I want to quickly talk about one study that really makes this case. About ten years ago in the uk, they got two groups of people. One group of people, they put on 5% cannabis, they were using it every day. And the second group was on 15%. They then followed them over time and they measured how frequently they had psychotic. In the group on the 5%, there was no change from the baseline. You know, 1% of them went on to have psychotic episodes. That's normal background rate of psychosis in the general population. But in that group that was 15%, it went up to 5%. There was a five fold increase in new episodes of mania and psychosis. Now, what I want your audience to hear, cabot, is that 15% is low. That is low by standards in America right now, like the buds nowadays, it's like 30%. And if you're using like waxes, dabs, concentrates, vapes, it's going up to 90%. And so this, this cannabis that everyone thinks is, hey, it's safe, it's this natural thing, we're legalizing it, it's just not the same product. And so people need to be really worried about these mental health side effects of, of the new cannabis.
Cabot Phillips
That was the turning point for me. I spent years viewing cannabis no different than alcohol and saying, well, people can use it responsibly, but once I started Seeing the impact and reading these studies and looking at the rates of psychosis brought on by heavy cannabis use and seeing how many users became regular users, became daily users, it was very concerning. It completely changed my mind on this issue. And I'm glad you point out this is not some case of Reefer madness. This is not some case of people will try and bring a criminal justice element in. Some people will even say it's racist because they're trying to get minorities locked up in prison. That's not what this is. This is about the health of Americans, specifically young Americans, because can you elaborate for us on how young people in particular are a lot of times more susceptible to the negative impacts that can be caused by frequent cannabis use?
Dr. Yosef Witkin
Yeah, I will. But I want you to know, Cabot, that just quickly, it's not just us and people over here at the Daily Wire who are talking about this. Pete. David.
Cabot Phillips
Oh, it looks like Dr. Wade during has frozen on us. He was making a great point. I wanted to hear what he was about to say about Pete Davidson. We will try and get him back in just a minute. I apologize for the technical delays. Oh, we've got him back. We got him back right now. Doctor, you cut off for a second, but tell us about Pete Davidson.
Dr. Yosef Witkin
Yeah, so Pete Davidson, who was this cultural icon who just was always smoking cannabis, he's even talking about this now, Cabot. He is saying that the new cannabis is far too strong and it is a serious problem. And so I think the cat's out of the bag. People are realizing it now going to younger individuals. Now what a lot of the research shows is that if you are younger than 30, you are much more likely to have a psychotic episode on cannabis. And so, I mean, that's the same with all kinds of medications out there. So younger people who have. Because the nervous system develops up until age 30, if you're still going under, you're still having nervous system development, you are more susceptible to these risks. And so absolutely, it's something that you should not be doing if you're younger.
Cabot Phillips
Thank you to Dr. Yosef Wit during. So now let's turn in studio to Daily Wire editor in Chief Brent Scher. Brent, I'm glad you were in the chair right now because our audience was about to have to hear me just stall and just talk.
Brent Scher
You can ask me about Ozempic, I'll have thoughts.
Cabot Phillips
I won't do that because you are not a board certified psychiatrist the way that Dr. Wit during is. But you are a board certified New York Knicks Fan, congratulations to you.
Brent Scher
Thank you very much. Isn't it great? There are a lot of doubters in the building, in the company. I'm glad to see them all proven wrong on this one issue. But, yeah, we did it. We won. This is the first championship by a New York team I root for since I was born in the 80s. Islanders, Mets, Islanders, Mets, Jets, Knicks. Not a single one. I didn't make it to the 86 Mets World Series. So I've just been zilch, nothing for my whole life.
Cabot Phillips
Well, congratulations. And I love how this interview started. I didn't even ask you a question. You just started going off about how great it was that the New York Knicks won. But you deserve it. You've been waiting for a very long time. So congratulations. Thank you. The big storylines coming out of this, obviously, Jalen Brunson proving. Turns out you can win a title with a small point guard, Victor Wembanyama, proving himself as maybe the dirtiest player in the NBA. People were very angry about that. That's the basketball side of it, the cultural side of it. This was a violent series off the court. We saw in San. Game one and Game two, we saw. Or game two, three, and four, we saw New York Knicks fans jumping. San Antonio spurs fans. Game five, we saw the same thing. Knicks fans getting jumped in San Antonio. But then the celebration happened in New York City. Brent, your comrades up in the Big Apple got a little crazy. What happened?
Brent Scher
Look, that's terrible. And I mean, I think that there needs to be. When we're looking at this, look at the divide between the actual Knick fans who have been waiting their whole lives for this, and the people who get up and riot every time there's an occasion to go get up and riot in New York City. I saw that one video that really angered me was when they're, like, taking a scooter to the front of a school bus and taking turns, like, blasting it. What's up with that? But, I mean, that's what's on social media or on the public. Social media. On my social media of all my friends, I saw them in the streets. It's all Knick fans just yelling, jalen Brunson. And, like, in bars, having the time of their lives. Because this, for most New York sports fans, it's not very often that we win championships. This was a huge, huge occasion. And there was joy. But, yeah, it's really sad to see. It felt like I was from Philadelphia, which is my least favorite city in America, where this is, like, their thing. They Burn couches and, like, climb light posts and all that? Can we just be happy and drink and have a good time and, like, hug your friends and yell about how good you guys, your team is at sports? That's all I want to do.
Cabot Phillips
That's all you want to do. Brent, we know that a lot of people are saying that this is proof of the Donald Trump curse because the one game he went to in New York, Game three, the Knicks lost, the Knicks won. The other four. I don't think there's anything to that.
Brent Scher
I don't either, but I don't care, really. Maybe it is. Maybe it was other things in game three. I mean, we're dealing with a tough set of referees the whole series. And if that series went 3 0, it was going to be really, really, really bad for the NBA. This is like the highest ratings I think they've gotten since, what was it, the late 90s. So they wanted as many games as possible. I mean, from how Game 5 was called, it was clearly they wanted the spurs to win that one, too. So they get another Game 6 in New York, and you could bring back out Jerry Seinfeld and Taylor Swift. So I think that's more of what happened. It's like the Adam Silver ways to continue series curse more than Donald Trump being there, but if it was Trump's fault, man, that's a shame. But we'll take Knicks in five, okay.
Cabot Phillips
They did win the other big sporting event this weekend, the UFC Freedom250 on the white House lawn. I'm a huge UFC fan, so I have been just banging the drum on this sport for the last nine years. The first UFC event I watched was in 2008. I believe it was Chuck Liddell the iceman fighting, and I was hooked ever since. Did last night convert you into a UFC fan?
Brent Scher
Oh, yeah. But, I mean, if there was a Trump, if we were wondering whether there was a Trump curse, the fact that the greatest UFC card probably of all time, not in even how it was set up, but how it turned out to be. It's seven fights, seven decisions, no judge, seven knockouts, knockouts, no judge nonsense, just all actual fights being won. There's no sports curse around Donald Trump. That was incredible. My favorite part of it was not just the fights, which were all amazing, but was starting the walkouts from inside the White House. I mean, in that last fight, Justin Gaethje, starting from the Oval Office, reading the Declaration of Independence, but then going through those hallways that not everybody sees. I used to be a White House reporter. So I've been around there a bit, but for most Americans, nobody's ever seen inside there, and even seeing it on camera and what Donald Trump has done to it with all the gold and the Presidential Walk of Fame or whatever he calls it, it was just so cool. And for people who were upset about having that fight at the White House, I think that element of it kind of undermines that criticism. They call it the People's House. It was really cool to see these UFC fighters who kind of are the most ordinary, everyday fighters now because they're good at fighting, getting ready, and, you know, the Oval Office and walking through those rooms. It was.
Cabot Phillips
And I am happy to let our audience know that tomorrow on the show, we will be joined by one of the UFC fighters who got a knockout at this event. I cannot. I can't tell who it is. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but tune in tomorrow because we will be joined by a UFC fighter who got a big knockout at UFC Freedom250. I'm very excited for that interview. All of you should be as well. Daily Wire Editor in Chief Brent Scher, thanks for being here.
Brent Scher
Thank you.
Cabot Phillips
I had to let you come gloat about your New York Knicks, so congratulations.
Brent Scher
Yeah, I'm surprised you guys hadn't gotten to the Knicks already on the show.
Cabot Phillips
Well done. Biggest story in the world. All right, guys, that is it for today's show. But just a reminder for everyone, I'm very excited to see you guys tomorrow. However, before you go, please give Wired in a follow on Spotify and Apple podcasts. Maybe even leave a five star review. It would be so helpful, and it would mean the world to our entire team. And just a reminder, if you want to join our live listener Q and A, which I'm about to go do right now, you've got to become a Daily Wire member. Head on over to DailyWire.com subscribe. If you liked what you heard and saw on Spotify and Apple, the show's going to keep going, but you can only go see it on DailyWire.com subscribe, become a member, and get in on the action.
Host: Cabot Phillips (The Daily Wire)
Episode Date: June 15, 2026
This episode of "Wired In" dives into two of the week’s most headline-grabbing stories: President Trump’s landmark peace deal with Iran and the unprecedented UFC event staged at the White House. Host Cabot Phillips brings on political insiders and cultural commentators to unpack the details, explore the political fallout, and discuss the significance for both domestic and international audiences. The episode also covers recent developments in AI data center construction, a new Ozempic government initiative, New York’s move towards doctor-assisted suicide, and rampant celebrations after the New York Knicks' NBA championship.
Guest: Mark Halperin (Political Analyst, Host of "The Morning Meeting")
Timestamps: 04:15 – 13:58
Announcement & Terms
Trump announces a tentative deal to end the war with Iran, pending formalization in Switzerland.
White House claims: Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, drop nuclear pursuit, allow for removal of nuclear materials and nuclear inspections.
Iranian media claims: US to cease strikes, lift sanctions, and create a reconstruction fund.
Political Impact
Mark Halperin asserts the pivot was recognizing old pressure points (oil exports) were no longer effective due to updated intelligence.
“The president came up with a pretty good plan here. The main domestic pressure...is to lower gas prices before the midterms.” (Mark Halperin, 05:41)
Midterm Implications
If hostilities end and gas prices drop, Republicans might be less vulnerable—although Trump’s low approval rating remains a drag.
“The greatest correlation [between midterm results] comes from the president's approval rating...most Republicans will be racing into a pretty strong headwind.” (Halperin, 08:01)
Trump-Netanyahu Rift
Real policy differences now exist between Trump and Israeli leadership, especially regarding the kinetic approach to Iran and Lebanon.
“Netanyahu is so knowledgeable about American politics...they all come to hate him. That’s just the reality...” (Halperin, 09:15)
Polling Environment
Republicans face an “extremely discouraging” environment despite Democratic brand weakness; battleground state polling particularly concerning.
“The overall horse race numbers are extremely discouraging for Republicans right now...not what a biased reporter would say, it's what a fair reporter would say.” (Halperin, 11:00)
Guests: Mark Halperin, Tim Rice (D.C. Bureau Chief), Brent Scher (Editor in Chief)
Timestamps: 11:56 – 14:08, 26:08 – 33:57, 59:40 – 61:59
Cultural & Political Resonance
“Maybe some young men find the Republican brand cooler after last night. Maybe some Republicans...will be turned out to vote because they're enthusiastic.” (Halperin, 13:02)
Event Details & Reactions
Justin Gaethje wins title in a spectacle that drew both praise as “the most American thing ever” and condemnation (notably from Hillary Clinton) as “desecration.”
“This is the UFC. This is one of the most popular sports in the country...This was, you know, it was political, but not partisan...” (Tim Rice, 27:20)
Counter-Programming by the Left
The “Rise Up Sing Out” event intended as an alternative was panned for its lackluster, off-key performances and lack of star power.
“For one, this is just embarrassing...it's also really embarrassing...Where was Bruce Springsteen? Where were the Rage Against the Machine guys?” (Tim Rice, 31:54)
Memorable UFC Moments
Fighters walking out from the Oval Office, reading the Declaration of Independence—“Starting the walkouts from inside the White House...It was just so cool.” (Brent Scher, 60:02)
Guest: Mary Margaret Olihan (White House Correspondent)
Timestamps: 14:10 – 23:29
Trump Goes to Geneva
Travels with senior officials for the G7, likely addressing Iran, Ukraine, Ebola, and migration.
“Trump has really called out these other countries for facilitating mass migration...expect a little fireworks as it pertains to those two.” (Olihan, 16:44)
Iran Deal Details
Vice President Vance, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner credited alongside Trump as “kingmaker.”
“It does sound like this is more negotiating, but a bigger deal of negotiations than we have seen before.” (Olihan, 20:18)
UFO File Drop
Government releases new UAP (UFO) files describing “glowing orbs” across multiple states.
“There have been sightings of what are described as glowing orbs...described as kind of fiery in the sky.” (Olihan, 21:16)
Cabot: “I am one of those people who wants answers...There are very, very credible folks...who want to get to the bottom of this.” (22:43)
Guest: Judge Glock (Manhattan Institute)
Timestamps: 33:58 – 46:04
Infrastructure Boom
US data centers are “doubling within one or two years”—now at nearly 60 gigawatts capacity.
“It's just this massive building boon...comparable to the highway build out in the 60s and 70s.” (Glock, 34:47)
Pushback & Health Concerns
Most impacts “really minimal,” but concerns about proximity to communities are valid: “They're not the prettiest things on earth...in terms of their impacts, they're really, really minimal.” (Glock, 36:02)
AI Regulation Debate
“In general, we want to let progress to continue. If there are particular harms...we can face those.” (Glock, 44:44)
Cabot challenges: “We're already seeing jobs, especially entry-level jobs, being impacted by AI...for a lot of people, it could feel like the world is ending if their skills are now automated.” (44:10–44:44)
Guest: Dr. Yosef Witkin (Board-Certified Psychiatrist)
Timestamps: 46:04 – 55:23
New York’s Law
Dr. Witkin argues physician-assisted suicide could expand from terminal illness to mental health, citing Canada's experience:
“It's a slippery slope...it starts with this thing that sounds reasonable. And all of a sudden they're essentially killing people with mental health conditions…” (Witkin, 47:21)
Social Contagion of Suicide
Legalization risks making suicide seem more acceptable, potentially increasing suicide rates:
“Some of this taboo about suicide is protective...absolutely, you're right to be worried about that.” (Witkin, 49:40)
Guest: Dr. Yosef Witkin
Timestamps: 51:14 – 55:23
THC Potency & Health Risks
Modern cannabis is not the marijuana of previous generations—THC content up to 10x higher, leading to increases in psychosis among young users:
“In that group that was 15%, it went up to 5%. There was a fivefold increase in new episodes of mania and psychosis...15% is low by standards in America right now.” (Witkin, 51:14)
Risks for Youth
Users under 30 are particularly vulnerable; adverse mental health outcomes are rising. Even Pete Davidson, once synonymous with cannabis use, warns about the risks of ultra-potent weed.
“If you are younger than 30, you are much more likely to have a psychotic episode on cannabis.” (Witkin, 55:23)
Guest: Brent Scher (Daily Wire Editor in Chief)
Timestamps: 55:36 – 59:40
Celebrations & Social Fallout
Knicks win their first championship since the 1980s; city erupts positively, but some violence mars the occasion:
“For most New York sports fans...this was a huge, huge occasion. And there was joy. But, yeah, it's really sad to see [the riots].” (Scher, 57:12)
Trump Curse Dispelled
Trump attends Game 3 (Knicks lose), but team wins overall; speculation about political “curses” dismissed.
The episode maintains an upbeat, witty, and irreverent tone with Cabot’s energetic hosting and rapport with guests. Complex policy issues are discussed with a mix of skepticism, humor, and seriousness—often blending cultural commentary with hard news.
The Trump administration announces a monumental yet controversial peace deal with Iran, drawing skepticism and cautious optimism. The White House is transformed into a UFC spectacle, stirring political and cultural debate. Meanwhile, building booms for AI data centers raise regulatory and health anxieties. New York’s assisted suicide law and the risks of ultra-potent cannabis cause expert alarm. Finally, the Knicks’ championship sparks joy (and chaos) in NYC, capping a wild week in politics and culture.