Pete Hegseth testifies before Congress, the value of Iranian currency falls off a cliff, and ICE hunts down an illegal trucker accused of killing a pair of newlyweds. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Wednesday, April 29, and this is Evening Wire. The Federal Reserve voted to hold interest rates steady today in its most divided vote in decades. The board agreed to hold the rates at 3.5 to 3.75 percent. But the board's highly valued appearance of consensus seemed to crack. Four members dissented. The last time that happened was 1992. The divide reflects the uncertainty facing the global economy as the Hormuz Strait remains mostly closed and inflation ticks higher. Today's meeting was also likely the last headed by Chairman Jerome Powell. He's expected to be replaced by Trump's new pick, Kevin Warsh, who's been advanced for a full approval vote in the Senate. War Secretary Hegseth and General Dan Cain testified before Congress about the ongoing war in Iran and our military's budget. Daily Wire foreign affairs reporter Cassie Akiva has the details. On Capitol Hill, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth faced intense questioning from Democrats during a high-stakes hearing on the administration's Iran strategy and $1.5 trillion budget requests with multiple heated exchanges. Some Democrat lawmakers pressed Hegseth on whether the war has actually weakened Iran's nuclear program and what it's costing American families. While Hegseth repeatedly pushed back, defending the operation as a military success and arguing that no economic cost compares to the threat of a nuclear Iran. The hearing grew increasingly combative with accusations of dishonesty, raised voices and questions about the president's mental fitness from Representative Sarah Jacobs, a Democrat from California. Do you believe that the president is mentally stable enough to be the commander in chief. Did you ask the same question of Joe Biden for four years? Mr. Secretary, Joe Biden is not the president. Mr. Trump has been president for a year and a half, and I'm asking you right now. And I won't even engage with the level of disparagement that you're putting on the commander in chief, who indeed is, I mean, every single day. Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary Biden is not the president. Hexeth stood by Trump and assured the committee that the military is at its best and has serious plans for improving the quality life of service members. President Trump has reportedly instructed his aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran. Daily Wire contributor Tim Pierce has more. As the conflict extends beyond the president's initial timeline, options have become limited. Reportedly, in a Monday meeting, Trump debated whether to resume military engagements, walk away from the conflict, or continue to squeeze the Iranian economy with a blockade. It appears that Trump is pursuing the blockade, preventing shipping from Iranian ports. While a blockade will put immense pressure on the Iranians, disruptions in shipping will likely put continued strain on the global economy especially energy prices As negotiations continue without meaningful progress a decisive end of the conflict seems unlikely Investigators revealed a chilling mirror selfie from the alleged shooter behind Saturday's attack on the White House Correspondents Dinner. Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell has the details. According to federal prosecutors, Colt Thomas Allen took the selfie in his room at the Washington Hilton 30 minutes prior to his attack. The image shows him smirking in an all-black outfit with a red tie visibly armed with guns, knives, and extra ammunition, along with tools like pliers and wire cutters, gear he would soon carry downstairs. Investigators say he snapped the photo at 8.03 p.m., then later sent his manifesto titled Apology and Explanation to Family Members. Shortly thereafter, Allen rushed the screening checkpoint on the terrace level of the Washington Hilton with a raised shotgun and was quickly apprehended. The value of Iran's currency plunged to a record low today as the ceasefire and naval blockade continue to hold. The rial has fallen off a cliff, 1.8 million rials now equal to just $1. After staying relatively stable early in the war, economists warn that inflation is going to skyrocket. They point to supply disruptions, higher production costs, and ongoing uncertainty as key drivers of the surge. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case to end deportation relief for hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals. The Trump administration has moved to end the use of temporary protected status, a designation which covers roughly one million immigrants from 13 countries. The Department of Homeland Security wants to end TPP for 6,000 Syrian and 350,000 Haitian nationals and return them to their home countries. If the court rules in the administration's favor, the decision could be a massive boon to the president's mass deportation agenda. Ice has hunted down an illegal immigrant trucker accused of killing newlyweds after a sanctuary city let him go. Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Tehr has the exclusive. The Daily Wire has learned that sanctuary authorities in Oregon cut an illegal immigrant truck driver loose after he allegedly killed a newlywed couple in a tragic collision that led federal officers to track him down. Ice lodged a detainer with local authorities after Indian national Rajinder Kumar jackknifed his semi-truck and trailer in November. Kumar's disabled big rig blocked both lanes of a major highway in Deschutes County, Oregon, allegedly causing the deaths of William Micah Carter and his wife, Jennifer Lynn Lower, after their vehicle, quote, struck the trailer at highway speeds, according to local reports. The couple had only been married for 16 days at the time of the fatal collision. Kumar crossed the border illegally into Lukeville, Arizona in 2022 and was subsequently released into the country, according to DHS. He received a work permit in 2023, along with a commercial driver's license from California. This episode is sponsored by Brickhouse Nutrition. 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That's promo code WIRE at TakeLean.com today. The Trump administration has ordered Disney to file its broadcast license renewals for the network ABC several years before their doom. The demand is part of renewed scrutiny by the FCC after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel joked about First Lady Melania Trump becoming a widow. Kimmel's quip sparked outrage from the First Lady and the president, who denounced Kimmel in separate statements. The FCC has already scrutinized ABC's broadcast license over DEI practices in the company's hiring process. The new demand set up a fresh round of legal battles between the government and the entertainment giant Disney. A group of families from a small town in Canada have sued OpenAI over a mass shooting suspect's chat GPT use. Daily Wire lifestyle reporter Lauren Baer has the details. Prior to killing eight people and injuring dozens more, the suspect allegedly made some very ominous prompts to the popular chatbot. The families from Tumblr Ridge, British Columbia say OpenAI should be held responsible for failing to authorities ahead of the shooting. The suspect, a transgender-identifying 18-year-old male, repeatedly queried ChatGPT about gun violence scenarios before the tragedy. OpenAI leaders ultimately decided against referring the queries to law enforcement. Company head Sam Altman wrote in a letter to the community last week that he was, quote, deeply sorry for the decision. James Comey is remaining defiant in the face of his new indictment over an Instagram post. Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcand has the story. The Justice Department handed Comey a second criminal indictment on Tuesday, this time over a picture he posted of shells on a beach arranged in the numbers 86-47. In the restaurant world, 86 usually refers to getting rid of something and is sometimes used in reference to killing someone. 47 presumably refers to President Trump, the 47th president. The indictment accuses Comey of posting the picture as a threat to kill the president. Comey responded to the news in a video posted across social media. Here are some of what he said. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant. And she right But I not afraid And I hope you not either I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I innocent So let have a trial Comey has previously stated that he did not arrange the shells, but rather found them already arranged on the beach. He also stated that he was unaware of the connotations to violence at the time that he made the post, and has since deleted it. Even though most federal indictments are taken seriously, some critical legal experts have said the grounds for this case are rather thin. New York City Mayor Zoran Mondani claims the city's budget crisis can only be solved by the state. Daily Wire Assistant Editor Andy Valdez has the story. Just months after sending to the New York City Mayor's office on a platform promising socialist reform, Zoran Mondani announced to the press that the Big Apple is facing a budget crisis of, quote, historic magnitude, Looking at a deficit larger than any seen since the Great Recession, Mamdani said this. We cannot close this deficit with savings alone. We need new revenue and we need a structural reset in our relationship with the state. I'm glad to partner with Speaker Menon as we call upon Albany and deliver a balanced budget. Mamdani said, quote, a crisis of this scale cannot be solved without state action. He then ended his statement by saying he will continue his work in finding meaningful savings and reiterated, quote, we call on Albany to deliver additional revenue. Authorities in London suspect terrorism motivated a stabbing attack in a heavily Jewish part of the city. Daily Wire cultural reporter Megan Basham has more. The Wednesday attack in Golders Green wounded two men who were hospitalized and are now in stable condition. According to law enforcement, a 45-year-old man has been taken into custody and counterterrorism police are leading the investigation. Authorities said they have not yet confirmed his nationality nor his background, but the incident comes amid a spate of recent terror attacks and rising anti-Semitism across Europe. And the Southern Poverty Law Center continues to suffer fallout from last week's revelations about its financial ties to extremist groups. Fidelity, the nation's largest sponsor of donor-advised funds, has notified customers that they will not be allowed to give charity to the SPLC through Fidelity accounts. Fidelity Charity cited recent legal action taken by the DOJ in a statement saying, quote, consistent with our grant-making standards and practices, the SPLC is not an eligible grant recipient during the ongoing investigation. Fidelity manages over 350,000 customer accounts to send donations to charity that can then be claimed as tax deductions. All right, those are your drive home updates. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it earlier today, we covered some major stories, including the DOJ handing down two high-profile indictments, the Trump administration reinforcing the Texas border, and King Charles giving a rare address to Congress. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.
