Morning Wire
Venezuelan Oil Tariffs & Yemen Airstrike Signal Chat | Afternoon Update | 3.24.25
Mon, 24 Mar 2025
Trump slaps tariff on countries that buy Venezuelan oil, a journalist is added to text chain with U.S. defense officials, and Canada moves up their election. Developing stories you need to know just in time for your drive home. Get the facts first on Morning Wire.Lumen: Head to http://lumen.me/WIRE for 20% off your purchase.Shopify: Go to https://Shopify.com/morningwire to sign up for your $1 per month trial period and upgrade your selling today.
Chapter 1: What are the key updates in the Afternoon Update?
Trump slaps tariffs on countries that buy Venezuelan oil, a journalist is added to a text chain with U.S. defense officials, and Canada moves up their election. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Monday, March 24th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
After a judge forced the Trump administration to rehire 16,000 federal workers, the administration has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in. The ruling, which was issued by Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, said the mass firings across six federal agencies violated the law.
In an emergency filing today, officials argued that the judge overstepped by mandating the reinstatement of probationary employees and called on SCOTUS to pause the order.
Chapter 2: Why did Trump impose tariffs on Venezuelan oil?
Trump is seeking to cut off the spigot in Venezuela, announcing steep penalties on any country that purchases its oil or gas. In a post today on Truth Social, Trump said any country doing business with Venezuela's energy sector will be forced to pay a tariff of 25% on any trade they do with our country.
The move targets what he calls the dictator regime in Caracas and is one of the toughest economic actions yet by the administration. The tariffs will take effect April 2nd, when Trump is also expected to unveil a broader set of global trade measures.
The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic says he was accidentally added to a signal group chat used by top Trump officials to plan U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pearce has more.
Chapter 3: What is the controversy surrounding the U.S. airstrikes in Yemen?
The chat included high-ranking Trump officials such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Vice President J.D. Vance. Messages to the group contained sensitive operational details before the attacks. The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg says he received a signal connection request from a user identified as Michael Waltz.
Experts warn that the use of an unsecured app for classified planning may have violated federal law and endangered national security. The White House said Goldberg's addition was an inadvertent error and called the threat a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials.
In his first TV interview, FBI Director Kash Patel says he's putting more agents in the field to combat what he calls a violent crime explosion across the country. Daily Wire Deputy Managing Editor Tim Rice has the latest.
Chapter 4: How is the FBI addressing violent crime?
Patel tells Fox News' Trey Gowdy that about a third of FBI agents are based in D.C., but a third of the nation's crime doesn't happen there. He wants the bureau to focus more on drug trafficking, sex crimes, and gang violence, blaming illegal aliens for much of the surge in violent offenses.
The plan comes as the FBI scales back some domestic counterterrorism operations, prompting questions about how Patel will fund the changes amid broader federal cost cutting. He didn't give a timeline, but emphasized rebuilding trust and restoring law enforcement's credibility nationwide. Meanwhile, Patel said this regarding the agency's progress under his leadership.
Just in the last three weeks, Trey, the FBI has arrested and brought to justice, thanks to the Department of Justice and Pam Bondi, three top 10 of the FBI's most wanted. Let me just say that again. Not one, not two, but three of the FBI's most wanted top 10 are now in custody because of our relationships with folks like Director Ratcliffe and Secretary Hexeth and Rubio, and the list goes on.
And in the last 12 months before I got into this seat, Trey, do you know how many top 10 FBI's most wanted were arrested by the FBI? Zero. That's the difference. Four weeks in, we got three and we're just warming up.
Officials in Greenland are expressing outrage over the visit of a top-level American delegation. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo has the latest.
Greenland Prime Minister Mutipi Agde slammed the visit as highly aggressive. Second Lady Usha Vance and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz are among those who plan to visit this coming Thursday, part of what the Trump administration has called a friendly outreach effort. But Greenlandic leaders say the uninvited trip disrespects their sovereignty, especially amid post-election negotiations.
Danish leaders echoed the concern, warning that the visits can't be separated from Trump's past statements. President Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to bring Greenland under U.S. control one way or the other.
Canada appears poised to head to the polls next month after Prime Minister Mark Carney called a snap federal election. Daily Wire reporter Maraid Elordi has the details.
Carney cites what he calls an unprecedented crisis sparked by President Trump's tariffs and threats to Canadian sovereignty. The former central banker and political newcomer claimed Trump is trying to break Canada and warned against forgetting the betrayal. Here's Carney.
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