Transcript of Evening Wire: The Iran War Escalates & Canada Poisons D.C. Air Quality? | 7.17.26

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Iran escalates attacks on U.S. allies in the Middle East. Clips from Democrats' Maine Senate primary debate go viral. And D.C. air hits code purple level due to Canadian wildfires. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley. It's Friday, July 17th, and this is Evening Wire.

In a major escalation in the Middle East, Iran targeted a water desalination plant in Kuwait in a series of missile strikes. Daily Wire foreign affairs reporter Kassia Kiva has the latest.

The US appears to be moving to isolate Iran's most strategic port city. American forces struck bridges, railways, highways, and military infrastructure around Bandar Abbas overnight, marking the 6th consecutive night of US attacks on Iran. The city sits on the Strait of Hormuz, hosts the headquarters of Iran's navy, and serves as a key hub for the regime's military and commercial operations. Iranian state media reported strikes on a major railway junction, while images circulating online show damaged bridges, roads, and rail lines. CENTCOM also confirmed the destruction of an Iranian communications tower used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to monitor vessels transiting in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran launched retaliatory attacks across the Gulf, striking infrastructure in Qatar, Bahrain, and a power and water facility in Kuwait. President Trump said Thursday night that the US is, quote, winning big in Iran and that Americans will see the results, quote, very, very shortly.

At least one shooter opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Phoenix this week. Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Taehr has the details.

Several rounds struck an ICE building's exterior on various parts of the structure, the FBI revealed Thursday, adding that one or more unidentified people fired the shots. No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting, and it is not yet clear whether anyone is in custody. One video of the building appeared to show some of the damage to windows riddled with bullet holes. Federal investigators have asked members of the public to report any suspicious activity in the area of North Central Avenue on Tuesday, July 14th, in the afternoon. The latest shooting comes amid rising tensions across the country following two recent shootings by ICE officers in Houston last week and Maine on Monday. ICE has faced a massive surge in attacks since the Trump administration commenced its mass deportation effort. In one case, a group of Antifa members lured officers out of a North Texas ICE facility last year with fireworks on July 4th before opening fire. One local police officer was shot in the neck but survived.

The 8 Democrat candidates in Maine vying to take over the Senate nomination after Graham Plattner bowed out took to the debate stage last night to make their case. The first hour of the debate featured Secretary of State Shayna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, and former congressional candidate Jordan Wood. Here's Bellows touting her attempt to remove Donald Trump from the presidential ballot as Secretary of State. And refusing to provide the federal government transparent voter information.

I threw Donald Trump off the ballot on January 6th, and then when Donald Trump came for your voter data, I said hell no.

And then here's Jackson, who prediction markets show as the front runner, arguing for Medicare for All.

What is the idea from Graham Platner that you heard that you will use to to move forward with your campaign and try to win votes? Well, I think that's pretty clear. I mean, what Graham talked about is something that I've been fighting for since I got into politics. Health care, Medicare for All.

The second hour of the debate featured David Costello, Dan Cleven, Elizabeth Dickerson, and Ashley Webb, who's a trans-identifying man who said his songwriting and honesty qualifies him for the seat.

Ashley Webb, what qualifications do you have to serve in the U.S. Senate? Oh, I ran for office several times, didn't win, but I did run. And then I'm a songwriter, and then I write my own books. And then I suppose my transparency— I wouldn't lie to the people and I wouldn't deceive the people like we're being deceived right now.

Rather than Democrat voters making the decision, 601 delegates will choose the Democrat nominee for Senate in Maine.

Massive protests have erupted in Ukraine after President Zelensky's firing of his popular defense minister. 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov became somewhat of a national hero as defense minister due to his groundbreaking tactical innovations, especially in drone warfare. Zelensky reportedly dismissed Fedorov following tense clashes between the innovator and more traditional military leadership. Thousands of protesters have now gathered in Kyiv to oppose the decision. The crowds of mostly young Ukrainians reportedly saw Fedorov's novel strategies as the only path to victory against Russia.

You know it's officially summer when your schedule somehow gets even busier while school is out. Between camps, vacations, park days, pool days, and trying to keep up with everything else, it's really easy to find yourself eating whatever is most convenient. Sometimes that's a healthy meal, sometimes it's chicken tenders for the third time this week. That's actually why we're excited to restock Balance of Nature here at the office, and trust me, you're going to want to as well. Balance of Nature's Whole Health System makes it easy to incorporate more whole food ingredients into your daily routine, even when life gets hectic. Their supplements contain 47 ingredients from real fruits, vegetables, spices, and fiber, making them a simple addition to a busy schedule. We're also big fans of their freeze-dried snacks. They're perfect for keeping at your desk when you need something between meetings, throwing in a bag for a trip to the park, or grabbing before an early morning workout when you want a little something but don't necessarily want a full breakfast. That comes later. Summer is supposed to be fun. It doesn't have to be perfect. If you're looking for a simple way to stay on top of your nutritional goals while enjoying everything summer has to offer, check out Balance of Nature.

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An Olympic champion's brother is dominating girls' sports. Daily Wire reporter Linden Blake has the story.

Fresh off winning the ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete, Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu is once again making headlines, but this time it's because of her younger brother who has been competing in girls' high school sports in California. Joshua Liu, who now goes by Jaylen, has competed in girls' track, basketball, and ultimate frisbee while identifying as a woman. The teenage boy most recently won the women's 400-meter race at the Tri-County Athletic League finals on May 8th. According to Redux, he's won every girls' 200 and 400-meter race he's participated in for Albany High School. He also played on Albany High School's girls' basketball team where the 5-foot-8 junior was among the team's top contributors. For Jalen's other sport, girls' ultimate frisbee, he's been described as dominant this summer for his team coming off the Ultimate High School National Invite last month in Oregon.

Tennessee is making a pitch for Paramount Skydance Studios to relocate its headquarters from California to the Volunteer State. The pursuit comes as the entertainment company faces a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other states seeking to block its planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. In a letter to the CEO, Tennessee officials touted the state's low taxes, business-friendly policies, and growing entertainment and technology sectors. Tennessee says it offers a more business-friendly home for the company. Meanwhile, the lawsuit could delay the merger and cost Paramount hundreds of millions of dollars. The push follows major companies like Tesla, Oracle, Chevron, and FedEx moving operations out of California in recent years.

Air quality in the nation's capital reached severely polluted levels this morning, a result of sprawling smoke from Canadian wildfires. The dangerous Code Purple warning is the second-worst rating for air quality levels. Officials warn that even just minutes-long exposure to the air can lead to, quote, serious health effects. That's triggered some schools in the area to shut down outdoor activities and field trips. Meanwhile, some FIFA fans have worried that the World Cup championship in New Jersey might be affected by the smoke., but so far officials say they don't believe that will be the case. Speaking of the World Cup final, it just broke a US sports record. The final between Spain and Argentina has become the most expensive sporting event to attend in US history, with average resale ticket prices soaring above $15,000 in the days leading up to kickoff. The match, which is set for Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, has shattered previous resale records with even the cheapest tickets costing more than $7,000. TickPick, a well-known secondary ticket marketplace, posted to X on Wednesday afternoon an average purchase price of $11,327. That already broke the previous U.S. record, but then by Thursday, the marketplace prices topped $15,000.

Former CNN anchor and current YouTuber Don Lemon says he's seriously considering a run for president. Telling a podcast this week that he believes he, quote, would be a really good president of the United States. Take a listen.

I'm being totally serious. If I ran a political campaign, a presidential campaign, I would like to run it. And I don't know if this is realistic or not, without having to beg for money. I would like it to be a voter, citizen-driven campaign for as much as it can be. Maybe at some point I might have to take a donation. I would rather not do that, but I would rather the people of the United States to say, that's the guy that we want.

Lemon says he's spoken to political veterans about what a campaign would require, and he still hasn't decided if he's going to run in 2028.

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 Trump addressing the nation in a rare primetime speech, troops getting a boost with a new testosterone policy in the military, and the Trump administration moving to reform the woke Smithsonian. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with a weekend edition of Morning Wire.