I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire, editor-in-chief John Bickley.

It's Friday, January 3rd, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.

Mike Johnson will remain Speaker of the House.

He secured his position Friday on the first ballot after some conservatives expressed

reservations about re-electing the speaker.

Two Republicans, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas flipped votes and backed

Johnson, helping to solidify his leadership position. The outcome is a major boost for advancing

President Trump's agenda. Johnson has vowed to focus on border security, federal regulation cuts, and other Trump priorities.

President Joe Biden has blocked the sale of U.S. steel to Japan's Nippin Steel.

Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips has the details.

President Joe Biden blocked the $14 billion sale, citing national security concerns.

President-elect Donald Trump, who

previously vowed to prevent the deal upon taking office, reiterated his commitment to keeping

U.S. steel domestically owned, and pledged to implement policies supporting the American

steel industry. Additionally, Republican senators, including J.D. Vance, Josh Hawley,

and Marker Rubio opposed the acquisition, arguing that foreign ownership

could undermine critical American infrastructure. U.S. Steel's shares fell 8% following the

announcement. The move has drawn mixed reactions from labor unions and could impact U.S.-Japan relations.

Concerns over the resurgence of the Islamic State in Syria are mounting after the fall of President

Bashar al-Assad's regime. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the story.

The Islamic State has seized weapons abandoned by the Syrian Army to bolster its efforts to regain

influence amid the country's instability. Meanwhile, the United States, France, and Kurdish militias

...