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--:-- Carol Markowitz: Controversial media figure Julian Assange is a soon-to-be free man, ending his years-long legal battle with the U.S. government. It will be the first time that I get to see him as a fully free man. It's so alien to the way it's been until now for the past 14 years.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with guest host Carol Markowitz, host of the Carol Markowitz podcast. It's Wednesday, June 26th, and this is Morning Wire. CNN faces a potentially massive lawsuit over a segment featuring one of the moderators in their upcoming presidential debate. As CNN's Alex Marquardt has discovered, Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success. And federal prosecutors have reportedly recommended charges against embattled airplane manufacturer Boeing.
--:-- Carol Markowitz: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Carol Markowitz: Julian Assange, the controversial activist, publisher, and whistleblower, will soon be a free man after striking a tentative plea deal with the U.S. government. Here with more is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hey, Cabot, so a wild legal saga that has really polarized and captivated millions. But let's start from the beginning. Who is Julian Assange and how did we get here?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Julian Assange is an Australian publisher and activist who founded WikiLeaks, the online platform for whistleblowers and leakers to publish confidential information from governments around the world. Now, for the few years, WikiLeaks sort of flew under the radar, but that all changed in 2010 when Assange began publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential U.S. military and diplomatic documents. Among other things, those leaks showed that our government had lied to the public about the number of civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, attempted to cover up a number of apparent war crimes, including the killing of journalists, spied on foreign leaders, including our allies, and encouraged diplomats to violate treaties to gain information.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Those leaks, the largest in American history, set off a global firestorm and really diplomatic nightmare for the U.S. Yeah. Almost overnight, Assange became one of the most famous and polarizing publishers on Earth, garnering both praise and criticism.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, and then came the legal troubles. Right, a convoluted story you could talk about for hours, but here is the quick version. Months after those 2010 leaks, Assange was working in the U.K. when the Swedish government tried to extradite him over allegations of rape and sexual assault Assange immediately said those charges were made up and part of a broader effort by the U to ultimately get him stateside in an American courtroom And ultimately, he struck a deal with the Ecuadorian government, which allowed him to live in their embassy, where he would theoretically be free from extradition. By 2019, though, he had overstayed his welcome and was forced to leave the embassy, where he was promptly arrested by British authorities.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, by that point, the Swedes had dropped their sexual assault case against him, but he was placed in a British prison at the request of the U.S., who by now had charged him with a litany of offenses under the Espionage Act and others. And it's there that he was detained for the last five years. So behind bars for five years, but now he's set to go free. Tell us about this rather surprising plea deal.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, in a stunning development this week, we learned that Assange has agreed to a deal with the Biden administration that will allow him to plead guilty to a single felony count of conspiracy to disseminate national defense information. In exchange for that guilty plea, he will be given a sentence of around five years, which he's already served in Britain, meaning barring any last-minute shockers, he will be set free.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, the political angle here is worth noting. Remember, Assange has supporters on both sides, but has long been a hero among the far left. President Biden was reportedly fearful of how that faction of his party would react if Assange was extradited to the U.S. for a trial, so this could be seen as him trying to avoid a political headache of his own.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah. Now, this case drew both outrage and celebration. Tell us about these conflicting reactions. So critics of Assange say that he's no hero and compromised national security with his actions. Former Vice President Mike Pence, for example, called the deal a miscarriage of justice and accused the Biden administration of dishonoring service members and their families.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Others say Assange is to blame for the deaths of U.S. allies. For example, among the documents he posted in the so-called Afghan war logs was a list of names of Afghani civilians who were secretly working with the U.S. military and informing on al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. Assange critics say an untold number of those civilians and their families were killed after their names were published.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And there are also those who say much of the information published on WikiLeaks comes from hostile adversaries. Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for example, called it a, quote, non-state hostile intelligence service, often abetted by state actors like Russia.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. So that's the critics. What do his supporters say? Well, they say he's a hero who represents the heart of what journalism is meant to be, shining a light on what's going on behind closed doors. They say without Assange, the American people would have been ignorant to the cost of America's invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and claim that his crimes ultimately pale in comparison to those committed by the U.S. military.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Supporters have also argued Assange was being treated differently than other reporters and outlets who've published leaked information from whistleblowers, albeit on a much smaller scale. So now that he's been set free, the question becomes what he does next. Yeah, the whole world will be watching what he does.
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--:-- Ash Short: CNN is facing a lawsuit from a Navy veteran man who says the network defamed him in a segment about helping Afghans flee from Afghanistan after Biden's disastrous withdrawal. Some experts say the case could cost CNN as much as $1 billion. The veteran Zachary Young says the network knowingly lied about his security consulting company and their work to rescue people from Afghanistan in 2021
--:-- Ash Short: Here to discuss the legal case is Daily Wire senior editor Ash Short. Hey Ash, so first, what led to this lawsuit? So in a segment that has since been deleted from the CNN archives, CNN host Jake Tapper, who's about to moderate a debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump. And the network's Alex Marquardt suggested that Afghans trying to flee the country were being unfairly gouged by Young's company.
--:-- Ash Short: Take a listen. Desperate Afghans are now being exploited, like that young man told that they can get them or their families out if they pay exorbitant, often impossible amounts. All right, so where does Young come in? Young was specifically named as a person supposedly exploiting desperate Afghans trying to flee a volatile country.
--:-- Ash Short: Here's what Marquardt said. One LinkedIn user posted messages with Young where Young said it would be $75,000 for a car to Pakistan. He told another it would be $14,500 per person to get to the United Arab Emirates or Albania for another $4,000. Prices well beyond the reach of most Afghans.
--:-- Ash Short: We got Young's number and called, but he didn't pick up. In a text message, he told CNN that Afghans trying to leave are expected to have sponsors pay for them. If someone reaches out, we need to understand if they have a sponsor behind them to be able to pay evacuation costs, which Young says are highly volatile and based on environmental realities.
--:-- Ash Short: Marquardt added that Young refused to break down the costs of rescuing people from such dangerous conditions and then played on emotions, featuring a young Afghan man pleading for his family to be saved, saying he thinks they'll be killed by the Taliban.
--:-- Ash Short: And so Young then sued the network, correct? Right. Young, a U.S. Navy veteran and former U.S. government operative, said in his lawsuit that he was the only named person in this segment and in subsequent CNN articles linking his company to a, quote, black market.
--:-- Ash Short: He said in his lawsuit that the network basically characterized him as a, quote, illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans. Young was able to provide the court with internal CNN messages that showed the network was concerned about the segment, with employees calling the story a mess and incomplete and saying it was full of holes like Swiss cheese.
--:-- Ash Short: Young won the first hurdle with a trial court granting his motion to amend his defamation and trade libel complaint to request punitive damages. CNN appealed, claiming it had not intended to harm Young and the language it used was opinion or ambiguous.
--:-- Ash Short: But Young had also provided internal communications that showed CNN employees calling him expletives, with one even saying they were, quote, going to nail this Zachary Young, followed by an expletive. Because of this, the appeals court also ruled in favor of Young, saying he had shown that CNN defamed him and did so with actual malice and, quote, a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages.
--:-- Ash Short: Now, this isn't the actual ruling granting him money for defamation, but this is a big step toward that. Well, a lot of attention on this, especially with that debate looming and Tapper's key role in it. Ash, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Federal prosecutors have reportedly recommended charges against the airplane manufacturer Boeing. The potential prosecution traces back to two fatal airline crashes in 2018 and 2019 that set the company at odds with government officials.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here to tell us all about the latest in Boeing troubles is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. Hey Tim where do these claims against Boeing stand now The Department of Justice has until July 7th to decide on whether or not to bring charges against Boeing in the case of a January Alaska Airlines flight that lost a panel mid-flight.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The company would risk a lot by facing charges. Federal prosecutions are costly and, in some cases, fatal for the business that fights them. Of course, this would be a problem for the government, too, since Boeing is a major military contractor. And because prosecutions are much more risky than mutually agreed to settlements.
--:-- Tim Pierce: If the Department of Justice does prosecute Boeing, what are the charges likely to be? According to Reuters, conspiracy to commit fraud is back on the table. Prosecutors say the company violated a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement that at the time had saved the company from that charge, though Boeing did agree to pay $2.5 billion.
--:-- Tim Pierce: For its part, Boeing denies that it violated the agreement. Reuters reports that on top of conspiracy, prosecutors haven't ruled out other charges as well. Some background here. The settlement in 2021 stemmed from 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. In those cases, planes crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia after an anti-stalling system malfunctioned. The crashes killed 346 people.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Just days before the settlement was set to expire, the incident happened with that Alaska Airlines flight in January. Boeing has also been dogged by accusations it downplayed safety concerns about the 737 MAX and lied to federal regulators. A lot of damaging headlines there.
--:-- Tim Pierce: What has the reaction been on Capitol Hill? Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are upset with the company, and Boeing executives heard those complaints directly during a recent hearing on Capitol Hill.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here is Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut questioning Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun. I would suggest that the prosecution that is, in my view, almost certainly to result from the investigation underway, and I say again, as former federal prosecutor and state attorney general, I think that the evidence is near overwhelming to justify that prosecution.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And here's Republican Josh Hawley of Missouri going after Calhoun for his nearly $33 million salary. Mr. Calhoun, what is it that you get paid currently? Senator, that's well disclosed in our proxy documents in each of the years that I've been employed.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, but what is it? It's a big number, sir. So just help me understand that. I mean, do you get paid for transparency? Is that one of the metrics for your income? I think the board counts on me for transparency. Really?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Because you're under investigation for falsifying 787 inspection records. Boeing's under criminal investigation for the Alaska Airlines flight. You were investigated by DOJ for criminal conspiracy to defraud the FAA. This is all in your tenure. This doesn't sound like a lot of transparency to me.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Some of the steps Boeing has taken in recent years to improve safety include a $1 billion investment in better training and safety practices and renewed focus of its supply chain. It is currently trying to reacquire parts maker Spirit Aerosystems, which split from Boeing about two decades ago.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Spirit has been at the center of some of the quality control issues for Boeing planes, and Boeing says taking back ownership of the parts supplier will improve safety and quality of manufacturing. Spirit is also a major supplier of Boeing competitor Airbus, however. We'll see what the Department of Justice eventually decides to do.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for your reporting, Tim. Good to be on. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
