--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe, and I'm here with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, May 11th.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The NFL is back, and FanDuel's got everything you need to play your game. From same-game parlays to live betting. Right now, new customers bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. 21-plus in president select states. 18-plus in Kentucky and Wyoming. Must be first online real money waging. $5 deposit required. Bonus issued is non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See full terms at FanDuel.com slash sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
--:-- John Bickley: Republican lawmakers map out a paper trail that they claim shows President Biden and several of his family members got rich off of foreign sources. The committee is concerned by the complicated, suspicious network of over 20 companies the Bidens and their associates used to enrich themselves.
--:-- Georgia Howe: How much money was allegedly accepted and how were the payments received? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley.
--:-- John Bickley: We need to take the threat of default off the table. President Biden has finally agreed to meet with Republicans this week over raising the debt ceiling.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The House did the responsible thing and raised the debt ceiling, put growth and gave us savings. What's at stake and was any progress made? And former President Donald Trump held his first town hall of the election cycle, hosted by CNN. Please welcome the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump.
--:-- John Bickley: We discuss the highlights and the politics of the Trump-CNN event. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee outlined a complicated web of foreign contacts, shell companies, and business transactions that allegedly involved at least nine members of President Joe Biden's family.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: Sure. Committee Republicans led by Chairman James Comer laid out details from bank records that show how President Biden's family benefited from an alleged international influence peddling scheme.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The records show that members of Biden's family took in as much as $10 million from operatives in China and Romania while Biden served as former President Obama's vice president.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: Here's Chairman Comer. Instead of being honest with the American people, President Biden has claimed since the 2020 election that his family has not received money from China. That was a lie in 2020. And he continues to lie to the American people now.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The lawmaker said that since Biden became vice president in 2009, some 20 companies affiliated with Biden family members were set up. The companies were then used to create a complicated web of cutouts and pass-throughs that make any attempt to trace the flow of money exceedingly difficult.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: Yeah, investigators found with these deals that foreign operatives would pay these companies a sum of money, then a third of that money would be dispersed into Biden family accounts.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For example, here's North Dakota's Kelly Armstrong on a deal involving Romanian businessman Gabriel Popovich and Hunter Biden associate Rob Walker. Popovich's company paid Walker LLC just over $3 million. And like clockwork, Walker disbursed approximately $1 million of that money to the Bidens.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: If that sounds familiar it should. It essentially the same structure Walker and the Biden family had with the Chinese money. A one-third cut. Sixteen of 17 payments from Popovich to Walker and the Bidens occurred while Joe Biden was vice president.
--:-- Georgia Howe: During this time, then-Vice President Biden was lecturing Romania about the dangers of foreign influence in politics.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: Here's Biden speaking in Romania in May of 2014. When politicians can be bought, when courts can be manipulated, when the media becomes a tool of propaganda, there you will find a society that is susceptible to manipulation from the outside.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, do we know how credible this evidence is? Where did it actually come from?
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: It's credible. This evidence came from bank records that the committee obtained through subpoenas. Comer has subpoenaed four banks so far, but he said Wednesday that he believes that as many as 12 banks may have been used to move money between various accounts tied to Biden's family members and their associates.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So some pretty serious allegations here. How has the White House responded?
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: Well, the White House dismissed the allegations as baseless innuendo. Major media outlets largely dismissed the allegations as well or at least declined to pursue further answers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The lack of attention to the Biden family was one of the underlying themes of the press conference.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: Here's Florida Congressman Byron Donalds. Since Joe Biden has spent decades in the Senate, served eight years as vice president, and is now president of the United States, and the family's getting money from various countries and foreign businesses through various shell companies and this web of LLCs. I mean, guys, you in the press, this is easy pickings. I'm giving you Pulitzer stuff here.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, if there's any truth to these allegations, the story would be an earthquake with major implications for U.S. national security and Biden's legacy if it doesn't end his career altogether.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: That said, the major news outlets like NBC, ABC, CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post mostly buried the story, opting instead to lead with George Santos.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, we are going to continue to cover it. Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Tim Pierce: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Top Republican lawmakers met with President Biden at the White House Tuesday to kick off negotiations on a budget deal that will raise the debt ceiling and prevent the U.S. from defaulting.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Hey, Cabot.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So the debt ceiling has been looming for months now, but there seems to be growing urgency in Washington this week. What are we seeing now?
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Yeah, that urgency stems from the fact that lawmakers are running out of time. The U.S. could default on its debt by as early as June 1st if a deal is not reached.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Quick refresher, this debate is centered around the debt ceiling, which is the arbitrary limit set by Congress that decides how much debt the federal government can accrue.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Because the government routinely spends more money than it takes in every year, that ceiling is constantly in need of raising. Now, usually that happens without a hitch as both parties reach a deal to up the limit and keep on spending. But this time has been different.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In January, when the ceiling was hit, Republicans in Congress put their foot down and said if they're going to agree to another debt increase, there have to be spending cuts elsewhere. And that has angered Democrat leaders, including President Biden.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: They say the debt limit should not be used for political leverage and want it raised with no strings attached.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And that brings us to this big meeting at the White House. Exactly. So the meeting included President Biden, Speaker McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffrey.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: So all the big players in Congress. Both sides have been taking jabs at each other in the press and on social media But this was the first substantive meeting in months to try and hammer out a deal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Republicans want the White House to work off of the bill they passed in the House at the end of April.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Remember, that bill slashed federal spending and rolled back a number of Biden's recent agenda items in exchange for raising the limit.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Among Republicans, the key figure here, though, is House Speaker McCarthy, who is in a tight spot right now.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: He won the House Speaker position by assuring Republican colleagues he'd pass a balanced budget and cut spending.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So raising the limit and agreeing to a larger federal budget would mean angering the very members who put him in power.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: The problem is that he doesn't have a ton of leverage. Any deal will also have to win the approval of the Democrat-controlled Senate, which makes it unlikely he'll get everything he wants.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And President Biden is well aware of that dynamic.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Yeah, to that point, what have we heard from Biden coming into these negotiations?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the White House is definitely trying to play hardball. They have intentionally refrained from actually using the word negotiation, opting instead to call it a conversation.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Their stance from the beginning has been that the limit should be raised, again, with no questions asked.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For his part, Biden has said he's willing to have a separate debate on federal spending limits, but he's been adamant that those talks must not be tied to the debt ceiling.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: And Biden is even considering bypassing Congress to unilaterally raise the debt himself, invoking the 14th Amendment and claiming it would be unconstitutional for the U.S. to fail to make payments on their debt.
--:-- Georgia Howe: No president has ever attempted that move.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: So it just gives you an idea of how far Biden is willing to go to avoid concessions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, it'd be a radical move, to say the least.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: So was any progress made in this week's meeting? To put it simply, no. But that was expected coming in.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Both sides said they viewed the meeting as a chance to lay out where they stood.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: The main message from Republicans afterwards, though, was that they're the only ones who've got a solid plan to raise the limit.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They pointed to the legislation they passed in the House back in April as evidence that they are the serious ones here.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Here's Speaker McCarthy after the meeting. For 21 straight years, we have spent more money than we brought in. So you want us to continue down the same path?
--:-- Georgia Howe: McCarthy later added, quote, the House passed a plan that would responsibly raise the debt ceiling, meaning Republicans have done our part. It's time for President Biden to come to the negotiating table.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: And it's worth noting, while the White House says that there should be no debate over raising the ceiling, a large percentage of the American people seem to disagree.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A recent Wall Street Journal poll shows 45 percent of Americans don't want Congress to raise the limit, while 44 percent support the move.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Yeah, Americans really divided over this.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, the debt keeps stacking up.
--:-- Daily Wire Senior Editor: Cabot Phillips: Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Anytime. That's Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Former President Donald Trump held his first town hall of the election cycle last night in New Hampshire on CNN.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, let's dive right into this town hall. What were some of the key takeaways from last night?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, in his first engagement with the liberal media since leaving office, Trump seemed relaxed and prepared, less combative than we've seen him in the past.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: The first 20 minutes of the town hall were dedicated to Trump's claims about the 2020 election. On January 6th, Trump repeatedly said that the election was stolen from him and he wouldn't budge on that.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In another moment, he sparked some applause and laughter from the crowd when he pulled out sheets of paper from his coat pocket to challenge CNN's Caitlin Collins with regard to his actions on January 6th.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Oh, let me pull it out. I have to pull it out. So if you look at on January 5th, the day before, I said, please support our Capitol Police and law enforcement. They are truly on the side of our country Stay peaceful If you look January 6th it at two before 2 I am asking for everyone at the U Capitol to remain peaceful
--:-- Georgia Howe: On that note Trump also brought up Ashley Babbitt when Collins pressed him about violence against Capitol Police officers.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: And a person named Ashley Babbitt was killed and she shouldn't have been killed. And that thug that killed her, there was no reason to shoot her. At cold blank range, they shot her. There was no reason.
--:-- Georgia Howe: At the town hall, the residents seemed highly concerned about the economy and inflation.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: One person asked Trump how he would bring down gas prices, and Trump responded, quote, drill baby drill.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Another resident asked about the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and Trump vowed to end the war in one day if he were elected president again.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: I want everybody to stop dying. They're dying. Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I'll have that done. I'll have that done in 24 hours. I'll have it done. You need the power of the presidency to do it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Abortion was also a topic of discussion.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Trump seemed to hedge a bit on endorsing a federal abortion ban, but played up his pro-life achievements.
--:-- Georgia Howe: People that will kill a baby in the ninth month or the eighth month or the seventh month or after the baby is born, they're the radicals, not the pro-life achievements. I just want to give you...
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, this town hall was hosted by CNN, which I think a lot of people found significant and sort of surprising on its own.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Tell us about their apparent shift on Trump.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: Anyone who was remotely tuned into Trump's first term knows that the former president was not a fan of the network and vice versa.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump has called CNN fake news and the Clinton News Network.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: He said CNN correspondent Jim Acosta is a, quote, terrible person and called recently axed CNN host Don Lemon the dumbest man on television.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He's also had numerous clashes with CNN's Caitlin Collins, and she hosted the town hall.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: But hours before the event, Trump took to Truth Social to suggest that CNN might be making a comeback by hosting him, though he did caution that the network must treat his base with respect.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now that it's under new leadership, CNN appears to be trying to shed its, you know, to be frank, well-earned reputation for being openly biased against Trump.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: As I've mentioned, Lemon has been fired, as have other CNN employees, including media reporter Brian Stelter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hosting Trump was another one of those overtures, but it didn't sit well with some liberals and Democrats.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: During the town hall, Democratic rep Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter that CNN should be ashamed of themselves for platforming Trump.
--:-- Georgia Howe: She added, quote, this was a choice to platform lies about the election in January 6th with no plan but to have their moderator interrupted without consequence.
--:-- Daily Wire Reporter: Amanda Prestigiacomo: All right, well, Amanda, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Another story we're tracking this week. The British government announced Wednesday that several babies have recently been born in the United Kingdom through an experimental technique combining DNA from three people.
--:-- [Theme music starts playing]
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
