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--:-- Host: John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
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--:-- Host: John Bickley: The felony gun trial of Hunter Biden ramps up as members of the Biden inner circle testify and a witness confirms that his laptop was not tampered with. They may be hoping that it will take little to get a hung jury, maybe even to get a jury to nullify the evidence and the crimes in this case. Plus, the Trump case in Georgia is put on hold indefinitely.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with guest host Emily Jaschinski, D.C. correspondent at UnHerd. It's Thursday, June 6th, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Political insiders on both sides of the aisle are privately raising concerns about President Biden's mental fitness. And New York Governor Kathy Hochul makes a complete U-turn on congestion pricing for vehicles in Manhattan. Hardworking Yorkers are getting hammered on costs and they and the economic vitality of our city must be protected.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Host: John Bickley: Black Rifle Coffee is a veteran founded company that's doing their part to honor the last of the greatest generation who fought at D-Day while they're still here with us. Co-founder Evan Hafer and his team will parachute into Normandy in World War II uniforms with a series of jumps from June 4th to June 6th. A portion of every purchase you make at BlackRifleCoffee.com goes to support veteran and first responder causes. From providing funding and equipment to first responders to helping veterans fight cancer, your money goes a long way toward giving back to those who serve our nation. Visit BlackRifleCoffee.com to learn more.
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--:-- Host: John Bickley: The federal trial of Hunter Biden continues this week as former members of the Biden Inner Circle testified Wednesday. Here are the latest from the courtroom is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hey, Cabot. So before we get to the Hunter trial, we have a major update in another politically charged case. That's Trump's Georgia election interference case. What did the Georgia appeals court rule yesterday?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, a major development here. So the appeals court has officially suspended the trial pending a panel of judges deciding whether the district attorney bringing the case, Fannie Willis, should be disqualified. Arguments for that are set right now for October 4th, and then that panel has until March of next year to rule, though it's possible they may do so sooner. We just don't know right now. But it's now very unlikely that the Georgia Trump case will take place before the November election.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. Highly unlikely. Now, as to the Hunter case in Delaware, what have we seen so far?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah. So first to recap, the trial centers on whether Hunter Biden illegally purchased a handgun back in 2018 and lied on a federal background check when he claimed that he was not actively using drugs. Biden's defense team began their opening statements by casting doubt on the legitimacy of the forms he filled out and disputing the notion that he was actively addicted to crack cocaine at the time. But the first witness called to the stand was FBI agent Erica Jensen, who introduced text messages, photos and videos showing Hunter arranging the purchase of drugs and then seemingly using them in the days leading up to that purchase.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Jensen also testified that Biden had withdrawn more than in cash during just the three span he purchased that gun And much of that money we know was used for drugs and prostitutes And importantly she confirmed once and for all the legitimacy of the infamous Hunter Biden laptop Right now, that laptop itself has been the center of quite a bit of controversy over the years.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yes, it has. Most folks will remember the eve of the 2020 election when the New York Post first published the contents of that laptop, which Hunter had left at a computer repair shop in Delaware. Almost immediately, the story was labeled misinformation by the Biden campaign, and social media platforms in turn, including Twitter, went so far as blocking the story from appearing on their sites altogether. Within days of it breaking, more than 50 former senior intelligence officials signed a letter saying the laptop story had, quote, all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation, and that the Kremlin was, quote, trying to influence how Americans voted.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's worth noting, President Biden himself repeated that claim when asked about the laptop during a debate just before Election Day. There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what this he's accusing me of is a Russian plan. You mean the laptop is now another Russia, Russia, Russia hoax? And that's exactly what... Is this where you go? That's exactly what... This is where he's going. And here he is again, making that same claim just four days before the election.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We have four days left, and all of a sudden there's a laptop. There's overwhelming evidence from the intelligence community that the Russians are engaged. But as the contents of the laptop spread and no evidence of Russian involvement could be found, Democrats tried a different approach, saying that it had been tampered with. But speaking from the stand this week, FBI agent Jensen confirmed once more there was no evidence of manipulation and that it was totally authentic.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And again, the contents of that laptop include pictures and videos of Hunter using drugs, and even texts sent the month of the gun purchase where Hunter tells his then-girlfriend that he was in a car smoking crack. That will all play a central role in the prosecution's case.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, I'm sure it will. So yet more confirmation of a story the White House denied. Now, what have we learned about the jury in this case?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, for obvious reasons, Biden's defense team were looking for jurors more likely to be sympathetic to someone struggling with addiction. And they did find a number who appeared to fit the bill. Four of the 12 jurors had family members who've dealt with drug or alcohol addiction. while a number of others had close friends who died from drug or alcohol abuse.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The goal of Hunter's defense team will be convincing those jurors that Biden was fighting to overcome his drug addiction, going in and out of rehab, and that he legitimately believed he was no longer an addict when he purchased the gun, and also that he never intended to use the gun illegally. To that point, they've argued so far that he bought the gun out of a desire to find a productive hobby and plan to spend time at the shooting range to help him stay away from drugs.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But again, prosecutors have already disputed that line of defense. Yeah, tell us what they're arguing. On Wednesday, they called Biden's ex-girlfriend Zoe Keston to the stand. Keston testified that throughout their relationship from December of 2017 to October of 2018, that's when Hunter bought the gun, she witnessed him smoking crack, quote, every 20 minutes except when he slept.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: She also said he never denied being a drug addict during their relationship, which again, rebuts his lawyer's claims that he viewed himself as sober when you filled out that background check. All right, well, day three in the books of a case I'm sure the White House wishes were not taking place right now. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- [Music transitions to a sponsor segment]
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--:-- Host: John Bickley: Fresh concerns are arising about Joe Biden's age and mental fitness in the wake of a print interview with Time Magazine and a damning report in the Wall Street Journal in which even Democrats expressed grave concern with Biden's abilities.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: President Biden attempted to deflect concerns about his age in the exchange with time, but the journal, citing over 40 officials who have witnessed the president in the political trenches, offered an image of a diminished commander-in-chief.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Here to discuss these revelations is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Morning, John. Right off the bat, the journal article cites Democrats, not Republicans, but Democrats who met with Biden back in January as saying he, quote, read from notes to make obvious points, paused for extended periods and sometimes closed his eyes for so long that some in the room wondered whether he had tuned out, end quote.
--:-- David Marcus: This is, of course, at odds with statements from myriad Biden officials who claim they can't keep up with him mentally and all but suggest that he sits around the Oval Office playing multiple games of speed chess while deciphering linear A. According to the article, the White House took great interest in the interviews going so far as to have some Democrats call the journal back to express Biden's strengths as well.
--:-- David Marcus: That's a very aggressive move from the comm shop and shows just how seriously the administration and the campaign take this issue.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Indeed. Now, there was also this interview that appeared in Time magazine that's raised a lot of eyebrows. The president made a number of inaccurate statements, some of which Time fact checked him on afterward. And then there were a lot of garbled answers.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah. Even though Time noted that it had lightly edited the transcript to make it more clear. We should also note there was another moment that was perhaps a little more playful than alarming. But when Biden was specifically asked about the age issue, which he is at every turn now, he started with his tried, true and well-worn line, just watch me. But then said to one of the reporters, I can take you too, apparently referring to a fistfight or something.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, in fairness, those in the room described it as a joke, but it came off at least on the printed page as somewhat bizarre. On CNN, Jake Tapper did ask the reporter in question if, in fact, Biden could take him, to which he replied, no comment. Probably a good choice.
--:-- David Marcus: The president's allies have come to his defense claiming that the journal's article relied too heavily on Republicans and was biased. Did they have evidence to back up those claims? I mean, once again, it came down to mostly anecdotal evidence about their own experiences with the president.
--:-- David Marcus: And look, voters don't seem to be buying into these protestations of the fecundity of Biden's intellect. Fox News has a power ranking that aggregates polling to see who's winning on specific issues. And on the issue of age, Trump is a staggering plus 21 against Biden. It's the biggest lead either candidate has on any issue, including even Trump's massive lead over Biden on immigration.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah. Is there anything that Biden and his campaign can actually do to reverse the trend on public opinion about his ability to do the job? Or is it just sort of baked in at this point?
--:-- David Marcus: There's been an elasticity to this issue over the past year where concerns will mount and swell over Biden looking confused or trying to shake hands when there's nobody there. But then he does something like the State of the Union address, gets through it, looks okay and the issue dies down a bit.
--:-- David Marcus: This was almost certainly a factor in the Biden camp unprecedented decision to call for a debate three weeks from now before either Trump or Biden are officially the nominee. They want to get him through the debate to buy a month or so until the convention get through that by another month or so And the next thing you know, it's November.
--:-- David Marcus: One thing is certain. Joe Biden says he wants the voters to watch him and they absolutely will be. And one gets the sense that Trump can't wait to get on stage with him. One does.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Host: John Bickley: New York Governor Kathy Hochul makes a surprising announcement, refusing to implement her own plan to charge Manhattan drivers a congestion fee.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Hi, Emily. Sure. So on Wednesday, Hochul said she's directed the MTA to push back the start date of a new toll, which was set to go into effect on June 30th. The plan is now delayed indefinitely.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Here's Hochul in her video announcement. So after careful consideration, I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers at this time. For that reason, I have directed the MTA to indefinitely pause the program.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The governor cited the high cost of living, saying hardworking New Yorkers are getting hammered on costs. She added that while New York's pandemic recovery has been faster than expected, it's by no means complete.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So what would this congestion pricing plan do? Obviously, Manhattan is one of the most traffic heavy areas in the entire country. Correct. And the idea of this new toll would be to lessen some of that heavy traffic during peak times.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So the congestion pricing plan would charge drivers a minimum of $15 to enter midtown Manhattan south of 60th Street. Drivers would be charged the rush hour price nearly all day every day. between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends. Cars would be charged $3.75 during the remaining hours.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The $1 billion expected to be raised from the toll is supposed to go towards upgrading subways, commuter railroads, and bus systems. So is Hochul mainly backing off the toll plan for economic concerns, or are there other issues at stake here as well?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, there's also reportedly a political angle here, too. Hochul is reportedly concerned about how the expensive toll might affect local Democrats facing uphill battles in House races in the New York City suburbs. Republicans have already started attacking Democrats over the toll. Also, several lawsuits have already been filed over the congestion pricing plan, so that doesn't help Democrats' case for it either.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: What have critics said about the plan? Was there pressure to scrap it? A lot of pressure, yes. Critics have been slamming the idea of slapping drivers with new expensive charges for months. Representative Nicole Maliotakis, a Republican, celebrated the expected change on Wednesday. She called the toll a war on cars cash grab and said the delay was welcome news.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: She attributed the governor's decision to, quote, our pressure, the public's outcry, and concerns it will impact Democrats in November's election. Another critic of the toll, International Transport Workers President John Samuelson, who serves on the MTA board, also sounded off on the reversal.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: He said he had told Hochul two years ago that the congestion toll would be a, quote, political disaster and is like taxation without representation. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a Democrat, emphasized that the congestion toll should not be a burden on everyday New Yorkers.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So there's no date for this new expensive toll to go into effect. But for now, Democrats don't seem to want to deal with the economic or political fallout. And likely not during an election year.
--:-- Host: Emily Jaschinski: Maraid, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks, Emily. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later today with a special D-Day anniversary edition of Morning Wire.
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--:-- Host: John Bickley: Flights
