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--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- John Bickley: President Biden is set to visit today the Buffalo community shattered by a mass shooting. We'll discuss what details have emerged about the racially motivated attack.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, May 17th, and this is Morning Wire. Today is primary day in five states, including President Biden's home state of Pennsylvania. Will Democrat voters embrace the progressive left or tack toward the center ahead of midterms?
--:-- John Bickley: It's going to be a tough cycle for Democrats. I mean, everybody knows that. And we believe our campaign is uniquely positioned to turn this seat blue.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And political leaders in Utah push back against the use of ESG scores on the state's public bonds. Why are Utah's elected officials saying they won't comply?
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: This show is sponsored by Birch Gold Group. Inflation is destroying the dollar. Birch Gold Group can help protect your IRA or 401k with a precious metals IRA. Text WIRE to 989898 to claim a free info kit on physical gold and silver. There's zero obligation. Text the word WIRE to 989898 to protect your savings today.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, President Biden will visit with the community that's been devastated by the mass shooting in Buffalo. More details have emerged about the shooting suspect, including his past writings and plans for the attack, which left 10 dead and three others wounded.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A note to listeners, in line with The Daily Wire's policy on not naming mass shooters, we will not be revealing the identity of the suspect.
--:-- John Bickley: Here to discuss what we've learned about the tragic shooting spree and some of the political response is columnist David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: So first, let's start with the victims of this horrific crime. What do we know about them?
--:-- Georgia Howe: As you said, 10 people were killed in the attack, which reports now indicate may have been months in the planning. This is a predominantly black neighborhood and eight of those who died were African American.
--:-- David Marcus: Among the victims was a retired Buffalo police officer who was a security guard at the market. The guard managed to hit the alleged shooter with one shot of his own, but he was wearing body armor, so it didn't stop him.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, authorities believe this was a racially motivated attack.
--:-- David Marcus: Tell us about the manifesto that the alleged shooter published.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes, extremely quickly after the attack, the manifesto came to light. It's a deeply disturbing, 180-page-long document full of racism and anti-Semitism, as well as a description of the attack he was planning.
--:-- David Marcus: Key revelations in the manifesto are references to previous racist mass murders in New Zealand and in Norway. In fact, he even appears to have drawn passages directly from the New Zealand murderer's own manifesto.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Buffalo shooter, in his twisted logic, saw those killers as heroes trying to protect the white race. He presents a confused and self-contradictory description of his worldview.
--:-- David Marcus: He describes himself as a white supremacist an anti a populist a fascist an authoritarian a socialist and both a left and right winger quote depending on the definitions unquote He criticizes political conservatism and at one point also describes himself specifically as a, quote, eco-fascist, unquote, a term the Christ church shooter also used.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, what's the status of the suspect now?
--:-- David Marcus: The 18-year-old surrendered and was taken into custody by Buffalo police. along with his manifesto, his computer and other tech are being scrutinized, along with any connection he might have to others who may have been involved or who may have played a role in radicalizing the shooter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, the gunman referred to something called replacement theory, which is getting a lot of attention now. It was apparently the motive in past racially motivated mass murders as well. What is replacement theory and why is there so much focus on it?
--:-- David Marcus: So replacement theory really stems from a 2011 French book called The Great Replacement, which argues that there's this huge Jewish driven conspiracy to replace white people with people of color, especially in Western nations.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I mean, it's pretty stale and standard racism, really rooted in hatred and a desire to maintain the purity of the white race.
--:-- David Marcus: So the ideas aren't new, but this presentation of white supremacy has apparently motivated a lot of violence.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, some on the left have accused Republican politicians and other prominent conservatives of embracing and even amplifying replacement theory. Is that fair criticism?
--:-- David Marcus: Not really, no. What some in the GOP as well as some pundits have argued is that Democrats and the left in general favor a very high level of immigration because they think these immigrant groups will eventually vote for them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What's being replaced here is not the white race, but the voting power of natural born American citizens.
--:-- David Marcus: It's important not to conflate those two ideas, and all sides of the debate could do a better job of that.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, finally, what are authorities looking into now about the shooter's past, and what have we learned about identifying potential mass shooters in the future?
--:-- David Marcus: I mean, they'll want to see what kind of websites and other materials might have played a role in his radicalization. Also, you know, look for warning signs that might have been missed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This alleged shooter, for example, had mental health issues, including at least one hospitalization.
--:-- David Marcus: In all shootings like this, authorities will use the killer's history to try to create a kind of profile for people who may do something like this in the future.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But there's only so much they can do. At the end of the day, people with these beliefs exist and sometimes they commit horrible crimes.
--:-- David Marcus: All right. Well, David, thank you so much for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: That was columnist and Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. Coming up, today's primary elections put President Biden's influence on the line. This show is sponsored by Indeed. Indeed is the hiring platform where you can attract, interview and hire all in one place. Start now with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed.com slash wire. Offer good for a limited time. Indeed.com slash wire. Terms and conditions apply.
--:-- John Bickley: Need to hire? You need Indeed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's election day for many around the country, as voters in five states will head to the polls and decide their party's candidate for this November's crucial midterms. Here are the latest updates on key Democrat races and President Biden's impact on the midterms. To this point is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, yesterday you walked us through a few of the Republican races, and today we're focusing on the Democrats. But first, big picture, what's at stake for President Biden?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, these midterms will essentially decide what his next two years in office look like. If Republicans take control of one or both chambers of Congress obviously it make it a lot more difficult for President Biden to enact his policy agenda But Republicans would also gain control over key oversight committees meaning they can direct the focus of Congress to issues of their choosing On that front, Republicans have already promised that if they win, they'll investigate Hunter Biden, the president's withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the administration's handling of the southern border.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So President Biden is desperately hoping for strong candidates that can succeed in November.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, the president has been more hands-off, it seems, this year compared to past primary seasons. Definitely he has. And one major reason for that is if you look at polling, he's become somewhat toxic to the party brand as a whole. He's in the mid to high 30s right now in most approval polls.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So a lot of candidates, even if they support him, would prefer to keep him at a distance. Some candidates have reportedly gone as far as telling Democrat leaders that they don't want an endorsement from President Biden because it could basically be used against them by their opponents.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So unlike past primaries this year, it seems like a presidential endorsement just doesn't carry as much weight.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it doesn't seem like it. Now, what are some of the races we should keep an eye on today?
--:-- Georgia Howe: As with the Republican side, for Democrats, the Pennsylvania Senate primary is crucially important right now, just because it is a battleground state with Pat Toomey retiring.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: President Biden has endorsed House Representative Conor Lamb, who's sort of seen as an establishment favorite, even though his voting record shows that he has voted with the more progressive wing of the party the vast majority of the time.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But according to polls, he is currently trailing the firebrand progressive John Fetterman. Fetterman is the state's lieutenant governor, and he's not only turned down invites to appear with Biden in the past, but has publicly criticized Democrats for not doing more to push through far-left legislation on guns, abortion, and climate change.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And a side note that kind of shook up the race is that Fetterman suffered a stroke over the weekend, but his campaign reports he's expecting a full recovery.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But as of now, it's unclear just how that news is going to impact the race.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We're also seeing a similar dynamic in Oregon's fifth congressional district, where Biden's first official endorsement, incumbent House Rep Kurt Schrader, is finding himself in a tight race.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He's considered a more moderate blue dog Democrat and was expected to win easily, especially given Biden's early endorsement.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But he's now facing a serious challenge from far-left candidate Jamie McLeod Skinner. Skinner has been endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and has run on a litany of far-left policies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So even if Biden's picks win today, the fact that some of these races have become so close does lend more to that theory that the president's endorsement just doesn't carry the same amount of weight as it used to.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We'll definitely be watching those races today and others in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Idaho.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Cabot, thanks for the reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: S&P Global, the credit rating agency that issues credit scores for states, has started adding a controversial new scoring method known as ESG. Critics argue that environmental, social, and governance scores are nothing more than a way to wedge politics into financial issues. Now, 11 lawmakers in Utah are demanding that the rating agency drop ESG. Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham joins us now to tell us how these scores could affect states' credit ratings and why some legislators are crying foul.
--:-- Megan Basham: So, Megan, we've spoken about ESG in the past, but it feels like the subject is still a little murky to a lot of people. Can you briefly remind us what ESG means?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah. So ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. And it refers to a score of how well a company serves certain social agendas, like, say, reducing carbon emissions to fight climate change, or how diverse its workforce is as a measure of taking a stand against racism.
--:-- Megan Basham: So essentially, it scores states or companies on things that many analysts would say are really relevant to the financial health of the company but rather are more about how well it represents certain political causes
--:-- Georgia Howe: So this was what Anthony Kim Research Fellow in Economic Freedom at the Heritage Institute had to tell me about that. They say they're doing this based on their methodology, obviously according to whatever publicly available data and statistics. But in reality, it's pretty much at this juncture, it's a politically driven assessment rather than any scientific analysis and assessment.
--:-- Megan Basham: Until now, those ESG scores have been mostly used by private investment firms, applying them to businesses. They'll use them to decide what to invest in and how to vote on proposals at shareholders meetings, for example. But now S&P Global is saying they're going to use these ESG assessments to assign credit scores to states.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, that's something that has an enormous impact on states' abilities to sell bonds for new infrastructure projects and what kind of interest rates they'll get when they want to borrow money.
--:-- Megan Basham: So how would ESG apply at the state level?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, essentially, social goals that tend to be aligned with the left would increase a state's credit rating. So energy-producing states like Texas, Alaska, West Virginia, Louisiana, all of those states that rely on oil and coal for a large chunk of their economy, well, they will suffer worse scores under the E in ESG, environmental.
--:-- Megan Basham: Meanwhile, states like Florida that have taken legislative steps to keep, say, critical race theory out of public school classrooms, they would ostensibly receive a lower score under the S, social, even though that's what voters in that state wanted.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The same goes for ballot initiatives that mandate diversity quotas. States that reject them could receive lower scores for that.
--:-- Megan Basham: It would also mean that a state could have a really healthy economy and still receive a poor ESG score from S&P.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So this is what Kim had to say about that. If they are really interested in financial and economic health, let's look at what's really going on in Utah. Utah has been one of those dynamic states that have been growing over the years, and they should look into real economic indicators, not socially driven, politically motivated agenda.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, they are. And I would be surprised if we don't soon see a lot of other red states joining them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So Republican senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, Governor Spencer Cox, all four Congress members and Utah's treasurer and attorney general sent a letter to S&P basically demanding that they reverse this new inclusion of ESG into its ratings.
--:-- Megan Basham: Now, even though Utah didn't score particularly badly in the first report of this kind that S&P released on March 31st, the letter called it an undue politicization and said S&P should focus strictly on financial fundamentals.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The lawmakers then called on the agency to completely withdraw this report.
--:-- Megan Basham: So far, S&P has not responded.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, we'll be on the lookout for when they do.
--:-- Megan Basham: Megan, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Anytime. That was Daily Wire culture reporter, Megan Basham.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation. If you love our show and you stand with our mission, consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
