--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Host John Bickley: Good morning, and welcome to Morning Wire. I'm your host, John Bickley.
--:-- Host John Bickley: 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.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Leaders from both parties condemn President Biden's decision to block weapons shipments to Israel. Are politics behind the president's decision? And is the action an impeachable offense? I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with guest host Bhatia Anghar Sargon, opinion editor at Newsweek.
--:-- Host John Bickley: It's Friday, May 10th, and this is Morning Wire. The prosecutions of former President Trump encounter major setbacks, while a legal expert deems the New York case a tabloid show trial. The issue of what actually happened is utterly irrelevant. And then we get to the details, the silk pajamas, the kind of lotion he was wearing, utterly irrelevant. And Democrats continue to oppose voter ID and other laws that prevent illegal immigrants from impacting U.S. elections. This morning, we introduced legislation to fortify American elections and ensure that only American citizens can vote.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. If you need a better way to simplify your business finances, then you need to check out Ramp. Ramp is the corporate card and spend management software designed to help you save time and put money back in your pocket. Businesses that use Ramp save an average of 5% in the first year, and now you get $250 when you join Ramp. Just go to ramp.com slash wire. That's ramp.com slash wire, R-A-M-P dot com slash wire. Cards issued by Sutton Bank and Celtic Bank, member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply.
--:-- Host John Bickley: President Biden announced this week that he would pause weapons shipments to Israel, marking a significant reversal and drawing outrage from Republicans who threatened to impeach him over the matter. Here with more is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hey, thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host John Bickley: So we've talked about this growing political pressure from Biden's base. And frankly, it seems here that he's sort of giving into it. What can you tell us?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, a major policy shift that represents his sharpest rebuke of Israel since their war on Hamas began. President Biden announced this week that he would pause a number of weapon shipments to Israel if they moved forward with their operation in Rafah, one of the largest remaining Hamas terrorist strongholds in Gaza.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The White House officials say they have concerns over how those weapons, which include thousands of heavy artillery shells, would be used in the densely populated city, which reportedly holds around a million civilians. One senior Biden official claimed that Israel has, quote, not fully addressed our concerns regarding how they would avoid civilian casualties during that offensive and also allowing humanitarian aid.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Remember, Rafa is home to a crucial border crossing with Egypt that to this point has been used by aid groups to bring in supplies for civilians. That crossing is now, though, in the hands of the Israeli military as they prepare for the invasion.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here's President Biden on CNN. I've made it clear to Bibi and the War Cabinet, they're not going to get our support if, in fact, they go in these population centers.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, for their part, Israel defends the operation, saying it's the only way to fully eliminate Hamas, and points out that they've given ample warning to those in the area about the coming offensive.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now what sort of political reaction have we seen so far to Biden actions? Well there seems to be no doubt the move was motivated by politics to a large degree President Biden has faced growing backlash in recent months from his left base especially among young people and Arab Americans for supporting Israel.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But the reality is this move could risk alienating moderate Democrats who stand with Israel and ultimately still end up failing to win back those angry with his pro-Israeli positions throughout the last year.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For their part, Israeli officials expressed outrage at the pause, saying it could threaten their long-term ability to wage war on Hamas and jeopardize ongoing hostage negotiations. The country's minister of national security tweeted, quote, Hamas loves Biden, while Prime Minister Netanyahu posted this video online. No amount of pressure, no decision by any international forum will stop Israel from defending itself. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. Never again is now.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Republicans in Washington and also a number of Democrats were quick to condemn the move, warning it will only further incentivize Hamas to hide behind civilians. They were also quick to accuse Biden of flip-flopping on the issue now that he's facing pushback from his base and pointed to comments like these when he was running for office in 2019.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The idea that we would cut off military aid to an ally is absolutely preposterous. It's just beyond my comprehension. Anyone would do that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Former President Trump also jumped into the fray, accusing Biden in a social media post of, quote, taking the side of terrorists, just like he has sided with the radical mobs taking over our college campuses.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here he is with some very strong words outside of the Manhattan courtroom this week. If any Jewish person voted for Joe Biden, they should be ashamed of themselves. He's totally abandoned Israel. I guess he feels good about it because he did it as a political decision.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And now this saga could result in an impeachment inquiry. At least that's what Republicans are signaling, correct?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That's right. Republicans have been quick to point out that the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump centered on accusations that he'd withheld military aid to Ukraine as part of an effort to win re-election. They say Biden is now doing the same in an attempt to appease his voter base ahead of November.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, Senator Tom Cotton is calling on the House to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden, saying that they should apply the same standards Democrats applied to Trump.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, some people say Joe Biden is doing this for his reelection, which would be bad enough. It would also, I have to add, be grounds for impeachment under the Democrats Trump Ukraine standard withholding foreign aid to help one's reelection. Only with Joe Biden, it's true.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So it's unclear if House Republicans will go through with that impeachment effort. We've seen a few members say they will. But what is clear is they are not going to let up anytime soon. They're going to keep the pressure on in support of Israel. That seems certain.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Kevitt, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Anytime. And use code WIRE at checkout for up to 40% off. That's shop, B-E-A-M, dot com, slash WIRE, and use code WIRE for up to 40% off.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Former adult film star Stormy Daniels wrapped up her salacious testimony in Donald Trump's ongoing hush money trial on Thursday as Trump's other prosecutions are all running into setbacks. The New York trial opened yesterday with the continuation of a contentious cross-examination of Daniels by Trump attorney Susan Necklace who painted the witness as a liar out for money.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Here to discuss this and what going on in the rest of Trump trials is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey, thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host John Bickley: So starting with Stormy, how tense did those exchanges get?
--:-- David Marcus: Morning, John. It got very testy, according to those inside the courthouse. Necklace really pounded Stormy Daniels on inconsistencies in her past statements, most glaringly a statement she gave flat out denying the sexual encounter with Trump at the heart of this case ever took place.
--:-- David Marcus: Daniels admitted to signing but not writing that statement. In another instance, Daniels tried to explain differences in her current testimony from what she had told media outlets in the past. She also continued to insist that she was not motivated by money in telling her story, even though Trump's team pointed to several instances in which Daniels sought exactly that, a big payoff for the telling of the tale.
--:-- David Marcus: Daniels, in addition, admitted she doesn't actually understand what crime Trump is charged with. Nagas's final statement may have been the most telling as to Trump's legal approach. She said to Daniels, quote, you never had an affair with President Trump, but you realized you could earn money, end quote.
--:-- David Marcus: The defense immediately objected before Daniels could answer. That objection was sustained. And then it was no further questions, Your Honor.
--:-- David Marcus: With the possible exception of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, this was thought to be potentially the most damaging testimony against Trump. Do we know if it actually turned out that way? It's a hard question to answer, at least until we have a verdict or perhaps a hung jury.
--:-- David Marcus: But most legal experts do not think this went terribly well for the prosecution. Daniels was a bit all over the place, including at times seeming to indicate some level of coercion in the alleged encounter, saying she had never had a man proposition her in a hotel room with a bodyguard outside, for example.
--:-- David Marcus: She was very upfront about her animosity to Trump, saying that if convicted, she hopes he goes to jail. It was clear from the prosecution's direct questioning of Daniels that they wanted to present her as something of a victim of Trump's. But it's not at all clear that's the takeaway jurors will have, even if they believe the affair took place, which clearly Trump's legal team is denying.
--:-- David Marcus: A few others testified after Daniels on Thursday. Was there anything substantial in that testimony? And do we have a sense yet as to whether Trump may testify?
--:-- David Marcus: Probably the most important other witness of the day was former Trump assistant Madeline Westerhout, who testified, as many of the Trump world witnesses have, that Trump's wife Melania and his family were deeply important to him.
--:-- David Marcus: She described some of their affectionate behavior towards each other. And this seemed to bolster the defense claim that Trump was not so much worried about the 2016 election when he paid Daniels the hush money, but was trying to protect his family.
--:-- David Marcus: As to Trump testifying, the legal experts I speak with find it increasingly unlikely, in part because things seem to be going pretty well for Trump, but also because now that the affair is being denied, he would have to testify about his relationship with Daniels, whatever it was, in some detail.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, you can see why he might not want to do that.
--:-- David Marcus: Even as this is going on in New York, the rest of the cases against Trump have been hitting some serious snags. Can you quickly break those down for us?
--:-- David Marcus: As we talked about earlier this week, Judge Cannon in the classified documents case postponed that trial that had been set to start in a few weeks indefinitely.
--:-- David Marcus: This was as a result of the DOJ's mishandling of evidence in the Georgia case. An appeals court will, in fact, hear arguments about removing DA Fannie Willis from the case, further delaying that trial, and the Supreme Court is still sitting on the federal January 6th case.
--:-- David Marcus: We're starting to hear the poker term inside straight bandied about because as impossible as it seemed just months ago all of the cards seem to be coming up Trump at least for now.
--:-- David Marcus: Certainly a good run for Trump at least for this week.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Dave thanks for joining us.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Republicans are pushing for legislation that shores up election procedures against illegal immigration, but Democrats and the White House are fighting back, calling the GOP-backed measures unconstitutional.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Here to talk about the bill and Democrats' attempts to block election integrity measures is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hey, Tim. So what's happening in Congress with these election efforts?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, Republicans introduced a bill on Thursday that, in their words, shores up election processes against non-citizens voting in U.S. elections.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's House Speaker Mike Johnson explaining. Due to the wide open border that the Biden administration has refused to close, in fact, that they engineered to open. We now have so many non-citizens in the country that if only one out of a hundred of those voted, they would cast hundreds of thousands of votes.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And since our elections are so razor thin in these days that we're in, and just a few precincts and a few states decide the makeup of Congress and who is elected to the White House, this is a dangerously high number, and it is a great concern to millions and millions of Americans.
--:-- Tim Pierce: If a nefarious actor wants to intervene in our elections, all they have to do is check a box on a form and sign their name.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Democrats are against this and say it's unnecessary because of laws that already make it illegal for non-citizens to vote.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And with Democrats in control of the Senate and White House, it's unlikely this bill gets enacted anyway. And if Wednesday's vote on the census question is any indication, this bill may not get any Democratic support at all.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Could you tell us a little bit more about the census bill?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Sure. So before the SAVE Act was introduced on Thursday, the House passed another bill on a party-line vote on Wednesday, with 206 Republican votes in favor and 202 Democratic votes against.
--:-- Tim Pierce: This bill is on a topic that has come up before. It would add a citizenship question to the census and exclude non-citizens from congressional reapportionment.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Democrats have called this unconstitutional, though legal experts are split on the matter.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland. The original purposes of the passage of the 14th Amendment have been carefully articulated and revisited repeatedly by the Supreme Court and never rebutted.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Every apportionment since 1790 has included every single person residing in the United States, not just those lucky enough to be given the right to vote.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, this is an issue that's been fought over for years because of its potential to impact federal elections. It can have a major impact on the Electoral College, and the current structure of the law helps Democrats.
--:-- Tim Pierce: In 2015, Democrat attorney Paul Goldman and George Mason policy and government dean Mark Rozelle wrote in Politico an article titled Illegal Immigrants Could Elect Hillary.
--:-- Tim Pierce: They explain that counting non-citizens and citizens together in the census skews the number of house seats allotted to each state and so skews the electoral college.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Goldman and Rozelle wrote, quote, counting illegal immigrants and non-citizens significantly reduces the chances of the GOP winning the presidency.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The immigration crisis, of course, makes this issue that much more significant.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Good to be on. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Host John Bickley: We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know. If you need a better way to simplify your business finances, then you need to check out NetSuite. NetSuite is the corporate card and spend management software designed to help you save time and put money back in your pocket.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Businesses that use NetSuite save an average of 5% in the first year, and now you get no payments and no interest for six months at Http://www.NetSuite.com/MORNINGWIRE. That's netsuite.com slash morningwire.
