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--:-- Host (John Bickley): Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire, and I'm here with my co-host Georgia Howe. It's Friday, April 5th, and we've got a lot to cover today.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us, everyone. We've got a big show for you today.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Let's start with some food news. Carl's Jr. is introducing a spicy version of their classic Western bacon cheeseburger. [Sound effects: Sizzling bacon]
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): Now, let's get to the news. President Biden tells Israel that U.S. support might change if it doesn't better protect civilians. What are President Biden's demands and will Iran act on its threats to retaliate against Israel?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. We're joined by Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips to break down the latest developments.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, Cabot, let's get right to it. What's the latest on the situation between the U.S. and Israel?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, in recent months, the Biden administration has begun to soften their support of Israel. So in February, President Biden said Israel's response to the terror attacks of October 7th had been, quote, over the top. And then Vice President Harris last month warned Israel of, quote, consequences if they continue to broaden their war on Hamas.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty significant shift in tone from the administration.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it is. And this week, the White House made their most public and substantive rebuke of Israel since the war began, implying they could begin pulling back on that support.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): What led up to this shift?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: On Monday, the Israeli military mistakenly launched an airstrike on a car carrying aid workers from the World Central Kitchen, killing seven people, including an American dual citizen. While the Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, apologized for that strike, calling it a, quote, grave mistake caused by misidentification, the incident sparked international outrage and really intensified calls from the left for Biden to withdraw support of Israel.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty dramatic escalation of the situation.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it is. And on Thursday, the president responded to that pressure during a phone call with Netanyahu. According to a White House readout of that conversation, Biden urged for a quote immediate ceasefire and called the recent incident quote unacceptable before quote making clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And importantly, he gave the first public indication that support of Israel would now be conditional, saying, quote, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, Biden did still express support for Israel's right to defend itself. But these latest comments are a clear sign that the White House is feeling political pressure from the left on this issue.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A poll last week from Gallup showed a clear party split on the topic. While 64 percent of Republicans approve of Israel's military action in Gaza, just 18 percent of Democrats say the same.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And those numbers sink even lower among young people and self-described progressives, two very important voter blocks for Democrats.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Now, the two leaders also discussed another actor in this conflict, Iran. Tell us about that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, an airstrike at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Monday killed a number of high-ranking Iranian military officials. While Israel did not publicly take credit for the strike, they are widely believed to have been responsible.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty significant development in the conflict.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it is. And Iran has to this point avoided taking a direct role in the conflict, choosing instead to support terror groups in the region more under the table. They did vow revenge though for this incident saying, quote, the Zionist regime will be punished.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And while the White House says they had no involvement in the strike and were unaware of it ahead of time, Iranian officials included the U.S. in that threat saying America, quote, remains directly responsible whether or not it was aware of the intention to carry out this attack.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, to that point, the top U.S. Air Force commander for the Middle East warned this week that Iranian-backed militias were likely to step up attacks on American troops stationed in the region.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty dire warning.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it is. And the Pentagon said they were also monitoring the potential for an Iranian strike on Israeli soil, which would almost certainly result in a dramatic escalation of this conflict, something the White House has repeatedly expressed concerns over.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Yeah, the world's watching to see what, if anything, Iran does. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): New York City police last week broke up and arrested a group of illegal alien squatters that had taken over a house across the street from a school in the Bronx. Judges later ordered the release of most of the suspects against the advice of local prosecutors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm joined now by Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce to talk about the bust.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, Tim, where were these squatters from and how did they come to take over a house in New York City?
--:-- Tim Pierce: According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, they are all from Venezuela and they're all in the U.S. illegally. In fact, many of them had previous run-ins with Border Patrol agents who caught them illegally immigrating over the U.S. southern border.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty disturbing trend.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, it is. And the New York Post has done some good reporting on this. Locals said they often saw the men making drug deals in the front yard. Aside from the drugs, neighbors complained that the migrants trashed the front yard, often had extra vehicles parked out front they appeared to be working on, and played loud music between 1 and 7 in the morning.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The police had been called multiple times, but officers apparently told some of the neighbors that nothing could be done.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Of course, that was before one of the migrants allegedly pulled a gun on someone outside the house. After that, NYPD raided the place last week and arrested eight squatters inside, their ages ranging from 20 to 42. Officers also found a seven-year-old child inside.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty shocking discovery.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, it is. And what are they being charged with? All of them are facing the same three charges. Criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and acting in a manner injurious to a child. Nothing related to the squatting.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): According to the Post, in the house, officers found multiple firearms, including an untraceable ghost gun, extra magazines and ammo, a bag of ketamine, and a bag of ketamine mixed with cocaine.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Republican Congressman Anthony Despacito said the situation reflects the kinds of problems New York's progressive immigration laws have brought to the state.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty bold statement.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, it is. And according to ICE, all but one of these immigrants have prior records with law enforcement. All but one of them were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents in Texas in 2022 or 2023. One man was arrested at least twice before, once for shoplifting and again for illegal possession of a firearm.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): On the current charges, judges ordered all but two of them to be released despite their track records, the charges facing them, and the advice of local prosecutors.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So why are they not being detained? We don't know why courts decided to release them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty disturbing trend.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Eight migrants were arrested, and the two judges that handled the cases ordered that six of them be released either on their own recognizance or with supervision. And that includes the man who originally prompted the 911 call by allegedly threatening someone with a gun.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Sources who spoke with the Post suggested that the decision to release most of the aliens could have something to do with a lack of direct evidence tying them to crimes.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That just squatting in the house with illegal guns, drugs, and a seven-year-old child isn't enough to justify holding someone until a trial date.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, just imagine this happening outside your house or outside a family member's house.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Good to be on.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Disney CEO Bob Iger survived a proxy fight from billionaire investor Nelson Peltz this week. Peltz and his allies, including Elon Musk, wanted to shake up Disney's leadership and move the company away from politicized entertainment.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm joined now by Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham to talk about the proxy fight.
--:-- Megan Basham: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, Megan, who is Nelson Peltz and what are his goals with this proxy fight?
--:-- Megan Basham: So Peltz is a billionaire investor who has been loudly critical of the company's promotion of progressive themes and ideology in its content. And he's also made it clear that he has no confidence in Iger and he doesn't want Iger to continue to lead Disney as the company comes up with a succession plan for Iger's retirement in a couple of years.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty bold statement.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, it is. And at this year's shareholder meeting, Peltz tried to force the company into giving him and an ally of his, Jay Rusulo, board seats. Now that would have allowed Peltz and Rusulo, who was a former chief financial officer at Disney, more influence over the company's content and personnel.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, what does that mean for Disney going forward?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, one source inside Disney put it to me this way. I'm quoting, it doesn't seem like the much-hyped woke backlash is going to materialize.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty interesting statement.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, it is. And as to why it didn't materialize, the source told me that in essence, the largest Disney shareholders, quoting again, are all woke hedge fund managers themselves by which he meant firms like BlackRock and Vanguard who have a huge number of proxy votes thanks to the money that they invest on behalf of pension funds and 401ks.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, this source told you that Peltz wasn't just indicting Disney, he was indicting all of them.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, that's right. And Peltz wasn't the only one indicting them. Well-known detransitioner Chloe Cole also spoke out at this year's Disney shareholder meeting. Now, she proposed that the company provide medical benefits that would cover detransitioning for employees who regret trying to change their sex in the same way that it covers so-called gender transitioning for those who identify as transgender.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty bold proposal.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, it is. And Disney, in its arrogance, has responded to our proposal by stating that I am only trying to generate attention for a limited agenda.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Mr. Iger, Disney under your watch is pushing the limited agenda of gender ideology.
--:-- Megan Basham: But Cole's proposal, again, on the power of those proxy votes, also failed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, does this mean we should expect more woke Disney movies then?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, you know, Iger is walking kind of a tricky line here. He has admitted in the past that the company has gone too far in pushing ideological goals in its entertainment.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Our listeners probably remember two years ago when clips leaked of internal Disney meetings in which creators talked about their commitment to more queer storylines and characters.
--:-- Megan Basham: There was major public backlash and a lot of very expensive family films that lived up to that promise have since flopped, including Strange World, Lightyear, and Elementals.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): But Iger also needs to avoid the internal revolt from the very left-wing employees and creators that led previous CEO Bob Chapik to lose his job.
--:-- Megan Basham: So it's very clear that in the wake of the proxy fight, Iger is trying to thread that needle.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): On Thursday, he denied to CNBC that the company is woke, but he also stressed that entertainment, not politics, needs to be the priority.
--:-- Megan Basham: The bottom line is that infusing messaging as a sort of a number one priority in our films and TV shows is not what we're up to. They need to be entertaining.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And where the Disney company can have a positive impact on the world, whether it's fostering acceptance and understanding of people of all different types, great.
--:-- Megan Basham: But generally speaking, we need to be an entertainment first company.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So despite winning this recent fight, Iger can't ignore the fact that Disney stock has hit multi-year lows based on poor performance of both its films and its streaming content.
--:-- Megan Basham: The stock was down another 3% after the proxy vote on Wednesday, suggesting that Wall Street, at least, doesn't see Peltz's failure as a good thing.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And Peltz has promised that if he doesn't see changes, he will force another proxy fight.
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, it'll be interesting to see if profit motive alone is enough to change course on the content.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Anytime.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): Good footwear is about more than just fashion, and G-Defy shoes are anything but ordinary. They aim to foster healthy body movements, alleviate pain, and prevent further wear and tear.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I tried my first pair of G-Defy shoes, and I actually didn't want to take them off. They were so comfortable even when I was just doing chores around the house.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Try them for yourself. Use code WIRE for $30 off orders of $150 or more at gdefy.com. That's G-D-E-F-Y.com with promo code WIRE for $30 off your order.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Experience the miracle that is GDefy, where comfort meets innovation.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Thanks for waking up with us, everyone. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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