--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: The eyes of the nation turned to California this week as a series of primary elections put the state's progressive policies on the line. We'll discuss the most important races and what's at stake in the Golden State. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, June 6th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Dr. Oz captures the GOP nomination for Pennsylvania Senate after Dave McCormick concedes. What comes next and how will the court battles in Pennsylvania over undated mail-in ballots affect nationwide voting procedures? And as Americans search for answers on how to prevent future school shootings, a new poll finds that a majority of voters believe that arming properly trained teachers could make schools safer. We discussed the issue of hardening schools.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. This show is sponsored by Birch Gold. Have you considered what could happen in the stock market if our economy stalls out? Don't wait until it's too late to solidify some of your investment with gold from Birch Gold. Throughout history, gold has maintained its value better than any other investment in the world. Text WIRE to 989898 today for a free zero-obligation info kit on holding gold in a tax-sheltered retirement account. Again, text WIRE to 989898 and secure the gains you've made while you can.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The nation's attention turns to California tomorrow, as several key races could give insight into the midterms and serve as a referendum on progressive policies. Here to give us the details is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond. So Charlotte, you live out in California. Can you tell us about these big primaries tomorrow?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Yes. So the LA mayoral primary and the primary for governor will both be taking place on June 7th. There were nearly a dozen candidates in the LA mayoral race, but the race has really narrowed down to two candidates, Congresswoman Karen Bass and businessman Rick Caruso. Rick Caruso is running as a Democrat, but he recently switched to that party after being a longtime Republican.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right. Caruso has been endorsed by Snoop Dogg, who says Caruso has been active in the community for decades. He also has support from A-listers Gwyneth Paltrow, Scooter Braun, and Kim Kardashian. In the business world he has endorsements from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel Now Caruso is essentially in a dead heat against California Congresswoman Karen Bass
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: She's been in public office since 2005, and she's chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. And she was also on President Biden's shortlist to be his vice president and running mate. Some of her views garnered scrutiny, even prompting her to insist that she didn't sympathize with socialism or communism.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So both have some celebrity support. What's the process here? How does the election work in L.A.?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So in order to win, a candidate has to get 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff election. But a runoff looks inevitable because of the large number of candidates. In 2017, Mayor Eric Garcetti won 81% of the vote, but that was when he was running for a second term.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now what about the governor's race? Who's in the running for that primary?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Yeah, that primary is nonpartisan, and current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is coming out of a recall election last year. He has a lot of challengers right now, a few Democrats with mostly Republicans and no-party preference candidates. Newsom is thought to have a pretty tight hold on the race.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Newsom's got solid Democratic support, but who else is on the ballot? We have Michael Schellenberger, who used to be a Democrat but is now an independent. You all interviewed him on the show, and he's running on homelessness issues primarily, which he has a steep background in.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: What about the big picture significance of these primaries? What could they mean for the midterms?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the Los Angeles mayoral race could be a bellwether. If a pro-police businessman who used to be a Republican can win in L.A., especially if he wins over 50% of the vote, that could really shake up the Democratic Party ahead of midterms. Even if he doesn't win outright in the primary, he still likely has a shot at winning in November.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: All right, lots of reasons to track these results and see which direction California goes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Charlotte, thanks.
--:-- [Theme music fades in]
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond. Coming up, Dr. Oz declares victory in the Pennsylvania primary. A great team can quickly adapt to a changing world. But how do you quickly build a great team? Well, for that, you need Indeed. With Instant Match, over 80% of employers get quality candidates the moment they sponsor a job. Sign up for Indeed now and get a $75 credit towards your first sponsored job. Plus, earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed's virtual interviews. Visit Indeed.com slash wire to learn more. Claim your credits at Indeed.com slash wire. Indeed.com slash wire. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed.
--:-- John Bickley: On Friday in Pennsylvania, Dr. Mehmet Oz declared victory with a razor-thin margin in the U.S. Senate Republican primary that took place back on May 17th. His challenger, former hedge fund executive David McCormick, conceded. Meanwhile, a statewide recount won't be wrapped up until June 7th. Here to discuss is Carrie Sheffield, Senior Policy Analyst at Independent Women's Voice. So Carrie, the media has been covering this race very closely, and it's involved some dueling court rulings. Catch us up on what's happened with this race.
--:-- Carrie Sheffield: Thanks for having me, Georgia. Well, yes, this has been a very tight U.S. Senate race between Dr. Oz and McCormick, who've both been claiming the mantle of the America First agenda. The race went down to the wire, with Oz leading by less than 1,000 votes last week. McCormick petitioned the court to have every vote counted, including ballots missing a handwritten date. Initially, a lower court allowed those ballots to be counted. However the Supreme Court ruled last week saying those undated ballots could not be counted Then on Thursday a Pennsylvania court ruled that the ballots should be counted So yet another reversal But even so within 24 hours the McCormick campaign conceded.
--:-- John Bickley: So the recount is happening. But at this point, it's just a formality because the race is over.
--:-- Carrie Sheffield: Here's some sound from Dr. Oz claiming victory with no mention of the recount. I want to take a moment to express my deep thanks to the great people of Pennsylvania who have joined me so far on this journey and supported my campaign. I am blessed to have earned the presumptive Republican nomination for the United States Senate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So looking ahead to the general election, how have Democrats been responding to this whole recount debacle?
--:-- Carrie Sheffield: The Democrats have been hedging their bets throughout the process. On Thursday, the National Democratic Senate Campaign Committee released two ads, both of which attacked both Oz and McCormick. The winner, Oz, will face off against Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman in November. Fetterman faced no strong primary opposition from rival Congressman Conor Lamb. However, Fetterman suffered a stroke just before the primary election, and Fetterman's wife told Politico on Wednesday that his doctors are, quote, really impressed with his progress, but they weren't sure when it would be safe for him to return to the campaign trail.
--:-- Georgia Howe: However, in a CBS interview on Friday, Fetterman admitted that he had neglected his doctor's advice back in 2017 to take better care of an underlying heart condition. He said that, quoting here, back in 2017, I had swollen feet and went to the hospital to get checked out. That's when I learned I had a heart condition. Then I didn't follow up.
--:-- Carrie Sheffield: So what are the national implications for this Pennsylvania race?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, for one, the fierce court battles that we saw nationwide in 2020 and in Pennsylvania have in some ways repeated themselves here. And they could very well surface again in tight swing races this November, not only in Pennsylvania, but in other parts of the country. And further, we could see similar battles pop back up again in 2024 during the presidential race. And that is a nightmare scenario for many Americans.
--:-- Carrie Sheffield: Right. Well, the Oz-Fetterman race is going to be one of the most closely watched races, I think.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Carrie, thanks for reporting.
--:-- [Theme music fades in]
--:-- Georgia Howe: School security is at the top of everyone's minds after the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. Policymakers and experts have floated ideas such as gun bans, greater investment in mental health resources, and beefing up school security. We had Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce dive into one of those suggestions, arming teachers. So Tim, what did you learn?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks, John. So after Uvalde, people almost immediately went searching for answers on how to prevent something like this from repeating itself. And while the police response is under investigation with a lot of scrutiny there, experts and lawmakers have begun debating policies that could make mass shootings less likely in the future. Arming teachers is probably one of the most cost-effective solutions offered, though there are still concerns over how much training should be required in the presence of deadly weapons in a classroom.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Speaking of concerns, how do Americans feel about this? Do they support this idea?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Overall, it appears they do. A recent poll from the Trafalgar Group and Convention of States Action found that about 58% of likely general election voters believe that arming properly trained teachers make schools somewhat to much more safe. About 31% said arming teachers would make schools more dangerous.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And importantly, the data appeared to back up Americans' beliefs. As of 2019, not a single case had been documented of someone being wounded or killed from a shooting between 6 a.m. and midnight at a school that lets teachers carry guns. according to the Crime Prevention Research Center
--:-- Tim Pierce: So some evidence it works How many states actually do this already allow teachers to carry Around 20 states allow school teachers or staff to be armed though the regulations vary from state to state. That's according to the 2019 research from the Crime Prevention Research Center.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And we are seeing some shift favoring arming teachers. In Ohio, Republicans are leading an effort to make it easier for teachers to carry guns on school property. Current state law says teachers must complete over 700 hours of training before getting approval to carry a gun on school property. 700 hours. Yeah. It'd take about a month if you train 24 hours a day. So just really intensive.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah. The new law, which Governor Mike DeWine has said he will sign, would cut that way back to 20 hours, which is in line with state law for private investigators and security guards.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What does the training look like here? What's required for teachers?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, I spoke to Rick Green about this. Rick is a firearm instructor and founder of Patriot Academy, which runs a five-day course on how to handle a firearm. Green has specifically taught teachers how to properly secure and use their weapon in a classroom environment in a mass shooting scenario. He recommends that teachers who are able should arm themselves to determine mass shooters so they don't have to rely solely on a police response, which, as we've seen, can be too slow.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Proximity is the number one issue. Do you have a trained person with a firearm in close proximity to where the bad guy starts the carnage? And if you do, you can have a West Virginia situation where the lady takes him out immediately, sheepdog with a ponytail ends the threat before a single innocent life is taken.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Green said that armed teachers are a good way of buttressing school safety along with armed security and an action plan. With strategy and tactics on the entire campus plan, and I certainly recommend armed security that's full-time, but also then teachers, because you can't have an armed security guard on every hallway or it gets incredibly expensive. But if you have one on each campus, and then you also have at least one of those teachers on each hallway armed, and potentially in the long run, every teacher in that hallway armed. Every step you take that direction, you increase the likelihood of saving lives.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, we're all urgently seeking ways to prevent these tragedies, and the more information we have, the better. Thanks, Tim, for reporting anytime.
--:-- [Theme music fades in]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Other stories we're tracking this week. Over four days of festivities, Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee of her 70 years of service on the throne. Although her health and mobility kept the 96-year-old monarch from some of the celebrations, her line of successors, Prince Charles, William and George, as well as other royal relatives, made it a family affair.
--:-- John Bickley: The parents of a 10-year-old victim of the Uvalde shooting are considering legal action against the manufacturer of the gunman's AR-15-style rifle, Daniel Defense, focusing on the company's marketing tactics.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And armed men entered an open fire in a Catholic church in Owo, Nigeria during a Sunday service, killing at least 50 congregation members and kidnapping a priest. Nigerian clergy and the churches have been targeted by militants repeatedly in recent months.
--:-- John Bickley: 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.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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. If you like this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter available exclusively to Daily Wire members. Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe. Use code MORNINGWIRE to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
--:-- [Theme music fades out]
