--:-- Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe, and I'm here with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for having me, Georgia.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by Black Rifle Coffee. Start your morning with America's coffee from blackriflecoffee.com.
--:-- John Bickley: Former President Trump delivered the keynote address at CPAC on Saturday and took aim at his political rivals. We will beat the Democrats. We will rout the fake news media. We will expose and appropriately deal with the rhinos. We will evict Joe Biden from the White House.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We discuss the optics of the event and why some high-profile presidential contenders chose to skip it.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Monday, March 6th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Ohio suffered another Norfolk Southern train derailment over the weekend, this time in Springfield. And LA's police union says officers should no longer respond to nearly 30 different types of calls, But the city's mayor warns it could endanger public safety.
--:-- 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: Former President Trump headlined the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, over the weekend, easily winning the event's 2024 straw poll and delivering the keynote speech.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Hey, Greg. So how did it go for the former president at CPAC?
--:-- Greg Wilson: Well, as you suggested there, Trump really dominated the event, which was held this year in Fort Washington, Maryland. He gave a nearly two-hour keynote address in which he took aim at his adversaries on both sides of the aisle. He decried the endless investigations that have dogged him since he took office and warned the Biden administration is steering us into World War III.
--:-- Greg Wilson: One notable moment was when he vowed to, quote, deal with the rhinos, Republicans in name only. That pledge drew thunderous applause from the audience, which was heavily pro-Trump.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Here's that moment. We had a Republican Party that was ruled by freaks, neocons, globalists, open border zealots, and fools. But we are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush.
--:-- Greg Wilson: It's also worth noting that a day before the speech, Trump released a four-minute video in which he laid out ambitious plans, including building up to 10 freedom cities on federal land and promoting the development of flying cars. DeLoreans, no doubt.
--:-- Greg Wilson: You mentioned this victory in the straw poll. How decisive was it, and who else was in the running?
--:-- Greg Wilson: It was very strongly in favor of Trump which was no surprise due to the nature of the event and also not a surprise a key governor came in second So the poll asked more than 2 of the attendees about their choice for 2024 and 62 chose Trump Ron DeSantis, who did not attend and has not yet announced plans for a White House run, came in second at 20%. Maybe the biggest surprise was little-known Michigan billionaire businessman Perry Johnson, who came in third place with 5%. That put him ahead of better-known names, including Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, and Mike Pompeo.
--:-- Greg Wilson: As I said, Trump doing well wasn't particularly surprising as CPAC attracts some of the GOP's most ardent grassroots activists. It's become distinctly pro-Trump ever since he won the nomination back in 2016.
--:-- Greg Wilson: One interesting note from a separate poll for vice president. Carrie Lake, who lost the Arizona governor's race last year, ended up winning. She gained 20 percent support, followed by DeSantis at 14.
--:-- Greg Wilson: So in terms of the spotlight, going to CPAC seems to have really worked out for Trump, but choosing not to go was another attack taken by some potential candidates. Why did DeSantis and some of the others choose not to attend?
--:-- Greg Wilson: Well, Pompeo and Haley were there, but the Florida governor and several other top Republicans, including Pence and Ted Cruz, were at a separate three-day event held by the conservative group Club for Growth in Palm Beach, Florida. They may have been conceding the CPAC crowd to Trump, But the Florida event to which Trump was not invited also attracted some of the party's biggest donors, many of whom have said they will not support a third White House bid by Trump.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Well, some fascinating political angling going on here. Greg, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Greg Wilson: You're welcome.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire managing editor Greg Wilson. Coming up, another massive Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Authorities ordered Ohio residents to shelter inside on Saturday evening after another Norfolk Southern train derailed, this time just outside the city of Springfield.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hey, Tim. So after East Palestine, everyone is focused on the risks of train derailments. What can you tell us about this incident?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, it's another big derailment, and there are a lot of unanswered questions. So a 212-car freight train derailed around 5 p.m. near Springfield. Immediately, some residents in the area lost power, and a shelter-in-place order went out while authorities responded to the accident.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The shelter-in-place order was only in place for a few hours, but the power was still out for some residents the next day. Norfolk Southern said that the derailment involved about 30 cars, but nobody was hurt.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, the big question with these train derailments after East Palestine is, was any of the trains cargo hazardous? And secondly, if so, what is the risk to residents and the environment?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Right, and what do we know so far? In this case, residents appear to be in the clear. Officials said that four tankers were involved in the accident, but they were all empty. Two of those previously held diesel exhaust fluid, and the other two had held polyacrylamide water solution.
--:-- Tim Pierce: A state hazmat team and inspectors from Norfolk Southern looked at the site and said there was no indication of a threat to public health. That said, the train involved was hauling hazardous materials, so the crash could have been a lot worse if one of those tankers had derailed and spilled.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Do we know yet what caused this derailment anything in common with East Palestine Well we don have a determination on that yet Norfolk Southern and local officials are still looking into it But a representative of Norfolk Southern was pressed about the derailment in a press conference on Sunday Here some of that exchange.
--:-- Tim Pierce: What would you say to people questioning why it must be 36 hours after this derailment? In the midst of intense scrutiny around a previous derailment about a month ago, You guys are up and running on this track. Why is it appropriate to be back at it so soon?
--:-- Tim Pierce: I would say that we take what we learned from the drones and we'll save what we need to. But safety is a non-prime. I can't speculate on what caused this drone. We're still doing the investigation. But why not cause operations while you have to do in such success?
--:-- Tim Pierce: And in that press conference, officials mostly try to dispel any concerns that this derailment could lead to a repeat of what happened in East Palestine. Here's Clark County Health Commissioner Charles Patterson.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Looking at the data coming in from Hazmat, Ohio EPA, since there have been no releases, we're looking at clean air, clean soil and clean water for our residents. technicians will continue to be on site to ensure that there is a contamination that has been missed.
--:-- Tim Pierce: It's also the second Norfolk Southern train derailment around Springfield in less than a year. Last May, about 26 cars of a 100-car train fell off the track. That derailment didn't cause any injuries or hazardous spells either.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, the East Palestine disaster has included some political fallout. Any reaction to this latest derailment in Washington?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, lawmakers have been sensitive to train derailments since the East Palestine disaster in early February. Ohio Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown blamed Norfolk Southern in a statement that said the company is more concerned with its profit margin than safety.
--:-- Tim Pierce: I should note that Norfolk Southern has pledged well over a million dollars to the East Palestine community after the chemical spill there. Nearly a million dollars will go to reimbursing the local fire department and about 300,000 will go toward the city school district.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Ohio's junior senator, Republican J.D. Vance, has at time blamed Norfolk Southern for the derailments, as well as the Biden administration for its response to East Palestine. The Ohio senators have partnered together on a bill that would tighten some regulations and increase penalties on the railroad industry in the hopes of preventing some of these accidents in the future.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, let's hope the situation in Springfield turns out a lot different than East Palestine. Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire reporter, Tim Pierce.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Los Angeles Police Union is set to propose some changes, including that officers in the city no longer respond to more than two dozen types of calls. And some residents are sounding the alarm over what that could mean for public safety.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So, Maraid, the city of L.A. is considering a measure that says police will no longer be sent to respond to certain types of calls. What types of issues would they no longer be responding to?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Yeah, so LA's police officer union has proposed a list of 28 types of incidents that the city will no longer send officers for. Those include welfare checks, parking violations, noise complaints, trash dumping calls, and syringe disposal calls. The list also includes some issues that have citizens really concerned, like calls about someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or certain traffic stops and traffic crashes, including those with verbal disputes.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: They also don't want to respond to trespassing calls, landlord-tenant disputes, calls about public drinking, defecating, or urinating. Also on the list is panhandling calls certain homeless and mental health calls nonviolent juvenile disturbances and calls about dead bodies where there no indication of foul play
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The police union the Los Angeles Police Protective League says it working with the city on the list and plans to officially announce the proposal this week Now, why do they not want officers responding to these types of incidents?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, the main reason is that the LAPD is chronically understaffed, according to the police union, and they're inundated with a huge volume of calls and overworked officers struggle to respond promptly. Saving armed officers for true emergencies would allow the police department to focus its limited resources better, the union says.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The police union added that another benefit of sending unarmed officers could be easing concerns among L.A. residents about armed officers responding to every call. Who would they send for these incidents if not a police officer?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, that's the big question. It's not clear yet which unarmed responders would respond to calls instead of armed police officers. We also don't know yet when armed officers would stop responding to these calls. Also, the union says it will work with the city and the LAPD to figure out a procedure for if an armed response becomes necessary after the unarmed responders are sent out.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So it's still just a proposal and we don't have a lot of details yet, but we'll hopefully learn more at a press conference the police union is giving about the changes on Wednesday.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Now, is this something that LAPD has supported? I asked the LAPD about this and Police Chief Michael Moore indicated the police department is generally positive about the union's proposal.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Moore told me the LAPD agrees they need to have more non-law enforcement to respond to non-emergency calls. He said they already use some of these non-law enforcement responders who have filled in for police on thousands of calls like mental health crisis calls.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Moore said this allows officers, quote, time to focus on our most essential activities. However, a spokesperson for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass warned that the proposal would, quote, compromise public safety.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So not a lot of enthusiasm from the mayor's office. You'll remember that Bass had to really battle to win her election last year, and the biggest issue hurting her campaign was rising crime, which many blame on progressives like herself.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Now, last week, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced a sort of similar policy relating to the management of mentally ill residents. Tell us about that.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Right. Mayor Adams' plan involves deploying medical professionals rather than police to the scenes of mental health 911 calls. He's also planning to add mobile treatment centers for homeless New Yorkers and community centers for the mentally ill that can connect them with education and job opportunities and help them make friends.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, this reminds me of how in 2020 there were some proposals to send social workers instead of police for domestic disturbances, things like that. I think there were some safety challenges.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Maraid, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Another story we're tracking this week, President Biden officially has another Democrat candidate to contend with in 2024, Marianne Williamson. The author and self-help guru officially launched her campaign on Saturday, declaring that she brings a unique perspective to the presidency.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We all owe President Biden a debt of gratitude for defeating President Trump in 2020. but with the things that they're going to be throwing at us in 2024, we need to submit to the American people an agenda of fundamental economic reform, universal health care, tuition-free colleges at state colleges and universities, paternity and maternity leave, free child care, and a guaranteed living wage.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Williamson ran in 2020 but failed to gain much traction, dropping out before voting started and endorsing Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
