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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire, I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
--:-- John Bickley: Chicago businesses are boarding up ahead of the Democratic National Convention this week as the chance for protester mayhem looms over the city. The Democrats must end all U.S. aid to Israel immediately. How are organizers preparing? And who's expected to speak at the convention tonight?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: It's Monday, August 19th, and this is Morning Wire. Kamala Harris finally unveils her policy proposals for the economy, and they're getting heat from both the right and left. We've seen this kind of thing tried in lots of other countries before. It leads to shortages. It leads to black markets. And while all eyes are on the race for the White House, control of the Senate is also on the table. We break down the races to watch.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Brandon: Hey guys, producer Brandon here.
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--:-- John Bickley: The Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago tonight with a primetime address from President Biden and growing concerns over mass protests. Here to set the stage is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: A. Cabot, so all eyes on Chicago this week. What are we expecting to see?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, normally a convention week would feature delegates casting their votes and the party nominee officially accepting the nomination. But remember, this year, the DNC conducted a, quote, virtual roll call back on August 6th as part of an expedited nominating process. Now, publicly, they said that was to ensure Harris would have time to make the ballot in all 50 states. But there's no doubt they had incentive to crush any opposition to Harris early on and prevent any debate among delegates over who the nominee would be.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The slogan chosen by Democrats for this week is for the people, for the future. The Harris campaign says they'll use the next four nights to convince the American people that Donald Trump is only in this race for himself while Harris is in it for the people. Along with all the big name Democrats, we also expect to see a number of celebrity appearances and performances. Attendees are even being offered free abortions and free vasectomies sponsored by Planned Parenthood.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, Harris will not speak until Thursday night, but tonight we will hear from Hillary Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden. Well, it's going to be quite a contrast from the RNC last month for sure. So what do we expect to hear from President Biden tonight?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: From what we've been told, the evening will serve as a sort of ceremonial passing of the torch from Biden to the next generation of Democrats, namely Kamala Harris. Their message will be that Joe Biden is a hero for putting the country above his own ambitions and stepping aside and that his term was a historic success for the American people But look from a campaign perspective that is a very delicate tightrope to walk.
--:-- John Bickley: On one hand Kamala Harris has obviously been an integral part of the administration So, you know, they want to play up how much she and Biden have accomplished and how important her role as VP has been. But on the other hand, this administration is deeply unpopular, and most Americans say they are not better off now than they were four years ago. So they have to be careful about making it seem that Harris was too involved in the administration. It's a bit reminiscent of that famous Michael Scott quote from The Office. I want all of the credit, but none of the blame.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, never the wrong time for an office quote. It's not. Now, this all comes amid growing concern over mass protests outside the convention. What can we expect to see on that front?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, typically if there's conflict at a convention, it takes place on the floor. But this year it will be protesters outside, not delegates inside. who are causing a stir. The DNC is expecting up to 100,000 anti-Israel protesters to descend on Chicago. And there is real concern among party leaders and local officials that those demonstrations could turn violent.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Axios reported that Democratic members of Congress had been advised to use fake names when making hotel reservations. We've seen other reports that hotels in the area had been getting anonymous calls asking if party leaders would be staying there. In preparation for those expected demonstrations, businesses across the city have closed up and boarded up windows, while Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson says they are prepared for unrest all week.
--:-- John Bickley: Among the organizations planning the protest is the coalition to march on the DNC. Here's that group's leader speaking over the weekend with a message to Democratic leaders. You're going to talk about the complicity of genocide Joe Biden and killer Kamala Harris in this genocide, and we don't want you to do that. And that is an egregious violation of our First Amendment rights.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So zooming out, where do things stand now in the polls as the DNC kicks off? Well, again, it's hard to overstate how tight this race is. Nationally, Harris is ahead on average by a point and a half. That is well within the margin of error, though, meaning they are essentially tied. In the battlegrounds, it is much the same. Trump is ahead in three states. Kamala Harris is ahead in three states. And in the all-important Pennsylvania, the polling average is an exact tie. And Las Vegas betting markets now have, get this, Trump and Harris tied as well. 49% chance each to win.
--:-- John Bickley: So it's a true toss-up as things currently stand. Now, for their part, the Trump camp says the Harris honeymoon will peak at the convention this week, and that Trump will be back in the driver's seat by September. To that point, Republicans will have plenty of counter-programming going on all week long. We will cover that here on the show, and we've also got reporters on the ground at the convention in Chicago all week long. And you'll be hosting the coverage here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yes, it's going to be a lot of fun. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- John Bickley: Anytime.
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--:-- John Bickley: Kamala Harris reveals a glimpse of her economic policy platform, prompting skepticism from both sides of the political spectrum. on. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the backlash Harris has faced so far.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hey Tim So first what are the proposals from Harris that are causing this fallout So Harris made the big reveal on Friday when she gave a speech in which he outlined some of her economic priorities. I should note that her campaign website still does not have a platform, so it's not clear if her speech was meant to be comprehensive or not. But from what she has told the public so far, here are a few of the highlights. She wants a national ban on what she called price gouging, which according to many economists, effectively means price controls. She also promised a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. And finally, an increase in the child tax credit from a maximum of about $3,600 during the child's first year to $6,000.
--:-- John Bickley: Harris's idea for an expanded child tax credit came after Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance floated an expanded $5,000 credit. That, along with Harris's position against taxing Tips now makes two proposals she has seemingly ripped off from the Trump campaign.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Right. And where have we seen the pushback to these policies? From places that cover a wide variety of viewpoints. The editorial board for the Washington Post was one of the first on the left to issue a takedown of Harris's speech. In an editorial published on Friday, the board wrote of Harris's speech that instead of delivering a substantial plan, she squandered the moment on populist gimmicks. The Post continued and said even adjusted for the pandering standards of campaign economics, Harris's speech Friday ranks as a disappointment.
--:-- John Bickley: And then there is a popular investor, Kevin O'Leary, best known for his role on Shark Tank, who said this about Harris's ban on price gouging. They tried that in Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, the USSR. No, that's not going to work. It's impossible to understand how a corporation would set pricing based on gouging. What does that even mean? That's why it's being ridiculed. And here he is on her tax credit for first-time homebuyers. When you give $25,000 to anybody in a constrained market, you cause inflation. So if there's three houses to sale on the street and everybody bidding on it gets another $25,000, all of that attributes to the seller. And you cause the price of the house to go up because there's no supply. Everybody knows in real estate, that's what I do for a living, that it's not controlled by a federal mandate. Housing is state by state. She can do nothing to solve that problem.
--:-- Tim Pierce: A pretty unambiguous assessment there. What's the response from the Trump campaign been so far? Vance addressed Harris's economic proposals in an appearance on Fox News Sunday. The American people just don't buy the idea that Kamala Harris, who has been vice president for three and a half years, is somehow going to tackle the inflation crisis in a way tomorrow that she hasn't for the past 1,300 days. Giving Kamala Harris control over inflation policy, Shannon, it's like giving Jeffrey Epstein control over human trafficking policy.
--:-- John Bickley: As campaign issues go, the economy is a serious one for Harris. She is tied to the Biden administration's policies. Interest rates haven't come down, and inflation is about 50% higher than where the Federal Reserve wants it to be. To that point, the Trump campaign released this new ad that is less than 14 seconds long, but gets the point across. A loaf of bread costs 50 percent more today than it did before the pandemic. Ground beef is up almost 50 percent. I'm Donald Trump, and I approve this message.
--:-- Tim Pierce: To underscore that point, a recent CBS News YouGov poll found that the economy and inflation were the top two concerns of voters right now. Well, it doesn't appear to be a great start for Harris on the policy end. Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- John Bickley: Good to be on.
--:-- John Bickley: With the race for the White House in full swing, control of the Senate is also up for grabs as Republicans push to regain a majority this November. Here to break down the races that will determine the balance of power in Congress is Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice.
--:-- Tim Rice: So the presidential race is for good reason dominating the national conversation But let's not forget, the Senate and House majorities are also up for grabs. And it's the Senate in particular that looks especially close this year. For those who haven't been following these races, here's what you need to know. The Democratic caucus currently has a 51 to 49 advantage, meaning Republicans will have to pick up two seats to be in charge. And if you look at the map, it is incredibly favorable for Republicans. No one's disputing that. Of the 34 seats up for election in November, only 11 are currently held by Republicans, and none of those races look particularly close at the moment.
--:-- John Bickley: That leaves Democrats playing defense, trying to hold on to 23 spots. At last count, seven of those seats are considered toss-ups. And get this, all seven are currently held by Democrats. So if Republicans can win the races they're expected to win and succeed in just two of those toss-ups, They'll control the Senate and regardless of what happens in the presidential race, hold massive influence in Washington.
--:-- Tim Rice: Right. That's important to remember. So which races should we keep an eye on? Well, we'll start with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who, despite recently switching party affiliation from Democrat to independent, is for all intents and purposes a Democrat. He's retiring this year and Republicans are all but guaranteed to replace him. Remember, Trump won West Virginia by nearly 40 points in 2020, and popular Republican Governor Jim Justice, who's on the Senate ticket this year, is currently leading by 30 to 40 points.
--:-- John Bickley: So that'll leave Republicans needing just one more pickup to get a majority. Where do they have the best chance of that happening? It seems Montana's their best bet. Now, that might sound surprising, given the fact that the state went for Trump by 16 points last election, but Democrat incumbent John Tester has been fairly popular in the state, winning re-election three times now.
--:-- Tim Rice: However, the polls currently have him trailing by a slim margin against political newcomer and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. For his part, Tester has sought to paint Sheehy as an outsider beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups while distancing himself from the Biden-Harris administration and sort of rebranding himself as an independent. But Republicans in the state have been quick to note that Tester has voted with President Biden 91% of the time this term and has taken more money from lobbyists than any other member of the Senate and by a fairly wide margin.
--:-- John Bickley: Beyond Montana and West Virginia, the most likely spot for a Republican pickup looks to be Ohio, where incumbent Sherrod Brown is facing off against businessman Bernie Moreno. The latest polls have Brown ahead by around five points, but the presence of Donald Trump on the ticket looms large. He won the state by eight points last election and is ahead by an even wider margin this year.
--:-- Tim Rice: If he drives higher turnout, it could spell trouble for Democrats. Keep in mind, in the last two elections, we've only seen one example of a split ticket where a state voted for a president of one party and a senator of the other. So the performance at the top of the ticket undoubtedly impacts things down ballot.
--:-- John Bickley: Now let's talk about Democrats. Which toss-up races are they most confident about? Well, they've started to pull ahead in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, where the polls have them up around five, six, and seven points respectively. They also hold very slim leads in Nevada and Arizona, two states where the presidential race is also in a dead heat.
--:-- Tim Rice: In Arizona, Democrat Ruben Gallego is facing off against the familiar face, Carrie Lake, who lost her gubernatorial race back in 2022 after underperforming other Republicans on the ballot. She's currently trailing by around three and a half points, but did this week pick up the endorsement of popular former Governor Doug Ducey, who she sparred with in the past.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll see if that has any impact in the coming weeks. So let that serve as a reminder to all our listeners. Don't forget about those down-ballot races.
--:-- Tim Rice: Well, we have a very engaged listener base, so I don't think they will.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
