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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): 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.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Governments across the world have been tightening COVID restrictions in response to the spread of the Omicron variant. Thus far, only one death in the UK has been officially linked to the variant. Where has the variant been detected so far? And with most people experiencing only mild symptoms, how concerned should we really be? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, December 14th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): More police officers have been shot in the line of duty this year than in any other time in U.S. history. We'll look at the numbers, as well as some possible reasons for the escalating violence against law enforcement. And the victims of gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar have reached an historic settlement with USA Gymnastics worth $380 million. What are the terms of the agreement, and what led to the settlement after a five-year legal battle? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): This show is sponsored by Pure Talk. If you're with Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, you're paying too much. Switching to Pure Talk saves the average family over $800 a year. Go to puretalk.com, find the right plan for you, and enter promo code WIRE to save 50% off your first month.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): As we approach the end of the year, the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 is dominating headlines. How are politicians responding to the news, and do the policies match up with the data? Here to break down the response to Omicron is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So, the latest factor at the center of the current COVID conversation is the Omicron variant, with some states and localities moving to reinforce existing policies or add further restrictions. New Yorkers, for example, are now living under a statewide mask mandate, which requires masks in all indoor public spaces that do not already require proof of vaccination for entry.
--:-- Ian Howarth: The state's new governor, Kathy Hochul, announced the mandate last week, and it'll remain in effect until mid-January when the state is going to reassess. Businesses that don't comply are going to face civil and criminal penalties, including fines of $1,000 per violation, and local health departments are going to be enforcing the mandate.
--:-- Ian Howarth: And for New York City specifically, this mandate is just the latest on top of a whole array of policies, including requiring proof of vaccination to eat indoors at a restaurant or go to a movie theater. And what about your home country, Ian, the United Kingdom? Omicron has prompted this whole wave of new restrictions.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yeah, government ministers there are saying that they're facing a, quote, tidal wave of Omicron infections, and they confirmed the country's first death of someone with the Omicron variant yesterday. According to the government's health secretary, there are 4,713 confirmed cases of Omicron in the UK.
--:-- Ian Howarth: To add some context here, the daily number of cases in the country is around 200,000. The United Kingdom has increased its COVID-19 alert level and is joining the US in pushing booster jabs in response. And I'm afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose a booster dose we can all bring our level of protection back up. And this mirrors the messaging we've seen from pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, who announced last week that preliminary studies show that three doses of their vaccine neutralises the Omicron variant.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But looking at the policies being posed again, like most of the political response to the pandemic, these moves are all based on one single metric, which is infection rate. But when it comes to other metrics like serious illness or death, the outlook is far less negative, at least based on what we currently know.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Early data on Omicron seems to suggest that symptoms may be less severe than other variants. For example, the New York Times reported a week ago that, quote, researchers at a major hospital complex in Pretoria, and that's in South Africa where we first detected Omicron, reported that their patients with the coronavirus are much less sick than those they have treated before and that other hospitals are seeing the same trends.
--:-- Ian Howarth: And at least for now, Dr. Anthony Fauci over here in the US agrees. And you've said that there are thousands of cases in the UK. What are we seeing here in the US? A lot less, at least for now. According to the CDC, there were just 43 cases of Omicron detected in the US during the first eight days of December.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Of these, 34 were fully vaccinated and 14 had also received a booster shot. And just one of those infected with the Omicron variant were hospitalized and thankfully only for a brief time. So it sounds like vaccinated people are getting Omicron, but typically they're not ending up in the hospital.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yeah, that's what the data we have right now is saying. Ian, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Thanks, Ian. That's Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Coming up, shootings of police officers this year reach record numbers. You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. Even if you're not a Daily Wire member, you'll be first to know what's trending with mobile notifications for the latest news, and you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The United States saw a record-breaking number of police officers shot in the line of duty in 2021, and the year isn't over yet. Violence against police officers, which was already on the rise in 2020, has become increasingly organized with gangs targeting law enforcement. Here to break down the numbers and discuss what's driving the deadly crime spree is Daily Wire reporter Ben Johnson.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, Ben, 2021 saw a historic number of police shootings. How many were there?
--:-- Ben Johnson: 314 police officers were shot in the line of duty from January through November 30th, according to a report from the Fraternal Order of Police. And 58 cops died from their gunshot wounds, which is a 16% increase over pre-pandemic levels.
--:-- Ben Johnson: The report also notes there's been a massive spike in the number of criminals deliberately targeting police. Shooters have ambushed police officers 95 times this year. That's a 126% increase from 2020. 119 officers got shot, and ambushes claimed the lives of 28 law enforcement officers.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Since that report was published, four more officers have died in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial page, including two gunshot victims, Officer Richard Houston II of Mesquite, Texas, and Constable Madison Nicholson of Wilcox County, Alabama.
--:-- Ben Johnson: And we should point out these numbers don't include another 28 officers who died from stabbings, beatings, or vehicular assaults, much less the hundreds of others who died from accidents or other work-related issues while they were on the beat.
--:-- Ben Johnson: So some really grim statistics there. Over the last year, the image of police officers has plummeted. Has negative coverage affected this trend at all?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Police say there no doubt cop killers were influenced by the historically negative coverage of the police by the media and the entertainment industry. A 2017 FBI study found that even then, 28% of shooters who ambushed police had a hatred of law enforcement based on, quote, what they heard and read in the media.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Assailants were, quote, inspired by social and or political reasons and believed attacking police officers was their way to get justice for those who had been, in their view, unjustly killed by law enforcement. Shooters in two cities also said they were influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement and their belief that law enforcement was targeting black males.
--:-- Ben Johnson: That was almost five years ago. Americans' trust in police hit its lowest point last August. While it's improved since then, a USA Today poll in July found only one in five Americans believes that police officers treat suspects equally.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Just 20% have a positive view of police. That's right. Mark Nelson, the president of the Oklahoma chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the negative portrayal of police is fueling these assaults.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Overall, disrespect for law and order, for law enforcement, unlike we've ever seen in this country, is part of the reason and a huge reason why the finest among us, brothers and sisters, men and women, who put on that uniform, are being attacked for no reason other than simply standing for law and order.
--:-- Ben Johnson: In other words, rhetorical attacks on the police have escalated into physical attacks on the police. Yeah, it sounds like it.
--:-- Ben Johnson: So disrespect for police is one factor. What other issues may have contributed to this rising level of ambushes against the cops?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Yeah, police say there are a few contributing issues. One is the revolving door system put in place by cities that have abolished cash bail. They say under that system, in some cities, criminals who assault the police may be arrested and released within an hour.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Another issue is the rising level of violent crime itself. Twelve major cities have announced they've broken their all-time records for homicides this year, including Philadelphia, Portland, and Austin.
--:-- Ben Johnson: And many others have seen double-digit increases in murder rates and other violent crimes. So police get caught in that maelstrom. And political leadership's also a factor. Some politicians adopted the defund the police slogan or told police officers to stand down while arsonists set fire to police headquarters.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Mark Nelson said at a minimum, politicians should condemn all assaults against law enforcement. What we need, and I think we need this across the country, is our elected leaders from the local level all the way up to Congress to speak out and condemn these ambush-style attacks.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Clearly, media narratives and political messaging can have some serious consequences in the real world. Clearly.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Well, let's hope we won't have another story like this next year. Thanks, Ben. Thank you, John. That's Daily Wire reporter Ben Johnson.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): After five years, the victims of former Olympic team Dr. Larry Nassar have reached a settlement with USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee. Here to provide us with the latest details is Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So, Joe, how did this come about?
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Well, as you mentioned, Georgia, this has been a massive scandal for the past five years. Olympian Jamie Dantcher was the first to file a civil lawsuit against USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee in September 2016. Around 500 others filed following Dantcher's lawsuit.
--:-- Joe Morgan: On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the victims of former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar reached a settlement of $380 million, which is one of the largest settlements for sex abuse ever recorded. Insurers of USA Gymnastics and the USOPC will pay out most of the settlement but the USOPC will pay million of their own money That according to the Times
--:-- Joe Morgan: The settlement also includes a restorative justice program that gives the victims the say in how USA Gymnastics handles sexual assault allegations moving forward. It also includes non provisions including quote requirements for self-identified survivors of abuse in gymnastics to have official roles in USA Gymnastics.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Now, this isn't the first settlement for the victims, though, correct? It is not. In May 2018, Michigan State University, which employed Nassar for decades, agreed to settle lawsuits from 332 women against Nassar for $500 million.
--:-- Joe Morgan: According to the plaintiff's attorney, that settlement, in addition to Monday's $380 million settlement, makes it the largest in a sexual assault case involving a single perpetrator. The news comes three months after gymnasts Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols, Ali Reisman, and Michaela Maroney shocked Congress, revealing details of the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Nassar and blistering the FBI, which they say failed to act on repeated reports from gymnasts and may have even covered up evidence of an abusive system.
--:-- Joe Morgan: The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing in September examining the FBI's handling of the Nassar case, and Biles, Nichols, Reisman, and Maroney testified that the FBI failed to act on their reports. The hearing came days after FBI agent Michael Langman was fired for failing to pursue an investigation into the gymnast's claims.
--:-- Joe Morgan: In July, the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General released a report criticizing Langman, unnamed at the time, and his boss Jay Abbott for their handling of the Nassar case.
--:-- Joe Morgan: That's right. We covered that a few months ago. Yes. And is this where the focus is going to shift now that the settlement's been reached? That's certainly what some analysts are saying.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So to take a step back, in 2015, Langman interviewed Olympic gymnast Michaela Maroney regarding her allegations that Nassar abused her. The report by the inspector general states that Langman and Abbott, quote, never officially opened an investigation and lied to investigators about their actions.
--:-- Joe Morgan: The report states that Abbott, who is retired, told the FBI to release false statements in 2017, saying that his office, quote, expeditiously responded to the allegations against Nassar. During the hearing, Reisman said that it took over 14 months for FBI agents to contact her after her report to USA Gymnastics, and that Nassar continued to sexually assault dozens of young women and girls during that time.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Maroney also testified that the FBI made false claims regarding her story of abuse at the hands of Nassar. Right, and no doubt this is a disturbing story, and even more so considering the FBI's potential negligence with this.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Joe, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Absolutely. That's Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Other stories we're tracking this week. The Supreme Court has refused to block New York State's vaccine mandate for health care workers. The court was divided on the decision, with Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Alito saying the court should have blocked the mandate, which does not allow for religious exemptions.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): At least 78 deaths have been confirmed as a result of tornadoes over the weekend. The worst-hit state, Kentucky, sustained 64 confirmed fatalities, including six persons under the age of 18. Governor Andy Beshear described the storm as, quote, the most devastating tornado event in the state's history.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): And billionaire Elon Musk has been named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. According to Time, Musk was selected due to his outsized personal influence on humanity and represents, quote, the continuing decline of traditional institutions in favor of individuals.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five-star review.
--:-- Host (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.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): If you like this podcast, get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. When you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe.
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