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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Friday, September 22nd, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to the show, Georgia. Let's dive into the news.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In what could be the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter of a century, founder of DuckDuckGo, Gabriel Weinberg, testified Thursday that it was hard for his small search engine company to compete with Google.
--:-- John Bickley: [pauses] That's right. Weinberg brought up the deals made by the powerhouse company with phone companies and equipment manufacturers to make Google the default search option on so many devices.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The DOJ argues that Google has pulled far ahead of competition by paying companies such as Apple and Verizon to make their search engine the default.
--:-- John Bickley: And Google argues that the reason for their internet domination is that their product is simply better.
--:-- Georgia Howe: New York Republicans are suing Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul and the state of New York over a new law that expands early mail voting ahead of the 2024 election.
--:-- John Bickley: House GOP Chair Elise Stefanik and a handful of others, including some from the state congressional delegation, sued Hochul and the state of New York Wednesday over the recently signed Early Mail Voter Act.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Republican coalition says the bill removes basic safeguards on absentee voting and allows unregulated mass mail ballots, violating the state constitution.
--:-- John Bickley: [pauses] The law is part of a new legislative package that Hochul billed as working to, quote, strengthen democracy and protect voting rights in New York state.
--:-- [Audio clip of Kathy Hochul plays]
--:-- Kathy Hochul: Because voting, to me and to the state, is precious. It is sacred. And every one of us has a responsibility to expand it, to make it more available.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So if you don't want to expand the right to vote, here's where you fall. You can either be on the side of democracy or against democracy.
--:-- John Bickley: This week, Disney announced plans to spend $60 billion on parks and cruise lines over the next few years.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The announcement comes after a string of box office flops. The company's entertainment and streaming services have reportedly lost billions over the past few years.
--:-- John Bickley: Texas Governor Greg Abbott this week accused the Biden administration of cutting razor wire that the Lone Star State had installed at Eagle Pass.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The comments were made as Texas officials continued to spar with the White House over the migrant crisis at the southern border.
--:-- John Bickley: Abbott said he immediately deployed more Texas National Guard to repel illegal crossings and installed more razor wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In July, the Department of Justice sued Texas for installing a buoy barrier, which was designed to curb illegal immigration on the Rio Grande.
--:-- John Bickley: The barrier was developed as part of Abbott's Operation Lone Star.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The number of Americans killed by obesity-related heart disease has tripled over the last few decades.
--:-- John Bickley: That's according to the American Heart Association.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In 1999, obesity-related heart disease killed 2.2 people per 100,000 each year. By 2020, that figure has risen to 6.6.
--:-- John Bickley: More than 115 Americans are obese, including 42 of adults and 20 of children.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A Colorado woman walking her dog on a rocky mountain trail was head and stomped on by a moose this week after spooking the animal.
--:-- John Bickley: According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the woman was hospitalized, but no other information on the woman's injuries or condition has been given.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The attack happened just west of Boulder and was the third such incident in the county this year.
--:-- John Bickley: Kara Von Hoos, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, tells Fox 31 that the public needs to stay vigilant when hiking.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Boulder County is definitely good moose habitat. You've got all of those streams and low-lying waterways. You have willow trees that moose love to eat.
--:-- John Bickley: So whenever you're hiking in these beautiful areas, you may not be alone. There may be a moose just around the corner.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are your Drive Home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.
--:-- John Bickley: And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
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