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--:-- Host: Why shop at Burlington? Maybe it's the deals that are new each time you drop by. Maybe it's the brand names you'll be shocked Burlington has in store. Or maybe it's the quality of the items, the amazing selection, and the newest trends. If you like to save, but also like to stay in style, Burlington is your answer. And the question you'll be asking yourself is, why go anywhere else? Burlington. Deals. Brands. Wow.
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--:-- Host: After decades of failing grades, the Department of Education is being dismantled by the Trump administration. Today, we take a very historic action that was 45 years in the making. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, March 21st, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Attorney General Pam Bondi charges several suspects with domestic terrorism after targeting Tesla. It's becoming clear that this is organized. They have a hashtag for it. There's actually a website, which I won't name because I don't want people to go to it. And the IRS is slamming the brakes on major audits as the agency braces for radical change.
--:-- Host: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Right now, Renewal by Anderson is offering a free in-home consultation on quality, affordable windows and doors for no money down, no monthly payments, and no interest for a year. Text WIRE to 400-400 for a free consultation to save $379 off every window and $779 off every door. These savings won't last long, so be sure to check it out by texting WIRE to 400-400. Texting privacy policy and terms and conditions posted at textplan.us. Texting rules for reoccurring automated text marketing messages, message and data rates may apply. Apply stop to opt out.
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--:-- Host: President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to disband the Department of Education. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here to break down what comes next.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Trump following through here on another campaign promise, and this one is a really big one. What did the nation just witness?
--:-- Host: Yeah, at a ceremony yesterday at the White House, President Trump did what numerous Republican presidents have called for, but never done, eliminate the Department of Education. Speaking before a room of governors, educators, and students from around the country, President Trump struck a celebratory tone.
--:-- [Audio clip of President Trump's speech plays]
--:-- Host: Have a listen. We're going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs. And this is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it's a common sense thing to do and it's going to work.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, Republicans were quick to remind folks this week that the Education Department does not actually do any educating. They instead set education guidelines and policies, enforce education related laws and distribute billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to schools around the country. Republicans argue that education should be controlled at the state level and that teachers and local school boards have a better idea of their students' needs than bureaucrats in Washington.
--:-- Host: We spoke with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee yesterday. Here he is making that case.
--:-- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee: We can spend those dollars so much more efficiently and effectively than the federal government can. And certainly, you know, taxpayer money, Tennesseans send up to D.C. and then they send back to us. If it's filtered through a bureaucracy of thousands of employees, it siphons off a large part of that tax money to support that bureaucracy before it comes back to educate our kids. You know, there's no real value add.
--:-- Host: Now, for their part, the White House argues that since the Department of Education was created, education spending has gone through the roof, but outcomes and test scores have fallen. Here White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt to that point yesterday.
--:-- White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt: The Department of Education was founded in the 1970s and since then we have spent more than a trillion at this federal bureaucracy. What has been the return on that investment for the American taxpayer? Levels that are less than ideal.
--:-- Host: On that note, the White House sent out a memo ahead of the signing saying, quote, per-pupil spending has increased by more than 245% since 1979, but there has been virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement. They cited studies showing that math and reading scores for eighth graders right now are at their lowest level in decades, while 70% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: All right, so again, this promise kept from the president, but the big question now, what comes next? What do we expect?
--:-- Host: Well, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon will be heading up the effort to dismantle the department she just took over this month. McMahon told her staff in a memo that she was prepared to usher in a quote new era of accountability and education. Quote, our job is to respect the will of the American people and the president they elected who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education. A momentous final mission quickly and responsibly.
--:-- Host: We got the chance to talk with Secretary McMahon yesterday after the signing. Have a listen.
--:-- Linda McMahon: We restructured the department and removed some departments. We did it, I think, very thoughtfully. We made sure that there was a great severance package in place for those people who are no longer with the department. And we did it as humanely, I think, as you can, knowing that you are impacting and affecting people's lives.
--:-- Host: The best education, the president certainly believes, and I share that belief, is that that is closest to the child. It's best determined when education can be tailored to local communities by governors, by state superintendents, by teachers and parents' involvement. And we've seen that already in states who have been innovative with their programs. We want to see scores go up, and we want to do it more efficiently.
--:-- Host: And it's worth noting it will take an official act of Congress to fully abolish the department. At the moment, that seems unlikely, given the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. But Trump can still use executive authority to strip the department of nearly all of its responsibilities and funding. The department's most important functions, though, will remain in place. Trump says they'll be shifted to other departments.
--:-- Host: For example, it looks like the DOE's student loan programs will go to the Treasury Department and their civil rights office will be moved under the Justice Department. Here's Trump.
--:-- President Trump: Pell Grants, Title I funding, resources for children with disabilities and special needs will be preserved, fully preserved and redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them.
--:-- Host: So, again, a major shakeup in Washington that could have a generational impact on education. Absolutely. Something that a lot of people didn't think they'd actually witness. And here it is.
--:-- Host: Kevin, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Host: If you're going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we're coming after you. And if you're funding this, we're coming after you. We're going to find out who you are. That was Attorney General Pam Bondi announcing that her office is charging three suspects with domestic terrorism following a wave of violent attacks on Tesla properties. This comes as Tesla owners learn that their names and addresses may have been listed on a public website.
--:-- Host: Here with more is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Megan, every day there are more stories of arson, firebombing, gunfire, vandalism, all targeting Tesla. But it sounds like now the DOJ is cracking down. What do we know about these charges?
--:-- Host: Yeah, so we don't have the names of the suspects yet, but we do know that these charges center on attacks on Tesla dealerships and charging stations. One suspect allegedly lobbed eight Molotov cocktails at a dealership in California, and then another in Colorado is charged with attempting to light Teslas on fire again with Molotov cocktails. And then the third charge comes out of Charleston, South Carolina, where the suspect allegedly scrawled obscene graffiti about President Trump on Tesla property and lit charging stations on fire.
--:-- Megan Basham: Now, this violence is especially concerning as it's now putting ordinary citizens at risk. On Wednesday, a number of Tesla owners confirmed that their names and home addresses were published on an online map that had been decorated with a Molotov bomb. And the site also encouraged protesters to unleash their artistic flair by vandalizing Tesla vehicles. And it also recommended other, quote, creative expressions of protest.
--:-- Host: And I'll be honest, we're just not seeing the kind of bipartisan condemnation of this that I think you would expect. In fact, some Democrats and public figures have even seemed to make light of the violence.
--:-- Megan Basham: On Wednesday night, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel responded to a clip of Elon Musk saying that these attacks make no sense by saying this. Well, let me see if I can explain it for you. When you pull out a chainsaw to celebrate firing thousands of people, they get mad. It's just, you know, my God.
--:-- Host: And then also on Wednesday night, this is what Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said during a live stream with the protest group Tesla Takedown.
--:-- Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett: On March 29th, it's my birthday. And all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down.
--:-- Host: Now, during his interview with Fox News, Musk suggested that, quote, other forces may be fueling this wave of attacks and that the Tesla Takedown protests aren't necessarily organic.
--:-- Megan Basham: Do we have any proof of that?
--:-- Host: Well, you know, obviously the investigations are ongoing into the individual incidents. But yes, there is plenty of evidence that these protests are being well-funded by outside political groups. One of these groups, for instance, is the Indivisible Project. It's been heavily financed by George Soros' foundation, Open Society, to the tune of some $8 million. And they've also received funding from Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue.
--:-- Megan Basham: In fact, one of their founders, Leah Greenberg, spoke recently about organizing protests at Tesla dealerships and spreading the word that Musk's advisory role in the administration is a unique threat.
--:-- Host: I think we certainly want to look at what specific levers do we have to pull in relation to Elon Musk, whether that is protesting outside of your local Tesla dealership or whether that is potential congressional action. But the biggest thing, I think, is just getting people into the mindset of this is a crisis. This is a hostile takeover of the federal government by a cabal of neo-reactionary billionaires.
--:-- Host: An Indivisible Project is not the only group either. Others, like Action Network, are longtime professional protest organizers. They worked behind the scenes at Occupy Wall Street for years, for instance. And now they're helping to organize these Tesla demonstrations. They also published addresses of Tesla dealerships across the country for protesters to target.
--:-- Megan Basham: So how badly is this hurting Musk and Tesla?
--:-- Host: Well, you know, the bulk of Musk's wealth is tied up in Tesla stock. So the fact that it has taken about a 50 percent hit since December is significant. But he's still the richest person in the world. And he also recently got some good news on the X front. The value of that company has experienced a major rebound. While at one point it had fallen as low as 70 percent, its latest valuation puts it at 44 billion, which coincidentally is exactly what Musk paid for it in 2022.
--:-- Host: Well, the irony of the left targeting the most successful electric car company just kind of shows what a wild time we're in.
--:-- Host: Megan thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Anytime.
--:-- Host: It's been a busy few days for the IRS and not just because it tax season. The agency is halting major audits and adjusting to new management. Here's a look at what's going on with everyone's favorite agency is Daily Wire Deputy Managing Editor Tim Rice.
--:-- Tim Rice: So some big changes with the IRS and now some big news stories this week. Tell us what's the latest here.
--:-- Host: Yeah, good morning, John. The big story is that the agency is reportedly halting a number of major audits and seems likely to pursue fewer audits down the line. Now, critics are pointing to this as a huge red flag. They say pausing the audits is leaving billions of dollars on the table and basically means letting the rich get away with tax fraud.
--:-- Tim Rice: But remember, the Biden administration had really expanded the IRS's auditing power in a way that left people concerned. And Democrats had plans to bring on more than 80,000 new IRS agents who would largely have been tasked with auditing people making less than $400,000 a year. The lowest income wage earners were 5.5 times more likely to be audited than anyone else. That's according to a report put together by Syracuse University using IRS data.
--:-- Host: So an auditing pause is pretty in line with the Trump administration's plan to change how the IRS does business. It also comes a few weeks after the Trump administration cut around 6,000 employees from the agency.
--:-- Tim Rice: On Meet the Press this weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant discussed those cuts and shared his vision for the future of the agency.
--:-- Treasury Secretary Scott Besant: I will tell you that there were about 15,000 probationary employees that we could have let go. We kept about 7,500, 8,500 because we viewed them as essential to the mission. And, you know, we will know once we get inside. But what I can tell you is that we are doing a big review. Right now is playoff season for us. April 15th is game day. So I have three priorities for the IRS, collections, privacy, and customer service. And we'll see what level is needed to prioritize all those.
--:-- Host: So in other words, Besant is saying they're focusing on tax collection, not a political agenda.
--:-- Tim Rice: Right, exactly. And that brings us to the second major IRS story of the week. On Tuesday, the agency announced that it had promoted Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler to be senior advisors to Besant. Those two are the IRS employees who alleged they were wrongfully targeted after blowing the whistle on Hunter Biden's tax evasion.
--:-- Host: For the next year, the pair will serve as senior advisors to Besant and then transition back into senior positions at the IRS. So they've gone from being targeted for speaking out against problems with the IRS to helping reform the agency.
--:-- Tim Rice: In a statement announcing their promotions, Besant praised them as veteran civil servants who will help further the agency's focus on collections, modernization, and customer service so we can deliver a more effective and efficient IRS experience for hardworking American taxpayers.
--:-- Host: A pretty massive reversal of fortune for those two.
--:-- Tim Rice: Now, refresh our memories. What exactly did they blow the whistle on that made them targets?
--:-- Host: Yeah, Shapley and Ziegler testified to Congress in 2022 that agency officials blocked their investigation into Hunter Biden evading taxes on his $8.3 million income. They said their superiors stopped their investigation because it would have looked bad for Joe Biden. And they said that Hunter Biden was given favorable treatment during the auditing process and even got warnings ahead of certain investigations.
--:-- Tim Rice: Hunter Biden named both Shapley and Ziegler in a lawsuit alleging they revealed confidential tax information in their testimonies. At the time, Shapley's lawyers said Hunter's suit was just another frivolous smear by Biden family attorneys trying to turn people's attention away from Hunter Biden's own legal problems and intimidate any current and future whistleblowers.
--:-- Host: But now we see that if you do blow the whistle on something shady, you might actually get a promotion.
--:-- Tim Rice: Tim, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Tim Rice: You bet. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Host: And if you enjoyed what you heard this morning, share this episode with a friend.
