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--:-- Georgia Howe: This show is brought to you by MedCline. I used to have one heck of a time getting a good night's sleep due to shoulder pain, but then I found MedCline. The MedCline patented pillow system cushions your body in a supremely comfortable sleeping position that is clinically proven to provide effective acid reflux and shoulder pain relief.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Friday, December 9th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: The FBI says there have been reports of attacks against at least five electricity substations in Washington state and Oregon in November. The incidents followed what appeared to be deliberate attacks on two substations in North Carolina that resulted in the loss of power for tens of thousands of residents.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden has suffered some blowback from his own party to his agreement on a one swap of WNBA star Brittany Griner for infamous Russian arms dealer Victor Bout known as the Merchant of Death. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez called it a deeply disturbing decision, saying, quote, the Russians and other regimes that take American citizens hostage cannot pretend that there is an equivalence between the Brittany Griners of the world and people like Victor Bout, the so-called Merchant of Death.
--:-- John Bickley: Paul Whelan, the former Marine who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than three years, told CNN this week that he doesn't understand why the Biden administration hasn't done more to free him, saying, quote, I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up. I was arrested for a crime that never occurred. I don't understand why I'm still sitting here.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden's approval rating remains at 43 percent among U.S. adults, about the same as last month. 55 percent of people disapprove of the job Biden is doing, while just 25 percent of people describe the economy as good.
--:-- John Bickley: The Detroit School Board recently voted to change the name of Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine named for famed neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson. The new name will be Crockett Midtown High School of Science and Medicine.
--:-- Ben Carson: [Speaking in a separate segment] I think it's really humorous that they believe that to solve a problem, you just redefine it. Call it something else and then it's not a problem. Basically, it depends on people being less than intellectually strong. That's a good way of saying stupid. And I don't think most people are stupid. I know exactly what's going on.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Former Theranos executive Ramesh Sunny Balwani was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 13 years in prison for his role in the company's blood-testing fraud. That punishment is slightly longer than that given to the CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was his accomplice in one of Silicon Valley biggest scandals.
--:-- John Bickley: The 57 was convicted in July of fraud and conspiracy connected to the company faulty medical technology that duped investors and endangered patients. A serious mismanagement, bureaucratic incompetence, and bad policy contributed to the death of Boston mob boss James Whitey Bulger. That's according to a report from the Department of Justice Inspector General released Wednesday.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Bulger was killed in West Virginia's Hazleton Prison by three inmates after being transferred from a federal prison in Florida. Bolger was on the FBI's most wanted list from 1999 until his arrest in 2011.
--:-- John Bickley: And weekly jobless claims increased by 4,000 to 230,000. And long-term or continuing claims rose by 62,000 to 1.67 million, a 10-month high, as the labor market remains tight.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
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