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--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Wednesday, March 1st, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Attorney General Merrick Garland faced a bevy of questions today from Republican senators, particularly focused on what they say is the politicization of the DOJ against Christians and conservatives. Here's Daily Wire managing editor Greg Wilson with more.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Garland was put through the ringer Wednesday as GOP lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled him on everything from the lack of arrests of left-wing protesters outside U.S. Supreme Court justices' homes to alleged anti-conservative bias within the DOJ. He was also asked if America should designate drug cartels in Mexico as terrorist organizations and there was a particularly heated back and forth with Missouri Senator Josh Hawley regarding the DOJ use of force against Mark Houck who was accused of pushing an abortion clinic worker.
--:-- Greg Wilson: That portion lasted nearly 10 minutes, and Garland refused to say whether or not authorities used excessive force after drawing guns on Houck at his family home in Pennsylvania months after the incident.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid Tuesday night, becoming the first Windy City mayor in 40 years not to win another term. Here with more about the election and the key ballot issue of crime is Daily Wire writer Tim Meads.
--:-- Tim Meads: Democrat Paul Vallis, a moderate who ran on a tough-on-crime platform, endorsed by the police union, closed the day with a strong lead over the eight other candidates, including progressive Democrat Brandon Johnson, who came in second. Now, those two will face off in a runoff election on April 4th.
--:-- Tim Meads: For her part, Lightfoot had promised to clean up crime when first elected in 2019. But overall crime is up 52 percent from last year and has risen more than 100 percent since 2021. Despite that failed promise, Lightfoot blamed her unpopularity on the fact that she is, quote, a black woman in America.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Following a bombshell report from the U.S. Energy Department, FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed Tuesday that his agency also believes COVID likely began in a Wuhan lab. Here with the latest is Daily Wire senior editor Cavett Phillips.
--:-- Cavett Phillips: This marks the first public confirmation of the bureau classified judgment on how the virus that led to the deaths of nearly 7 million people worldwide first emerged. Ray's comments come after a report from the Energy Department allegedly reached the same conclusion, though the Biden administration maintains there's no consensus as to the virus's origins.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams made what some say were eyebrow-raising remarks this week after he claimed gun violence could be in part explained by the lack of religion in schools. His comments come at New York City's annual Interfaith Breakfast.
--:-- Georgia Howe: When we took prayers out of schools, guns came into schools. You tell me about no separation of church and state? State is the body. Church is the heart. You take the heart out of the body, the body dies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Rescuers searched through the wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other head-on in northern Greece late Tuesday night. At least 36 people are believed to have died. Here with more is Daily Wire producer and researcher Brandon Bevel.
--:-- Brandon Bevel: This is being called the country's worst rail crash ever, and there's still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the devastating event. The passenger train was traveling from Athens Greece capital to the city of Thessaloniki when it slammed head into a freight train traveling in the other direction on the same track.
--:-- Brandon Bevel: So far we know police have arrested the station master in the city of Larissa near the crash site while also detaining two other people for questioning However, police have not released any names yet. Another unknown is the speed at which either train was traveling when they collided.
--:-- Brandon Bevel: Survivors have said the impact sent passengers flying through the cars in all different directions, even throwing some people through car windows. Officials say while many of the 350 people aboard the passenger train were students returning from Greece's raucous carnival, eight rail workers are said to have died in the crash.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In light of the high-speed crash, Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis has resigned, saying he felt it was his, quote, duty to step down as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly. So far, the cause of the crash remains unclear.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And intelligence officials told The Washington Post on Wednesday that five U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that it is very unlikely that the mysterious Havana syndrome which affected hundreds of U.S. diplomats, was caused by a foreign enemy wielding some sort of secret weapon, energy-based or otherwise.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The report leaves many wondering why so many officials have suffered from acoustic and cerebral symptoms since 2016. 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 our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to this episode of Morning Wire. Don't forget to download the Cynch app and get your first tank exchange for just $10 with promo code WIRE. Visit http://cynch.com/offer for details.
