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--:-- 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.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Kamala Harris hits the campaign trail in Battleground State, Wisconsin, taking aim at Donald Trump. As Attorney General of California, I took on the big Wall Street banks and held them accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of fraud on 34 counts.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe, and Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley is on vacation this week. It's Wednesday, July 24th, and this is Morning Wire.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Secret Service head Kimberly Cheadle resigns amid mounting pressure from both sides of the aisle. She was completely unprepared to talk to members of Congress and to share with the American people. And she wasn't the leader that we need at the helm.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And how will the Trump campaign's tactics shift now that Biden's out and Kamala Harris is the anointed candidate atop the Democratic ticket? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Hey, guys. Producer Brandon here. Black Rifle Coffee is a veteran-founded company that's doing their part to honor both current and former military personnel as well as first responders. They support such organizations as the Wounded Warrior Project, Adopt-a-Cop, BJJ, and the Burn Institute.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Just 72 hours after President Biden announced he was dropping out of the race, Vice President Kamala Harris seems to have locked down the Democratic nomination. Daily Wire Deputy Managing Editor Tim Rice is here now with the latest.
--:-- Tim Rice: Yeah, hey Georgia. So Biden threw his support behind his running mate shortly after suspending his campaign. But it wasn't entirely clear at first whether Democrats would line up behind Harris or push for an open convention or a mini primary.
--:-- Tim Rice: But by Tuesday morning, it seemed much more likely that Harris would be at the top of the Democratic ticket come November. A majority of Democrats in the House and Senate endorsed Harris, as did all 23 Democratic governors.
--:-- Tim Rice: But it was endorsements from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that put to rest any idea that Democrats would push for a different candidate.
--:-- Tim Rice: So now that the process has played out from the grassroots bottom up, we are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm clapping. You don't have to. So Schumer at the very least sounds enthusiastic.
--:-- Tim Rice: Yeah, she was received very well from the crowds. And as you said, Harris hit the campaign trail holding her first official rally Tuesday in Milwaukee, just days after the RNC left town.
--:-- Tim Rice: She said during her speech that November's election is, quote, a choice between freedom and chaos. The shoulders on which we stand generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom And now Wisconsin the baton is in our hands
--:-- Tim Rice: We who believe in the sacred freedom to vote will make sure every American has the ability to cast their ballot and have it counted.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Tim, how are Republicans now responding to this switch up on the Democratic ticket?
--:-- Tim Rice: It's a two prong strategy. On the one hand, they're trying to paint Harris as a far-left radical. She was one of the most liberal members of the Senate during her term.
--:-- Tim Rice: And unlike Biden, she's been way more comfortable cozying up to the left wing of the Democratic Party on everything from the Green New Deal and Medicare for all to the idea that no one is illegal when it comes to immigration.
--:-- Tim Rice: That last issue points to the other part of Republican strategy, which is tying her to the failure of the Biden administration or the Biden-Harris administration, as the White House is fond of calling it.
--:-- Tim Rice: Harris has served as the administration's borders are, while a record number of illegal immigrants have crossed the border. Representative Elise Stefanik just yesterday introduced a resolution condemning Harris for her, quote, failure to secure the United States border.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, we're going to cover Trump's shifting campaign tactics later in this show. But first, how have Democrats adjusted their campaign strategy in light of Biden stepping out?
--:-- Tim Rice: It's interesting. Many of the people who have spent the past year dismissing Biden's verbal gaffes and insisting that he was fit to serve another term are now shifting gears, saying that Trump is too old to be president.
--:-- Tim Rice: It'll be interesting to see just how much Democrats lean into this particular talking point, since doing so gives Republicans an excuse to remind voters about the whole Biden debacle.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now let's end with the million-dollar question. Who is Harris going to pick as her vice president?
--:-- Tim Rice: It's a great question. Harris's campaign has reportedly requested vetting materials for five potential picks. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
--:-- Tim Rice: Notably absent from that list is Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a red state Democrat who many thought could have swung moderates and independents over to Harris.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it'll be interesting to see. She'll be picking any day now. Tim, thanks for reporting.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheadle has announced her resignation after Monday's disastrous Capitol Hill hearing. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle called for her ouster, saying she's lost the trust of Congress and the American people.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the director's exit and what's next for the investigation into Trump's July 13th rally.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So, Tim, Cheadle on Monday was defiant that she was going to stay in her role, but the next day she says she's leaving. What happened?
--:-- Tim Pierce: It appears as if the pressure was too much. Cheadle left Capitol Hill on Monday with essentially no allies in Congress left.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's House Speaker Mike Johnson on Cheadle's resignation yesterday. Our reaction, the immediate reaction to her resignation is that it is overdue. She should have done this at least a week ago.
--:-- Tim Pierce: I'm happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats. Cheadle announced her resignation in an email to the agency yesterday, writing, quote, I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.
--:-- Tim Pierce: She also reiterated that she takes full responsibility for the security failures that very nearly led to former President Trump assassination on July 13th
--:-- Tim Pierce: Cheadle could stay on as head of the agency for a while yet she did not give a date for her official departure in the email
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now where does this leave the investigation into those security failures Well there are a number of them going on The FBI has a probe into the now shooter 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Secret Service is reviewing what led up to the rally shooting, and the Department of Homeland Security has ordered an independent review of what happened. Bipartisan members of Congress will set their own investigators on it as well.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's Johnson again. We have to rebuild the American people's faith and trust in the Secret Service as an agency. It has an incredibly important responsibility in protecting presidents, former presidents, and other officials in the executive branch.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And we've got a lot of work to do. The task force that we'll be putting together is going to be very important.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to Johnson, the Congressional Task Force will have three responsibilities to investigate what happened at the rally, to hold those people who made mistakes accountable and to ensure that a failure like this doesn't happen again.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, I should point out that these investigations likely won't bear fruit for a while, which in the meantime does little to put to rest concerns about the massive failures here.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That was actually a point made by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday in her remarks to Cheadle. So the notion of a report coming out in 60 days when the threat environment is so high in the United States, irrespective of party, is not acceptable.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And I think it's very important to understand that. This is not theater. This is not about jockeying. This is about the safety of some of the most highly targeted and valued targets internationally and domestically in the United States of America.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So the idea that a report will be finalized in 60 days, let alone prior to any actionable decisions that would be made is simply not acceptable.
--:-- Tim Pierce: We do have some new information from Senator Ron Johnson's office, which has also been investigating and releasing preliminary reports on its findings.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Johnson's office said that eight shell casings were found near Kirks' body, which would suggest he got off eight shots before he was killed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, what was the reaction to Cheadle's resignation from the administration?
--:-- Tim Pierce: President Biden in a statement thanked Cheadle for her service and promised to appoint a new director of the Secret Service soon.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had a similar message. He said Cheadle is, quote, deeply respected by the men and women of the agency.
--:-- Tim Pierce: It's worth noting that Cheadle was allowed to resign and wasn't fired for what she called the most severe security failure since President Reagan was shot in 1981.
--:-- Tim Pierce: This administration has been reluctant to fire anyone, regardless of the size of the mistake.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, listeners will remember not a single person was fired for the Afghanistan withdrawal.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Good to be on.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Donald Trump's presidential campaign faces new challenges this week as Kamala Harris moves closer to replacing Joe Biden at the top of the Democrats ticket. New reporting suggests that the entry of Harris might lead Trump to sharpening his attacks against her in the coming days as the campaign adjusts to the new opponent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Joining us to discuss that reporting on what Trump's tactics might wind up being is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Morning, Georgia. Both The New York Times and Punchbowl News had stories about how Harris and her attacks on Trump, particularly the prosecutor versus felon theme, might goad the former president into aggressive or personal attacks on her that could hurt him with some swing voters.
--:-- David Marcus: The sourcing is a bit weak It mostly political observers noting that usually when Trump gets hit hard he tries to hit back twice as hard But there basically a consensus that over the past few months, Trump has been the most disciplined that he has ever been in his political career and that that's accruing to his benefit.
--:-- David Marcus: The story here may really be that Democrats are trying to goad Trump into lashing out in potentially self-destructive ways, but it's not clear that he will be goaded.
--:-- David Marcus: A statement this week from Susie Wiles and Chris Locevita, who are running the campaign, was harsh in regard to what they called Harris's far left record. But there really wasn't anything personal, perhaps a sign that they are urging some restraint.
--:-- David Marcus: And we saw a similar message from Speaker Mike Johnson telling Republicans in Congress to hit Harris on policy, not personally.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, whether he means that campaign discipline or not, there will have to be some changes to Trump's approach now that he has this new opponent.
--:-- David Marcus: Well, if I can use a football analogy, since the Eagles opened training camp this week, this is like a defense preparing for a quarterback who stays in the pocket and suddenly they have to face one who is super mobile. It opens up the playbook.
--:-- David Marcus: For example, we've already seen Democrats attacking Trump's age. That play wasn't possible with Biden. So yes, there are some new things Trump might have to defend against and Harris will be much more active on the campaign trail than Biden was.
--:-- David Marcus: So there'll simply be more volume of attacks. The prosecutor versus felon theme seems to be the one the Harris campaign is leaning into. And again, without Joe Biden's classified document case or the Hunter Biden investigation, the Trump campaign will need a somewhat new approach.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, politics is not only defense. Where does the Trump camp see some offensive opportunities to score points against Harris now that the lines of attack they used against Biden are gone?
--:-- David Marcus: Well, I mean, not all of them are gone. Harris is part of the Biden administration, so Trump and his campaign will tie her to its failures as much as they possibly can.
--:-- David Marcus: And there are some new lines of attack, even in regard to the prosecutor versus felon approach. Harris very zealously prosecuted marijuana offenses as attorney general of California, and Trump may hit her on that, especially as he's been a champion of criminal justice reform.
--:-- David Marcus: Finally, there's the argument that Kamala Harris knew or should have known about the severity of Biden's condition and that she was part of covering it up.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, finally, the New York Post is reporting that some top Democrats were pushing Biden to exit harder than we knew. What did we learn there? And was Harris part of that effort?
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, according to sources, Biden was flat out threatened with removal, presumably through the 25th Amendment or impeachment.
--:-- David Marcus: This news was new and we're still learning about just how tightly the screws were being applied to the sitting president. And as to Harris, there's no indication she was involved or knew, but the timing was a great advantage to her.
--:-- David Marcus: Had this happened weeks or months ago, a more open process would have been more likely.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it would be really interesting to know just how long that was going on behind the scenes.
--:-- David Marcus: David, thanks for reporting.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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