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--:-- Georgia Howe: Good morning, I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's March 2nd, and this is a Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: Good morning, Georgia. Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run for president. I'm a woman of my word.
--:-- John Bickley: [chuckles] That's right. And speculation runs rampant on Nikki Haley's next move, including a potential third-party run. And old shows are now dominating the streaming services. Why is America nostalgic for past programming?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In 2023, the federal government counted a record number of homeless people in America, over 650,000. That was 70,000 more than just a year earlier, which is the largest increase since the government started keeping records.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Much of that increase has been in the western United States, which has seen a rapid growth in homeless encampments in particular. Many citizens in the West have become frustrated with the growing encampments and have sued cities to clean them up.
--:-- John Bickley: But these same cities have faced lawsuits from homeless activists trying to prevent such cleanups. One of these lawsuits will soon be heard by the Supreme Court.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to explain the dueling suits is Judge Glock, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Judge, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Judge Glock: Thanks so much for having me back.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So to start off, why is the epicenter of homelessness in the western part of the U.S.?
--:-- Judge Glock: Well, first of all, it's important to emphasize that the West has simply more of what's known as unsheltered homeless than the rest of the country. That means people living out on streets instead of inside shelters.
--:-- Judge Glock: About half of all of the unsheltered in America are just in California. And most of the homeless in places like California, Oregon, Arizona are unsheltered. While in the rest of the country, it's mainly sheltered homeless.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Some of that is due to the weather in the West, which is obviously much more pleasant. But there are also legal reasons.
--:-- Judge Glock: Since 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which covers the Western United States, said that cities can't enforce camping bans unless they have sufficient shelter. They said it was cruel and unusual punishment in a case called Martin v. City of Boise.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The case has made it much harder for cities to clean up encampments and helps explain some of the rise of unsheltered homelessness there.
--:-- Judge Glock: So tell us about the lawsuits citizen groups have started over these encampments.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it's been difficult sometimes because of that City of Boise decision I've mentioned. But yes, many different groups have sued their cities to force them to clean up the encampments, often using different reasons.
--:-- Judge Glock: In Portland, Oregon, for instance, some disabled plaintiffs sued the city, claiming that the camps made it impossible for them to use the sidewalks. The city settled and has started removing hundreds of campsites.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here as elsewhere in the West, the city has had to find alternative shelters, So they made sure they complied with that Ninth Circuit decision.
--:-- Judge Glock: But one of the larger lawsuits actually has been in Phoenix. I should mention that I was an expert witness in that case.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Basically, local residents sued the city over an encampment that was known as the zone. Up to a thousand people lived in this encampment at its peak But late last year a state judge declared the zone a public nuisance ordered the place cleared by the end of last year and it was cleared
--:-- Judge Glock: The vast majority of the people in the zone accepted shelter or one of those alternatives. So the lawsuit worked, in a sense, as the plaintiffs intended.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So if the zone could be cleared, does that mean that other cities could clear their encampments if they wanted to, legally?
--:-- Judge Glock: Not necessarily. For one, there are a lot of different lawsuits against these clearances, and different judges have interpreted that Ninth Circuit decision in different ways.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But also, the Ninth Circuit more recently decided another case called Johnson v. City of Grants Pass, which made it even harder for cities to clean up these encampments.
--:-- Judge Glock: Unlike the previous case, though, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this one. It'll be argued in a few weeks, actually.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, what are the arguments in the Grants Pass case?
--:-- Judge Glock: Well, the Grants Pass case will be the first homeless case basically ever before the Supreme Court. So that's a really big deal on its own.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And it's basically dealing with whether or not the Ninth Circuit was correct to declare camping bans without sufficient shelter as cruel and unusual punishment.
--:-- Judge Glock: Most observers expect that they will overturn that Ninth Circuit decision because it is kind of out on a limb.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And if it does, that might make the West look a lot more like the rest of the United States in terms of its homeless problem.
--:-- Judge Glock: Now, do you think there is sufficient political will to sweep up these camps if the legal barriers are out of the way?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, there might be, but I will admit that politicians have been using these decisions for years as an excuse to not take action.
--:-- Judge Glock: But the public feels very differently about the camps. Whenever they're given a chance to vote directly on camping bands through an initiative or referendum, Even voters in really liberal cities like San Francisco have voted for these bans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: At some point, sooner or later, the politicians are going to have to listen to them. And without the Grants Pass and Boise case in the way, it'll be much more likely that they will be able to actually take action on the camps.
--:-- Judge Glock: All right. Well, this could be a monumental case then. Judge, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks so much for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Questions are looming as to whether Nikki Haley plans to launch an independent run for the presidency if her long-shot primary race against Donald Trump falls short.
--:-- John Bickley: Haley is now fielding questions about a third-party run on the campaign trail as some Trump supporters accuse her of trying to undermine Trump's chances in November.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to discuss is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. So, Dave, is there any evidence or reason to believe Haley is actually contemplating a third-party run?
--:-- David Marcus: Morning, Georgia. In fairness to those suggesting Haley could run third-party, potentially on the no-labels ticket, she has not entirely slammed and locked the door on that, but she has said that she's not having any conversations about it, and there are sore loser election laws that could stand in her way.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Let's be clear. Such a run would be viewed as a betrayal by most Republicans, including many who have cast primary votes for her.
--:-- David Marcus: It's extremely unclear what the upside would be, especially given that Trump can only serve one term, which has most Republicans positioning themselves for a place in the post-Trumpian GOP.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This move would leave Haley out in the cold.
--:-- David Marcus: There are figures in and around Trump world arguing that Haley is trying to sabotage Trump's general election campaign.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But notably, we haven't heard that kind of rhetoric from Trump himself. In fact by his rather extravagant standards he has gone and continues to go relatively easy on Haley notwithstanding occasionally calling her bird brain
--:-- David Marcus: So if this is Haley gearing up for an independent run why do you think she continuing given how small her chances are of winning
--:-- Georgia Howe: And just to piggyback on that, how much smaller will her chances be after next week's primaries?
--:-- David Marcus: Henry Olson has an interesting piece up at Politico on just that question, and it mirrors other pundits who do see a purpose to even a losing Haley primary campaign.
--:-- Georgia Howe: She is, albeit modestly racking up some delegates for the July convention. And that matters for a few reasons.
--:-- David Marcus: It can get her a prime speaking slot, helping her position in that post-Trump GOP.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But it also gives her delegates the ability to influence the party platform and its message going into the final stretch of the campaign.
--:-- David Marcus: There have been policy differences between Haley and Trump, notably on NATO and the solvency of social security.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So giving these delegates, who some might call traditional Republicans a voice, could go a long way to providing party loyalty coming out of the convention in Milwaukee.
--:-- David Marcus: Well, speaking of party loyalty, many of Trump's critics are saying he's underperforming in the primaries, getting about 60 or 70 percent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Are Haley's voters primarily Republicans, or are we seeing independents and Democrats coming out for her?
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, Trump has not been losing 40 percent of GOP voters in these contests so far. That's just flat out false, because, yes, much of Haley's support comes from independents and even Democrats.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Having said that, there is 10 to 20 percent at least of GOP voters who are pulling the lever for Nikki, and that could matter.
--:-- David Marcus: The Daily Beast's Matt Lewis pointed out this week that back in 2021, the Trump-supporting U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Ron Johnson, was secretly recorded saying that Trump lost the Badger state because of 51,000 Republicans who didn't vote for him.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Biden won Wisconsin by a mere 21,000 votes.
--:-- David Marcus: So there's a reasonable argument to be made that Haley could help Trump win over some of these reluctant swing state voters who he's very likely to need this year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And now finally, speaking of third party candidates, the PAC for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. say he's set to be on the ballot, at least in some battleground states like Arizona and Georgia, probably more to come.
--:-- David Marcus: What impact is that going to have on the race?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Polls now pretty consistently show that he is hurting Joe Biden and helping Donald Trump.
--:-- David Marcus: And it makes sense. The Kennedy clan is still at least petite royalty in the Democrat Party, and his ideology generally skews more to the left.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The more states, swing states in particular, that he competes in, the worse it could be for Biden, who slips further behind Trump when Kennedy and others like Cornel West are included.
--:-- David Marcus: In fact, right now, Joe Biden might be the only person pulling for a Haley third-party run.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right. Well, Dave, thanks so much for coming on today.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to recent Nielsen ratings, the top 10 most streamed shows of 2023 were all licensed rather than originals.
--:-- John Bickley: And audiences were most interested in shows that were more than a decade old and haven't aired new episodes on standard television for years.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham is here now to explain why audiences may be craving older entertainment.
--:-- Megan Basham: So, to start, which shows are dominating on streaming?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, a lot of them are shows that have long been in syndication. So The Big Bang Theory was high on the list, and it first went into syndication way back in 2010.
--:-- Megan Basham: And then you have NCIS and Grey's Anatomy. Those were also on the list and regularly aired reruns of those shows started on broadcast in 2008 and 2009 respectively
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Gilmore Girls Friends and the Canadian drama Heartland also ranked in the top 10
--:-- Megan Basham: But the behemoth last year was Meghan Markle legal drama Suits It aired on USA from 2011 to 2019.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what's interesting is that while it was a success for the network, it wasn't exactly a cultural juggernaut.
--:-- Megan Basham: And it really just performed okay on NBC's streaming platform Peacock. But getting acquired by Netflix turned out to be the game changer.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So in 2023, it officially broke the office's record for total streaming minutes in a year.
--:-- Megan Basham: Wow. So I wonder if there's a Meghan Markle effect there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, why are audiences still choosing these old shows? Is this an after effect of the strikes?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, you know, possibly. We certainly didn't get some of the splashy new debuts that we would normally expect because of that strike.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And some of the most anticipated original streaming series have not returned for their second season.
--:-- Megan Basham: So I'm looking at you, Severance. That's the one I'm waiting for.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But that has left audiences kind of sitting around waiting for these new favorites to return.
--:-- Megan Basham: And that might have turned their attention back to some old shows.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And then, of course, as you mentioned, the Meghan Markle effect, the news cycle might also have given some of these series a boost.
--:-- Megan Basham: Friends seems to have experienced something of a nostalgic boost after the untimely death of Matthew Perry last October.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And when we talk about the popularity of Suits, we can't ignore that 2023 was filled with royal drama that centered on Meghan Markle.
--:-- Megan Basham: So as you say, that might have piqued some audience interest.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But a lot of analysts are also talking about how viewers may be tiring of series that play out like long movies, so that you can't miss any installments if you want to understand what's happening.
--:-- Megan Basham: They're looking for maybe something more episodic that allows them to kind of just mindlessly check out.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Paul Chato is a former TV executive who now has a YouTube channel where he provides entertainment-related commentary.
--:-- Megan Basham: And this was his take. If the first thing on your mind is that NCIS does not hold a candle to The Sopranos or Breaking Bad, yeah, you're right.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It was the main reason HBO was able to bleed audiences away from the networks because the shows were better.
--:-- Megan Basham: Even Baywatch had something that the streamers just don't understand.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And network shows on streaming reveal their true strength. Rinse and repeat.
--:-- Megan Basham: So essentially, they're talking about these old school broadcast type shows as comfort food.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They're reliable, they're always available, and they don't require much intellectual investment.
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, I know you've also talked before about how the streamers are also getting stingier with new production contracts.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Is it cheaper for them to buy and promote old content?
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, it is. Netflix's decision to focus more on acquiring rather than creating has been very good for the company.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Seven of 2023's top 10 series, including Suits, stream there, and it currently has about 100 million more subscribers than its closest competitor, Disney+, which has focused on building out its original Star Wars and Marvel content.
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, Disney is now struggling as a lot of the audience has soured on those shows, and the platform has lost $10 billion over the last five years.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So now Disney says it's going to cut back on that original content and shift more to licensed.
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, I'm going to continue my vigil for the return of Severance.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the meantime, I might try succession.
--:-- Megan Basham: Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Anytime. Thanks for waking up with us.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back this afternoon with an extra edition of Morning Wire.
