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--:-- John Bickley: President Biden welcomed India's prime minister to the White House on Thursday amid protests by some in his own party. The relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining relationships of the 21st century. What do the leaders discuss and how important is an alliance with India in light of Chinese aggression? I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. Georgia Howe is out on vacation. It's Friday, June 23rd, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: Congressman Adam Schiff has officially been censured by the House. Will Speaker McCarthy now agree to move forward with efforts to impeach the president? And Amazon is being sued by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly tricking customers into purchasing Prime memberships and then making it difficult for them to cancel. When you sign up for Prime, you start ordering a lot more stuff. That gives Amazon power over entities that want to sell you stuff.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Biden at the White House as the U.S. looks to solidify relations with the world's largest democratic nation. Here with more on what the two sides discussed is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, on Thursday, the prime minister was greeted at the White House with a marching band, honor guards, and multi-gun salute before meeting with President Biden in the Oval Office ahead of a formal state dinner. The meetings come amid a broader push from the White House to strengthen ties with India, which Biden views as a key ally in Asia.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Remember, India is not just the largest democratic country on Earth. They're not the largest country on Earth, period. Earlier this year, they overtook China for the world's largest population with 1.4 billion people. Here's Biden in a press conference welcoming Modi.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together. And we are. And what were some of the main takeaways from the visit? Well, the two leaders announced a long list of new initiatives that will strengthen cooperation on artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and the all-important production of semiconductors.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Remember, the White House has been working to reduce dependence on China for semiconductors and is encouraging U.S. businesses to move their factories and supply chain out of China into countries like India. To that point, the two announced a deal between General Electric and an Indian state-owned manufacturing company to build engines used for American F-A-18 Super Hornets.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The two leaders also signed an accord promising the peaceful exploration of space and announced a joint mission to the International Space Station for next year. And perhaps most importantly, the two sides finalized a multi-billion dollar deal that will send U.S. predator drones to the Indian military. That deal had been in the works for years, but it stalled out after India agreed to weapons deals with Russia.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's important to note that India's dynamic was a key part of this visit. Yeah, tell us more on that front. So U officials have been upset with India over their lack of support in the war in Ukraine. While most of our allies have supported sanctions against Russia and offered military and economic support for Ukraine, India has kept a more neutral stance.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: While they haven't directly sided with Putin, they have increased the amount of oil that they're purchasing from Russia, accounting for half of all Russian exports by sea. India has also remained the world's largest buyer of Russian arms. About 20% of the weapons coming out of Russia go to India.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The White House is hoping these new arms deals will decrease Indian reliance on Putin and draw them closer to Western allies in their alliance against Russia. And on another front, the U.S. also views India as an important buffer against China. The two countries share a border and have clashed in recent years.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The White House has been clear that a stronger Indian economy will reduce the global reliance on China and create a new democratic superpower in the region. Yes, certainly an important goal for the U.S.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We did see some lawmakers push back against this visit. Tell us about that. Yeah, not everyone was pleased with Biden's warm welcome of Modi. On Tuesday, 75 Democratic lawmakers in Washington sent a letter to Biden urging him to address Modi's human rights violations during their meeting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And on Thursday afternoon, when Modi offered his address to Congress, a number of Democrats boycotted the event in protest. A number of progressive lawmakers held a briefing during the address to, quote, discuss Modi's record of repression and violence.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But clearly the Biden administration views this relationship with India as important enough to upset some within his own party. Yeah, it's very clear here that this is a major priority for his administration.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Kappa, thanks for reporting. Anytime.
--:-- John Bickley: This week, California Congressman Adam Schiff became only the third member of the House of Representatives to be censured by that body in the 21st century. The vote to punish the Democrat representative was 213 to 209, solely on party lines with six Republicans voting present. Schiff has since responded. Here to discuss is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Morning, Dave. On what grounds did Republicans censure Schiff?
--:-- David Marcus: Morning. Schiff was censured for misleading the American people for years during the probe into Russian collusion. You may recall him saying that he had personally seen evidence that Trump had committed a crime, but it never emerged. And even the Mueller report didn't find any crimes.
--:-- David Marcus: There are also questions about him leaking sensitive or classified material in an effort to politically damage the former president. Republicans are basically saying Schiff didn't just get everything wrong. He deliberately deceived the American people.
--:-- David Marcus: As you might imagine, Democrats strenuously disagree. Right. Funny how that works.
--:-- David Marcus: What was the response to this vote from Schiff's own party? Were there any Democrats who were critical of his actions, even though they voted against censure?
--:-- David Marcus: No, the immediate reaction to the vote from Democrats was to begin screaming at Republicans. Here's a taste of that. Without objection, the motion to consider is laid on the table. The House will be in order.
--:-- David Marcus: There was a dramatic moment when Schiff had to appear in the well of the body, supposedly to be chastised. But in fact, he was celebrated by Democrats giving him hugs and pats on the back.
--:-- David Marcus: The kind of disgraced congressman then took to CNN, where he called the censure a badge of honor and railed against Republicans.
--:-- David Marcus: Any regrets on how you handle the Russia issue? Obviously, the former president was never criminally implicated for anything involving Russia.
--:-- David Marcus: No, not at all. I think the investigation of his misconduct was very important. I was also proud to serve on the January 6th committee and I would do all of that again and I would do it the same way.
--:-- David Marcus: So was this mainly a symbolic gesture? Schiff had already been kicked off the Intelligence Committee by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Does this censure come with any actual real punitive measures?
--:-- David Marcus: No, though interestingly, last week a censure motion failed that included a $16 million fine for Schiff. That was apparently a precedent that many members were not eager to set.
--:-- David Marcus: But there is one stick in this censure, which is that it occasions the opening of an ethics investigation, specifically into those sensitive materials that he may have misused. So that's something to keep an eye on.
--:-- David Marcus: Beyond that, it is mainly symbolic, though, as Democrats were fond of saying about Donald Trump's impeachments, censure is forever. Right.
--:-- David Marcus: This comes at a time when there are claims from the right that the Department of Justice and FBI acted with bias against Trump and other Republicans. In fact, Schiff was one of the Democrats grilling special counsel John Durham, who did find what he called markedly different treatment of Trump and Hillary Clinton.
--:-- David Marcus: How does censure play into that broader narrative? Over the past few months, there have been a slew of stories, most of which we've covered here, such as the Durham report, Trump's indictment, the FBI informant claiming Biden bribery, the seemingly light sentence for Hunter Biden, and now this censure.
--:-- David Marcus: In a significant way, this is all just one big story. And the main theme is the claim that there are two sets of laws, two sets of justice, and that prosecutions and state persecution are politically motivated.
--:-- David Marcus: As Republican Jim Jordan pointed out at the hearing that you referenced, 60 percent of Americans do think these decisions are politically motivated. And it's shaping up to be a major issue in the 2024 presidential race with all the top GOP contenders promising major shakeups at DOJ and the FBI.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, we also learned this week that Speaker McCarthy will not move ahead with an immediate impeachment of Joe Biden, which some in his caucus are calling for. Why is that his position and where does the effort stand now?
--:-- David Marcus: Right. Some of the more aggressive GOP members, including many who opposed McCarthy's speakership in January, want Biden impeached now. McCarthy thinks this is premature, especially given that James Comer is running a pretty effective investigation in his committee right now.
--:-- David Marcus: When and if firmer evidence directly tied to the president emerges, McCarthy may act on impeachment. In the meantime, though, this censure was a bone thrown to the hardliners, and we could see more. We'll see what comes next.
--:-- John Bickley: The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon for allegedly tricking and trapping customers into signing up for Amazon Prime. The scrutiny from the FTC comes as Amazon is looking to expand into even more markets. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraida Lordi is here with the details for us.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: So, Mairead, was Amazon actually tricking people into signing up for Prime memberships?
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Well, that's the claim. The FTC filed a federal complaint on Wednesday saying Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user interface designs to trick consumers into signing up for Prime subscriptions, which automatically renew and charge customers cards again.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Then the FTC says Amazon made the cancellation process unnecessarily long and complicated for customers, which kept them paying Amazon longer. FTC chairwoman Lina Khan who is a huge Amazon critic said on Wednesday that Amazon tricked and trapped people into Prime subscriptions costing them significant money in one colorful detail the FTC said Amazon named its Prime cancellation process the Iliad referring to Homer's epic about the long arduous Trojan War.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: And according to the FTC's complaint, required customers to navigate a four-page, six-click, 15-option cancellation process. Also, the complaint accuses Amazon of trying repeatedly to delay the FTC's investigation by bad-faith responses to requests for documents.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: The FTC's investigation into Amazon Prime began in March 2021. And has Amazon responded to these allegations?
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Yes, Amazon responded with a flat-out denial of wrongdoing, saying customers love their Prime subscriptions. An Amazon spokesman said the FTC's claims are false on the facts and the law, and Amazon deliberately makes it clear and simple for customers to both sign up for or cancel their Prime membership.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Amazon added that it listens to customers to improve their experience, and they look forward to the facts becoming clear as this case plays out.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Now, how much money are we talking about? Does Amazon Prime drive a lot of sales? Yes, Prime drives billions of dollars to Amazon, especially since the pandemic. Amazon reported that it made $9.6 billion from Prime subscriptions in just the first three months of this year. Prime was launched in 2005 and now has more than 200 million members worldwide. Prime subscriptions cost $139 a year or $14.99 a month.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Now, we've heard a lot about regulators targeting big tech recently, especially as companies like Amazon continue to expand. Is this part of a broader trend or is this case actually different?
--:-- Maraida Lordi: It's pretty much part of the broad campaign by U.S. regulators to target powerful big tech companies. This is not even the first time the FTC has targeted Amazon. Last month, Amazon settled with the FTC for $25 million after allegations it saved recordings of children's voices and their location data through its voice assistant, Alexa.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Also in May, Amazon agreed to pay another $5.8 million in customer refunds after the FTC accused the company of privacy violations involving its Ring doorbell cameras. The scrutiny from regulators comes as Amazon works to expand into new markets, including groceries and health care.
--:-- John Bickley: President Biden and Republicans have both signaled they want to rein in big tech in recent years, but they disagree on how to do it. Biden has said he wants to change the law on social media content policies and change antitrust policy, while Republicans have focused on censorship and free speech.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: The battle over big tech is far from over, so I'm sure we'll be having updates on this.
--:-- John Bickley: Mara, thanks for reporting. Thanks, John.
--:-- John Bickley: Another story we're tracking this week. A text message sent by Hunter Biden to a Chinese businessman was first made public on Thursday. In the message, Hunter threatens Henry Zhao saying, I am sitting here with my father and would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled.
--:-- John Bickley: There were additional WhatsApp messages which threatened Zhao using the power of Joe Biden to force that commitment. One read, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge, that you will regret not following my direction.
--:-- John Bickley: President Biden has repeatedly denied having any knowledge about Hunter's business dealings. IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley turned over the WhatsApp text messages to the House Ways and Means Committee last month.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
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