--:-- [Upbeat music fades out, and the hosts introduce the episode]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Good morning, I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: And I'm John Bickley. Welcome to Morning Wire.
--:-- 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.
--:-- John Bickley: After a devastating terror attack in Moscow, U.S. officials are warning of an increased threat of attack on U.S. soil. In Afghanistan, we have almost no ability to see into that country and almost no ability to strike into that country. So ISIS there is able to grow unabated. How has ISIS-K regained its footing and how is the border crisis playing into officials' warnings?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, April 2nd, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: An intensive, years-long investigation into the so-called Havana syndrome contradicts government findings and points the finger at Russia. We have the details. And nine states have put gas-powered cars on the chopping block without the consent of voters. Which states will enact the severe restrictions and how are consumers reacting? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: For 35% off your first fruits and veggies set, plus $10 off each additional set. That's balanceofnature.com, promo code WIRE.
--:-- John Bickley: In the wake of the deadly ISIS-K attack on a Moscow theater last month, U.S. officials are warning that the International Terror Organization could have its sights set on America next. Here to discuss the worries and how they relate to the chaos at the southern border is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey, Dave. So who is sounding this alarm and how serious is it?
--:-- John Bickley: Morning, John. It's a pretty serious alarm. The Post spoke to a federal official on the condition of anonymity who said, quote, an attack on U.S. soil is definitely a possibility, end quote, adding that it would certainly send a message. And in a fairly exhaustive report, the Post found several experts who publicly are saying exactly the same thing. These include former soldiers and BlackRock contractors, as well as people from think tanks who study the issue closely.
--:-- David Marcus: We also saw a similar warning from former commander of U.S. Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, who told ABC News that he agrees with current CENTCOM commander General Michael Correa that ISIS-K retains the capability and will to attack the United States. If you can keep pressure on them in their base, it makes it hard for them to conduct these types of attacks. Unfortunately, we no longer place that pressure on them. So they're free to gain strength. They're free to plan. They're free to coordinate. and to outreach and hit us in our homelands. So you'd much rather be playing an away game than a home game. We've chosen to play a home game.
--:-- John Bickley: Let's not forget that the terror group has an enormous amount of room to breathe and grow now in Afghanistan, and not for nothing an awful lot of weapons and material that were left there The bottom line is that ISIS case suffered significant setbacks during the Trump administration but they are not inoperable as the attack in Moscow showed
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah. So these officials acknowledge that Europe is an easier target just based on proximity, but also brought up the southern border as a potential weakness for the U.S. Is that also a major focus here?
--:-- John Bickley: Look, last year alone, we had 169 terror suspects stopped at the border. Since October, where almost 70 more have been encountered trying to enter. As Israel learned on October 7th, when you are fighting against terrorism, you have to be right 100% of the time. The terrorists only have to be right once. So when you look at the known stops, the unknown gotaways, and the fact that we know hundreds of people from countries where ISIS-K is active cross the border, it's a big open wound right now that terrorists would likely love to exploit. And honestly, John, it's not a particularly new issue. Border agents and others have been warning about this terror threat for almost the entirety of Biden's presidency, with very few actions having been taken.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah. So, of course, all of this comes in the context of a presidential election in which Donald Trump is seeking to make the border a central issue against Biden. How big a role will this terror threat play in that now?
--:-- John Bickley: It already has. On the list of things that Joe Biden doesn't want to talk about, the border is somewhere between his son Hunter and when his next birthday. is. For months now, there have been rumors and reports of potential executive action by Biden. But so far, we really haven't seen much. If ISIS-K is relatively inactive over the next seven months, then this threat may just blend into the broader issue of the border. But if we see more attacks abroad or, God forbid, an incident or even just an arrest in the United States, that could be a game changer very, very quickly.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah. Well, a lot of growing concern about this threat since the Afghanistan withdrawal. Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: According to a groundbreaking new report, Russia is to blame for Havana syndrome. That's the mysterious medical ailment that has baffled experts and left dozens of U.S. diplomats and service members around the world with debilitating brain injuries. Here with the findings and the continued debate over what's really happening is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So, Cabot, a fascinating and pretty terrifying story. First, give us a little background on what's been dubbed Havana syndrome.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, a wild story here. So as far back as 2014, U.S. military officers, CIA agents, White House staff, diplomats, and even their family members began reporting bizarre medical ailments after experiencing an overwhelming ringing in their ears. often while outside or standing near a window. Dubbed Havana syndrome, victims were hit with debilitating headaches, prolonged nausea, permanent loss of vision, and in some cases, severe memory loss. Now, initially, the cases were viewed as isolated incidents, but over time, a pattern started to emerge. Victims were overwhelmingly coming down with symptoms while attending important diplomatic events or working in sensitive areas across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We're still not sure just how many incidents there have been, but the number sits at at least 100. with some cases involving the children of diplomats and others requiring patients to be medevaced out of hostile areas for treatment Now what the government response been
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well initially they took the matter very seriously The two leading theories were that this was some new-age sound wave weapon, or that the symptoms were caused by surveillance equipment targeting information on phones and computers. The State Department and intelligence community each launched independent investigations, saying they believed the symptoms were being caused by, quote, direct pulsed radio frequency energy. But last month, the U.S. intelligence community finished their years-long investigation and concluded that it was, quote, very unlikely the mysterious ailments were caused by any foreign adversary.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, what explanation did they give? So CIA Director William Burns did say, quote, the findings do not call into question the experiences and real health issues that U.S. government personnel and their family members have reported while serving our country. But beyond that, they didn't really offer any explanation for what's behind it. The director of national intelligence said simply the symptoms are likely the result of, quote, preexisting conditions, conventional illnesses and environmental factors. That outraged the family members and lawyers of those suffering symptoms who said the government is trying to sweep the whole thing under the rug. They note that the findings directly contradict a separate independent investigation convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which said, quote, directed pulsed radio frequency energy appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So it sounds like there's a lot of people who still have a lot of doubt about what the intelligence community has found. Right. Well, now there's another report that claims to have an alternative answer.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, this week, the Insider and 60 Minutes published the findings of a bombshell years-long investigation, with evidence they say proves Russia is behind Tavana syndrome. More specifically, they say the attacks were carried out by Unit 29155. That is an elite arm of Russia's military intelligence agency, whose sole purpose, according to the Pentagon, is political destabilization and assassination. Among other things, the report claimed that Russian operatives were present just before or even during reported instances of Havana syndrome. In one case, for example, the wife of a U.S. diplomat in the country of Georgia felt a debilitating, quote, all-consuming ringing in her head. She fled her home and photographed a suspicious-looking man fleeing the scene in a van. That man was later identified as Albert Avrianov, a known operative within Unit 29155.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The investigation even uncovered internal documents showing that senior Russian intelligence members had in recent years received awards for developing, quote, non-lethal acoustic weapons. Greg Edgreen ran the investigation into Havana Syndrome on behalf of the Defense Intelligence Agency before leaving the Pentagon. He disagrees with the message being given to the public. Are we being attacked? My personal opinion, yes. By whom? Russia. For his part, Edgreen said the government is essentially fearful of admitting the attacks are the work of Russia. because it would mean admitting a massive intelligence failure, and more importantly, demand a response. But it's worth noting, there are plenty of skeptics outside of government who say the whole story is nothing more than an elaborate hoax meant to distract the public or drum up anti-Russian sentiment stateside. Regardless, though, this does not seem like an issue that's going away anytime soon. Right. Well, disturbing that one of our adversaries potentially has this kind of technology. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A total of eight states have now adopted plans to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles. This comes as Biden's EPA unleashes new rules to curb the manufacturing of gas-powered cars across the nation. Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Hey, Amanda. So first, tell us which states have adopted this rule, and when can we expect this all to take effect?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hey, John. So we have Rhode Island Maryland Massachusetts New York New Jersey Oregon and Washington all signing on to this ban All blue states we should note The District of Columbia as well has adopted the rule These states will outright ban the sale of new gas vehicles by 2035 The plan is called the Advanced Clean Cars 2 rule. This originated in California before it was adopted elsewhere. Basically, each state ramps up phasing out gas-powered vehicles over the next decade. In California, for example, a third of new car sales must be zero-emission vehicles by 2026. That ramps up to about 70 percent by 2030 and so on.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: States like New Mexico, Delaware and Colorado are also advancing rules to severely limit the sale of new gas powered vehicles. I'll note that these plans have generally not required any votes from lawmakers. They've advanced with support from governors and environmental regulators who claim these rules are necessary to address climate change. And this is also happening on the federal level as well under Biden's Environmental Protection Agency, correct?
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right. Biden's plan takes on the gas-powered vehicle industry by limiting emission standards. For example, manufacturers must slash emissions by roughly 50% for most new vehicles by 2032. What that translates to, according to the EPA, is that about 56% of new vehicles will have to be EVs, and at least 13% will need to be plug-in hybrids by 2032. And at the end of March, the EPA finalized another rule targeting the trucking industry by limiting the amount of pollution allowed from truck manufacturers. That starts in the model year 2027. This would include heavy vehicles like school buses, ambulances, cement mixers, and dozens of other vehicles too.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Now, this is all elicited a pretty strong reaction from lawmakers and those in the transportation industry. Tell us about that response.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, I mean, we have Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia. He called the EPA rules reckless and ill-informed. He also stressed that the federal government doesn't have the authority to mandate what type of vehicle Americans can purchase. The American Trucking Association came out in opposition to the rule changes, too. They called the post-2030 targets entirely unachievable, given the current state of zero emission technology, the lack of charging infrastructure and restrictions on the power grid. But on the other side, a far different reaction.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Right. Unsurprisingly, these rules have been widely praised by environmentalist groups. But I will note that there is some controversy around how green these EVs really are. Although they claim to be zero emission, building these vehicles and charging them do create emissions. And even though EV owners are not paying for gasoline, these vehicles are typically pretty pricey to purchase and even more expensive to insure than a gas-powered vehicle.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. Now, these broader EPA regulations do not involve Congress. Do we know how the American people feel generally about EVs?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Well, a recent Pew Research Center poll showed that about 63% of U.S. adults don't have plans or are unlikely to purchase an EV. And that was a decline year over year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, trying to manipulate the market rarely goes as planned. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: You're welcome. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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