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--:-- Host (John Bickley): 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.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): After years of wall-to-wall coverage of Russia collusion, serious claims about the origins of that narrative have been met with relative silence from many news outlets. But are the American people interested in learning more at this point? A poll suggests both Republicans and Democrats want answers. I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, February 18th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The Biden administration says the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is now very high, but that the U.S. is not giving up on a peaceful resolution. If Russia doesn't invade Ukraine, then we will be relieved that Russia changed course and proved our predictions wrong. And as the CDC continues to recommend masks, the rest of the country appears to be ready for the old normal. From fuller flights and packed stadiums, we're seeing signs that America is back. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. Even if you're not a Daily Wire member, you'll be first to know what's trending with mobile notifications for the latest news. And you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): A new filing from special counsel John Durham includes some explosive claims. According to Durham, at least two named individuals linked to the Clinton campaign exploited access to Internet traffic from several Trump properties, even to the executive office of the president. So where are the headlines? Columnist David Marcus joins us from New York to talk about the media response and what we can learn from it.
--:-- David Marcus: So first, David, how significant is this revelation from Durham? I mean, what do we know now that we did not know before?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): It's big. What we've learned through Durham was that Michael Sussman, an attorney for the campaign, was involved in gathering information surreptitiously, intended to firm up the thoroughly debunked claim that Trump was involved in Russian collusion. Democrats claim this does not amount to spying, but it sure looks like spying.
--:-- David Marcus: You know, Russian collusion was the biggest story for more than two years, but we haven't seen many headlines about this unless to dismiss it. What do you make of the response from the big outlets?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): I mean, the short answer is that they were wrong about Trump and they look foolish now. That's a big part of why they've taken a wait-and-see attitude on this, whereas for three years, the slightest rumor about Trump and Russia was a headline above the fold. It's kind of ironic. They willed this Russia narrative into existence, and now they're stuck with the result, which increasingly paints the Clinton campaign in an extremely negative light.
--:-- David Marcus: Speaking of Clinton, she has now responded to the claims and she just brushed it off as spin. Right. Will legacy media take her word for it? Can a story like this really be buried?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Yes and no. Yes, the mainstream media still has large enough reach that can hide important stories from millions of Americans. And the stark partisanship in the country will aid them in that, since many people tend to trust news that aligns with their ideology But also no as Shakespeare said the truth will out But we already five years beyond when most of these activities took place Right Do you think Americans have already settled into their opinions about Russian collusion? Or do you think anything can come out now that would actually change minds?
--:-- David Marcus: They might be pretty entrenched at this point. However, there's evidence that there's bipartisan interest in the story. For example, recent polls showed that 66% of Democrats who have been following the story want to see further investigations. Among all groups, that number is about 75%. So it seems like Democrats who have been exposed to the story are interested. So there's clear interest among both parties?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): I appear so. Well, in terms of the role of the media, there's an obligation to demonstrate some amount of curiosity in any important story, right?
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, but that's the crossroads that legacy media is at right now? Is there allegiance to informing the people or to protecting certain interests? We saw very clearly with the coordinated effort to bury the Hunter Biden story that many outlets are struggling with that balance. The big question for legacy media today is whether they can continue on the track they're on and still maintain the confidence of the American people.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): There's some evidence, such as the floundering of CNN, that the American people are getting tired of what they're getting from legacy outlets. But, you know, only time will tell.
--:-- David Marcus: Well, David, thanks for keeping us honest. That's what I do.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That was contributing reporter David Marcus.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Coming up, the U.S. warns of Russian false flag operations. This show is sponsored by Birch Gold Group. Inflation is destroying the dollar. Birch Gold Group can help protect your IRA or 401k with a precious metals IRA. Text WIRE to 989898 to claim a free info kit on physical gold and silver. There's zero obligation. Text the word WIRE to 989898 to protect your savings today.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): With tensions continuing to rise in Ukraine, the U.S. government is warning that Russia might be engaging in so-called false flag operations to find an excuse to invade. Here to tell us more is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So Ian, we've heard some conflicting claims from Russia and the Biden administration What's the latest?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Well, the latest is that Russia claims that they've decreased their troop numbers along the Ukraine border, but the Biden administration says there's no evidence of that. Instead, the administration says it still believes that Russia could attack any day. How high is the threat of a Russian invasion right now?
--:-- Ian Howarth: It's very high. It's very high because they have not moved any of their troops out. They've moved more troops in, number one. Number two, they have reasons to believe that they are engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in. And this concern led Antony Blinken to address the United Nations.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Yeah, the Secretary of State spoke to the UN Security Council on Thursday, where he called Russia's looming aggression against Ukraine the most immediate threat to peace and security.
--:-- Ian Howarth: He said that groups like the UN must acknowledge the broad threat of Russian military aggression and address Russia's actions. He also said that Russia's claim that a drawdown in troops had occurred was probably false. Over the past months, without provocation or justification, Russia has amassed more than 150,000 troops around Ukraine's borders in Russia, Belarus, occupied Crimea. Russia says it's drawing down those forces. We do not see that happening on the ground. Our information indicates clearly that these forces, including ground troops, aircraft, ships, are preparing to launch an attack against Ukraine in the coming days.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Blinken then openly discussed a subject which has been thrown around a lot in recent days which is that Russia is looking for an excuse to invade We just seen some examples of this such as one claim by Russian media outlets that Ukrainian armed forces fired mortar shells on Russian areas of Ukraine Russia plans to manufacture a pretext for its attack. This could be a violent event that Russia will blame on Ukraine, or an outrageous accusation that Russia will level against the Ukrainian government.
--:-- Ian Howarth: We don't know exactly the form it will take. It could be a fabricated so-called terrorist bombing inside Russia. The invented discovery of a mass grave, a staged drone strike against civilians, or a fake, even a real, attack using chemical weapons. And a few days ago, Putin repeated a baseless claim that a genocide was being carried out in eastern Ukraine against ethnic Russians, a claim he's made before.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And Blinken said that this could be another excuse to launch an attack. Russia may describe this event as ethnic cleansing or a genocide, making a mockery of a concept that we in this chamber do not take lightly, nor do I take lightly, based on my family history.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Lincoln then described what a Russian invasion would look like. Russian missiles and bombs will drop across Ukraine. Communications will be jammed. Cyber attacks will shut down key Ukrainian institutions. After that, Russian tanks and soldiers will advance on key targets that have already been identified and mapped out in detailed plans. We believe these targets include Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million people.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): One interesting moment from Blinken's speech was actually related to the ongoing criticism that US intelligence has been foggy or inconsistent when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. Now, I'm mindful that some have called into question our information, recalling previous instances where intelligence ultimately did not bear out. But let me be clear. I am here today not to start a war, but to prevent one.
--:-- Ian Howarth: He even said that the Biden administration would be glad to be proven wrong if Russia didn't attack. And with Putin's government and the Russian media pushing the notion that this sort of messaging is just Western propaganda, we're seeing that information itself is going to be playing a forward-facing role in the tensions, regardless of whether they escalate or de-escalate in the coming days and weeks.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): All right. Well, Ian, thanks for keeping us up to date. You got it, Georgia.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): A new study shows that only one-third of Americans have returned to the office, but a large majority are engaging in their favorite pastimes. Does this mean that the U.S. is well on its way back to normal? Here with the details is Charlotte Pence Bond.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So, Charlotte, what's the latest on this? Are things finally getting back to normal?
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Hey, yeah, so it's starting to seem that way. A recent report showed how lots of Americans aren't necessarily going back to the office, but they're definitely getting out to other areas. So what kind of data do we have?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So we have some interesting data from CASEL Systems, which keeps track of building access card swipes. According to CASEL, an average of 33% of the workforce went back to the office in the first week of February as compared to the beginning of 2020. One caveat, though, that data comes from 10 large cities. so it may not be capturing the work habits of Americans in smaller towns.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Regardless, it's still a helpful trend to watch because it shows a full 10-point jump from just the month before. The highest rate was in the first week of December, which reached 41%, but it dipped again during the Omicron surge. But despite the fact that office workers seem reluctant to go back to work, other data suggests Americans are ready to do most everything else.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: For example, in the first week of February, movie theater attendance was at 58% of baseline pre-pandemic numbers per a castle analysis. And that's actually one of the lower numbers we've seen. Restaurants were almost three quarters of the way back to baseline Air travel is almost at 80 Attendance at NBA is up to 93 percent of what it was in February 2020 So Americans seem pretty ready to get back to normal Yeah Now are local governments tracking with them in terms of updating their policies?
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Yes. So most cities and states are starting to loosen their restrictions, although some were much harsher than others to begin with. For example, L.A. County dropped its outdoor mask mandate this week, which most cities never imposed in the first place. Likewise, D.C., Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware loosened their COVID policies recently as well.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: On the other end of the spectrum, Texas has actually sued the CDC over its mask mandate for airports and airplanes. It's about the federal government, it's about the Biden administration creating law when really that's up to Congress and that's unconstitutional. They don't have this role and that's where our problem is with the mask. The CDC does not have the authority granted by Congress to do what they've done with masks. And certainly, they don't have the authority to make it criminal.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): And as for capacity at the parks, on Disney's most recent earnings call, CEO Bob Chapik suggested the main reason Walt Disney World wasn't back to 100% capacity was actually because of worker shortages. But despite the general move toward lifting restrictions on the local level, the federal government isn't quite ready to drop masks entirely.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: On Wednesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky had this to say at a press conference. We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing, when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen. If and when we update our guidance, we will communicate that clearly. So she wasn't specific, but it sounds like the CDC knows that it has to make a declaration on mask wearing in general pretty soon.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): All right. Well, this is welcome news for a lot of people, I think. Charlotte, thanks for reporting.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Other stories we're tracking this week. Police in Ottawa are reportedly distributing flyers to Freedom Convoy truckers, demanding they leave the area immediately. The flyers read, quote, You must leave the area now. Anyone blocking streets or assisting others in blocking streets are committing a criminal offense and you may be arrested. You must immediately cease further unlawful activity or you will face charges.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The Louisville chapter of Black Lives Matter has reportedly paid the $100,000 bail for accused gunman Quintez Brown. Brown, a social justice activist, is accused of attempting to murder Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg. Brown reportedly shot multiple rounds in Greenberg's office, grazing the candidate's shoulder but causing no significant injuries.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Both Brown and Greenberg have called for gun control measures in the past. And the Arizona State Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would ban abortions in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The bill now goes to the state's House of Representatives.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): If you like this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five-star review. That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): If you like this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter, available exclusively to Daily Wire members. Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe. Use code MORNINGWIRE to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
