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--:-- John Bickley: Good morning, I'm John Bickley, and welcome to Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe. It's Monday, November 22nd.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Protests and riots break out in some cities following the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, while politicians and pundits debate the outcome of the case. We'll talk about the divided responses to the Rittenhouse verdict, including what the president and vice president had to say. And we'll hear from Rittenhouse himself.
--:-- John Bickley: Over the last week, global concern has grown surrounding the fate of a female Chinese tennis star who disappeared from public for weeks after posting a sexual assault allegation against a Chinese Communist Party official. What do we know about Peng Shua's whereabouts? And is she safe, like Chinese officials have insisted?
--:-- Georgia Howe: And if you haven't done your Thanksgiving grocery shopping yet, you might want to get to it. As this year, we're in for the most expensive Thanksgiving ever, all while facing a growing turkey shortage.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. 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.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Last week, the politically divisive trial of Kyle Rittenhouse came to a conclusion with the jury delivering a unanimous verdict of not guilty on all charges. Over the weekend, multiple cities across the country experienced protests and in some cases rioting due to the jury's decision.
--:-- John Bickley: So Georgia, one of the big questions ahead of the verdict was if there would be rioting again in Kenosha. What did we see?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right, so that was the big question weighing on everyone, and certainly it was a big fear for the jurors. But so far, the answer seems to be no. While there were some peaceful protests outside the courthouse, there have been no reports of violence or rioting in Kenosha.
--:-- John Bickley: That in itself is a big win for the justice system and for Americans at large. There were widespread reports that jurors were intimidated by chanting outside the courthouse, and some of the chants implied the protesters would, quote, shut it down if they didn't get the guilty verdict. But so far, it sounds like that threat was just not realized.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, it's good to hear. There were reports of riots outside of Kenosha, for example, in Portland, correct?
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. There were some pretty significant protests reported in New York and Portland. And the protests in Portland did escalate to riots.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Police in Portland declared a riot at about 9 p.m. on Friday night when protesters began smashing windows and doors of city facilities. They were also allegedly tearing down fencing and using construction signs as street barricades. At least one police car was smashed, and there were some trash and debris fires.
--:-- John Bickley: Reportedly, there was some chatter about a group planning to burn down the Justice Center, but protesters were confronted by police before any significant damage could be done to the property.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to the Sheriff's Department, the group became pretty hostile and began throwing batteries, alcoholic beverages, water bottles, and even urine. Ultimately the riot was dispersed at around 11 p.m., and the police gave out 17 warnings and five tickets.
--:-- John Bickley: All right, so some violence in Portland. We also saw some reports about New York.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What happened there?
--:-- John Bickley: Yes, there were also protests in New York, but most of them were peaceful. But there were a handful of people arrested for property damage in Queens.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A group of approximately 300 protesters gathered outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and marched across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, but they dispersed peacefully after that protest. In Queens, though, protesters were seen jumping on cars and stealing American flags on some of the residential streets.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the political response to the verdict? We've had the White House weigh in now.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes. So President Joe Biden responded a couple of times on Friday, first in a comment outside the White House, where he said he stood by the verdict.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, look, I stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works and you have to abide by it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But not too long after that, he issued a written statement that took a very different tone.
--:-- John Bickley: He said, and I'm quoting, while the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. And Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement of her own that suggested the judicial system failed.
--:-- John Bickley: She said, quote, Today's verdict speaks for itself. I've spent the majority of my career working to make our criminal justice system more equitable. It's clear there is a lot more work to do.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's quite a pointed allegation against those jurors for their decision. Right. But then there are others who are saying this is, in fact, the opposite.
--:-- John Bickley: Many are saying this is justice, as this was ultimately determined to be justified self-defense.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes, there has been a lot of support out there for Rittenhouse. And, of course, Rittenhouse has also given a statement of his own.
--:-- John Bickley: The jury reached the correct verdict. Self-defense is not illegal. And I believe they came to the correct verdict, and I'm glad that everything went well. It's been a rough journey, but we made it through it. We made it through the hard part.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Some legal experts are saying that this could be another Covington Catholic situation, where Rittenhouse could make a defamation case against the public figures and outlets, kind of like how Nick Sandman did.
--:-- John Bickley: We talked with Heritage Foundation legal fellow Amy Swearer about that. Here's what she said.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Part of me says Kyle Rittenhouse is probably very tired at this point. But, you know, given that we do have this pretty recent history of similar types of suits being successful, at least in the sense that they were settled for large sums of money with Nicholas Sandman, my guess is he will have attorneys reaching out to him wanting to sue on his behalf.
--:-- John Bickley: So while the criminal case against Rittenhouse is over, it sounds like we shouldn't be surprised if we see more legal action in the future from his camp.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. Thanks for the reporting, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, no problem. Coming up, international concerns grow over China's treatment of tennis star Peng Shua.
--:-- John Bickley: 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.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The story of missing Chinese tennis player Peng Shua has swept across the world of tennis and has now entered the political realm. Here to tell us about the situation is Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So, Georgia, this has been a pretty intriguing and alarming story. Can you bring us up to speed here? What do we know about this missing tennis player?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Sure, Georgia. So really this dates back to November 2nd when Pong posted to Chinese social media that a former vice premier of the Communist Party sexually assaulted her three years ago following a round of tennis while his wife allegedly guarded the door.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Her post was deleted nearly 30 minutes after publication and Pong Weibo account was blocked to searchers From that point on no one heard from or saw Pong in public raising concern over her safety.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Multiple tennis stars, including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, have spoken out on social media, really on her behalf. Then last week, a written statement attributed to Pong was posted to Twitter by CGTN, a Chinese state-affiliated media company in which Peng denied her claim that she was sexually assaulted.
--:-- Joe Morgan: This message was supposedly sent in an email to Women's Tennis Association chairman and CEO, Steve Simon. This obviously raised some eyebrows, and Simon put out a statement questioning whether the email was actually sent from Peng, saying that it raised his concerns for her safety and whereabouts.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So up until this past weekend, all we had seen was this written statement coming from a Chinese state-affiliated media company. No video or any other kind of evidence that Pong was okay.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, that's correct. So no hard evidence that she was safe. The hashtag WhereIsPongSchwa began spreading over social media where many prominent tennis players have posted their concerns over Pong's safety.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The United Nations and the White House finally addressed it on Friday when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is, quote, deeply concerned by Pong's disappearance in her Friday briefing.
--:-- Joe Morgan: We are deeply concerned by reports that Peng Shui appears to be missing after accusing a former PRC senior official of sexual assault. We join in the calls for PRC authorities to provide independent and verifiable proof of her whereabouts and that she is safe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And then this story has also taken on a political dimension.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, I mean, it really has expanded far beyond sports, especially with the Winter Olympics in Beijing just a few months away. On Friday, WTA chair Simon said he was willing to pull business out of China if Pong's safety can't be confirmed and if there isn't an investigation into her allegations.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That seems to have shaken some things up because over the weekend, video of Pong emerged from the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, which is the official newspaper of China's Communist Party. Pong is seen eating at a restaurant with her friends and coach and then also attending a youth tennis tournament in Beijing.
--:-- Joe Morgan: However, Simon said, and I am quoting here, the video alone is insufficient.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right, I wouldn't think so.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Then Sunday morning, the International Olympic Committee released a statement saying they held a video call with Peng, in which she said she was, quote, safe and well, but did ask for privacy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, reportedly invited Peng to have dinner with him when he arrives in Beijing in January, and Peng reportedly accepted the invitation.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So according to the International Olympic Committee, Peng is safe, or at the very least she's able to take a Zoom call.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But obviously there's a lot of open questions still.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, look, there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered, obviously considering this is all going down in communist China. Right.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, let's hope she is, in fact, safe. Yeah, let's hope.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Thanks for reporting, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Anytime. That's Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- John Bickley: As inflation continues to rise and supply chain backups persist, this year's Thanksgiving meal may be more expensive than ever. And now there's growing concern over a potential nationwide turkey shortage. Here with more on what's behind it all is Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So usually the biggest challenge for most people when it comes to their Thanksgiving turkey is making sure it's not too dry. But this year, the biggest challenge for a lot of people will be just finding a turkey to begin with.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We've been hearing rumblings from farmers that a turkey shortage was coming, but it wasn't until this week that we really got confirmation that it's here. The USDA released a new report showing that turkey inventories were 24% lower this year nationwide compared to the last three years.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And a lot of grocery chains have now responded by limiting the number of turkeys people can buy at once. And some have even started placing warnings on their website that they cannot guarantee they be able to fulfill online orders that include a turkey this week.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So if you haven't gotten yours already, you should probably get to it.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, thankfully, we've got ours already. I should have known.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. So what exactly is causing this shortage?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, I actually visited Chris and Sue Ellen Simpson to find out the answer to that question. They own Field of Dreams Farm in Tennessee, and a big part of their business is raising turkeys.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They said the labor shortage is really playing a role in getting enough turkeys to grocery stores to begin with. A shortage of labor when it comes to processing plants, a shortage of labor when it comes to trucking these birds, you know, from the farm to the processing, from the processing to the market.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They also said that the cost of running their farm has just gone up this year and that a lot of farmers have to respond by raising prices.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And on that note, the Farm Bureau released a new report showing that turkey prices this year are almost 25% higher than last year.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: People are going to the grocery store and they're either getting sticker shock because they've jacked the price up on a turkey. You know, a turkey that was $30 last year is now $65, $70.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Beyond the turkey shortage, what sort of price increases are we seeing elsewhere this year? We've been talking about the rising cost of groceries on the show, but now we're really seeing things start to accelerate.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That Farm Bureau report showed that the cost of an average Thanksgiving meal this year is up 14% compared to just one year ago. And that's not because any one product is more expensive. We've seen it in every industry.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Prices on pie crusts are up 20% this year, and dinner rolls are up 15%. So not just turkeys.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: You know, obviously all this adds up.
--:-- Georgia Howe: How have people reacted to these price spikes?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, a lot of people have said this is the first time that they're personally noticing how much more expensive food has gotten. Because Thanksgiving is one of the few times each year where almost everyone is doing their own cooking and their own shopping.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, it makes sense.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And of course, there's also the political side to this. We've seen a lot of people blame the Biden administration for the rising costs. And they've pointed out how the White House tweeted back in the summer that a 4th of July barbecue would be 16 cents cheaper than the year before. But they're now silent that prices are way up in the opposite direction.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On that note, Kristen Sue Ellen said they've noticed a difference in the last year under President Biden with regards to the farming industry.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Since President Biden took office, have you noticed a tangible difference in the farming industry?
--:-- Georgia Howe: A huge mark in the farming industry since Biden took office. Go down the list. Fuel prices, right? We're heavily reliant. We drive these ATVs. Grain costs because of the fuel prices and I'm sure other factors as well. You know, so just go down the list. Just the market stability is all over the place.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So now the question moving forward becomes how long prices will keep going up and how the president and his administration will respond.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, thanks for the reporting, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime. Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
--:-- John Bickley: Another story we're tracking this week. According to a new United Nations report, the ongoing supply chain crisis may drive costs of computers, apparel, and furniture up 10%. The report cites problems with container ship carrying capacity, container shortages, labor shortages, continued on and off COVID-19 restrictions, and congestion at ports. That could lead to price hikes through 2023.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you liked 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.
