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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire, I'm John Bickley.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Get $250 when you join Ramp. Just go to ramp.com slash wire. That's R-A-M-P dot com slash wire today.
--:-- John Bickley: Elon Musk announced today his plans to sue, quote, perpetrators and collaborators involved in the advertising boycott against his social media platform X. This comes after the Republican-run House Judiciary Committee exposed collusion within the coalition of advertisers known as the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. GARM is accused of encouraging its members to keep their ad dollars away from conservative outlets.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Several witnesses testified at a hearing yesterday, including Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro. Social media companies react to incentive structures, including threats. They've responded by adopting the standards of third-party left-wing informational safety groups like the Global Alliance for Responsible Media or GARM. GARM purportedly sets brand safety standards objective standards by which advertisers and platforms can supposedly determine just what sort of content ought to be deemed safe for advertising In reality Garm acts as a cartel
--:-- John Bickley: Following yesterday's hearing, Musk tweeted quote Having seen the evidence unearthed today by Congress, X has no choice but to file suit against the perpetrators and collaborators in the advertising boycott racket.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Inflation cooled slightly in June, dropping down to 3% year over year, the lowest rate of inflation we've seen in nearly three years. The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, which measures the price of goods and services, dropped 0.1% in June. Core CPI, which omits food and energy costs, rose by the same amount to 3.3% year over year. The Federal Reserve seeks to keep inflation at 2%.
--:-- John Bickley: In congressional testimony this week, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told Congressman Mike Lawler that he has not spoken to President Biden about the economy or inflation since May of 2022. Have you had any private meetings with the president since that time? No. Any phone calls with the president? I don't believe so. Is there any reason why you've not met with or spoken to the president? I mean, I meet with any president calls, you come and you meet, but that hasn't happened, so. So in over two years, with inflation still nagging us, With cost out of control, President Biden has not asked to meet with you in over two years. I haven't had a meeting with him. He hasn't sought a meeting. And of course, I don't seek meetings.
--:-- Georgia Howe: As questions surrounding President Biden's mental fitness continue to circulate, he set to be tested this evening in a solo unscripted quote unquote big boy news conference. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Biden's press conference comes as more Democratic lawmakers called for him to step aside Thursday. Democrats are reportedly anxious to see if the president can handle questions without faltering and alleviate concerns about his ability to lead. The event comes as internal party discussions intensify over his candidacy and the looming threat of a Trump rematch.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Vermont Senator Peter Welch became the first senator to call for the president to step aside, writing this week in an op-ed about Biden's, quote, disastrous debate performance and the rising concerns about his candidacy. His call adds to the growing list of Democrats urging Biden to withdraw, including around a dozen House members.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Welch's announcement also came just hours after an op-ed written by actor George Clooney called for Biden to step down just weeks after he hosted a fundraiser for the president. According to a report, former President Barack Obama knew about Clooney's op-ed ahead of time, and did not try to stop it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The House approved the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. On this vote, the yeas are 221, the nays are 198. The bill is passed. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.
--:-- John Bickley: The measure, which passed yesterday, 221 to 198, aims to prevent non-citizens from voting in federal elections. House Speaker Republican Mike Johnson supported the bill, stating it ensures only Americans vote in U.S. elections. However, House Democrats and the White House oppose the bill, arguing it could disenfranchise eligible voters.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Despite its passage in the House, the bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate and a potential veto from Biden. Congressman Chip Roy, the author of the bill, told Fox News this morning even if the bill fails in the Senate they keep fighting We see where Democrats are on this before this year is over and we'll just keep fighting to move it forward. Elections have consequences. We need to go fight to make sure that we can win this November. This bill is a giant step forward to do that, and we'll have to focus on our states if they refuse to do it.
--:-- John Bickley: Box office receipts for the faith-focused film The Sound of Hope, The story of Possum Trot exceeded expectations in its opening weekend. The new film by Angel Studios, released in partnership with The Daily Wire, brought in $6.8 million.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: In addition to the nearly $7 million box office performance, the film received a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A-plus on CinemaScore. The film tells the story of Donna and Reverend Martin and their community, which adopts 77 of the hardest to place children in the foster care system.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Despite the film's success and apolitical message, however, Black Panther star and Sound of Hope executive producer Letitia Wright has distanced herself from the project. Wright criticized The Daily Wire's partnership with Angel Studios on social media, writing that it's a shame to see pockets of discourse online take a divisive political turn.
--:-- Jeremy Boring: Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boring responded, He called Wright's comments an unfortunate example of the intolerance of the modern left and a distraction from the film's message and success.
--:-- John Bickley: Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
