--:-- John Bickley: People protesting New York City's migrant housing plans were arrested this week and their congresswoman is crying foul. We need to make sure that these people who were protesting peacefully on Staten Island against the mayor's misguided policies are also seeing that their charges are dropped.
--:-- Georgia Howe: How bad is New York's migrant crisis and how are the mayor and governor responding?
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire, Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, August 23rd, and this is Morning Wire. A rash of retail thefts in Los Angeles has the mayor vowing to crack down on crime. No Angelino should feel like it is not safe to go shopping in Los Angeles. No entrepreneur should feel like it's not safe to open a business in Los Angeles. What is the mayor promising and has she made any progress? And inflation and a potential recession are taking their toll on employees and their salaries. How is economic uncertainty affecting the labor market? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned.
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--:-- John Bickley: Multiple arrests were made in New York this week as protesters took to the streets in opposition to the city's migrant housing plans. The protests and arrests have become commonplace of late in Gotham as tempers flare over migrant shelters popping up in neighborhood after neighborhood. Here to discuss the uproar and the city's response is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey, thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: So first, tell us about the arrests made on Sunday. What exactly happened there?
--:-- David Marcus: Morning. Pertis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and former Republican mayoral candidate, was among those arrested outside of a senior living center on Staten Island. The small group of protesters was handcuffed and taken away in a police van. It's the second time in as many weeks that Sliwa has been arrested for this.
--:-- John Bickley: At issue was the claim that senior citizens were being denied housing so that migrants could take those rooms. And for this set of protesters, that was really a bridge too far.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, clearly. These protests have definitely become more regular. What's fueling the anger that's getting people out in the streets, even willing to block traffic and be arrested?
--:-- David Marcus: I think the answer lies in the fact that the crisis is really starting to hurt New York's most vulnerable populations. In this case, it was seniors. But one of the first protests came back in May when migrants were being housed in a school gym while classes were happening. Since then, we've seen these tent city Bidenvilles go up in playgrounds, on playing fields, pools, recreation centers. These are resources kids use. And also, there's going to be a huge influx of migrant students into already struggling public schools. Adults will put up with a lot, but as we've seen with COVID and with educational issues, when it comes to kids, parents can get pretty riled up.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, they do, and for good reason. What has the reaction been thus far from elected officials in New York? Does the city seem to be taking these concerns seriously?
--:-- David Marcus: Yes, and Democrats, including Mayor Eric Adams, have been pleading with the Biden administration to do more, not just in terms of assisting the city with the current migrants but really in cutting off the flow from the source at the southern border Republicans have been outraged over what they see as a double standard in the way these protesters have been treated compared to those who rioted in the summer of 2020.
--:-- John Bickley: Here's New York Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis on that point.
--:-- Nicole Malliotakis: People who attacked our police officers, looted businesses that rioted in the streets of New York City were arrested. But then guess what? All those charges were dropped. And now when we're seeing criminals on the street, repeat offenders being released because of the bail law, the NYPD was directed by the mayor to instead arrest protesters who simply stepped into the street. And so I'm calling for the district attorney to drop these charges. They should get equal treatment.
--:-- John Bickley: So Staten Island is a rare red spot in deep blue New York City. Is this a partisan issue or has the frustration mounted on all sides?
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, this is becoming more and more an equal opportunity outrage. According to the New York Post, 82% of New Yorkers call the influx a serious problem. 58% want to stop the flow. In a city that's about five to one Democrats, that's a lot of left-leaning people who see this as something that really needs to be addressed. And part of that is because this has gone on for a long time now. What started as a publicity stunt with border state governors bussing migrants to northern cities now feels like a permanent reality in New York. And nobody seems to have the slightest idea of how or when it's going to end.
--:-- John Bickley: Governor Kathy Hochul did announce some progress on Monday. She said the federal government agreed to allow the city to use an airfield to house the migrants. How much will that help?
--:-- David Marcus: I think every bit helps. Floyd Bennett Airfield is in a very remote part of Brooklyn that, frankly, most New Yorkers have probably never been to. So part of the idea here is out of sight, out of mind. But even that attitude from Hogle and Adams is raising some ire. Clearly, his honor does not want tent cities in tourist hubs like Midtown or Central Park. But working class New Yorkers in the outer boroughs obviously aren't happy having the problem sloughed off on them.
--:-- John Bickley: There's only one solution here, which is to cut the flow of migrants. But that doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon. Yeah, especially not with the legal crossings spiking again last month. Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Coming up, L.A. has a new task force to crack down on crime. Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a new task force to crack down on crime, but a string of recent high-profile releases have residents frustrated. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraida Lordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: So, Maraida, tell us about this press conference and what prompted it.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Well, on Wednesday of last week, the city of Los Angeles launched a task force to combat the uptick in retail theft, including organized smash-and-grab robberies involving large groups of thieves. The Organized Retail Crimes Task Force was announced by Mayor Karen Bass, the LAPD, and the Glendale Police on Thursday. What we've seen over just the past week in the city of Los Angeles and in cities and areas surrounding us is unacceptable And today we are here to announce regional action So to Angelenos our message is clear Those who commit these crimes will be caught they will be held accountable and we will work to address this issue.
--:-- John Bickley: It seems the straw that broke the camel's back was a high-profile smash-and-grab robbery at the Americana Mall in Glendale in early August. In that instance, an estimated 30 to 40 individuals stole more than $400,000 worth of merchandise from the YSL store. One individual was later arrested, charged, and released. Ironically, this arrest and release came on the same day as the press conference about cracking down on exactly this type of crime. So just one person caught, released the same day, and this all came right as they said they were cracking down on retail theft specifically?
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Exactly. Many residents were disheartened to see him released immediately, especially after the promise of more law enforcement action. And it's not just smash-and-grab crimes that citizens are concerned about. A man known as the Barnes & Noble Sniffer went viral a few weeks ago after being videoed crouching behind women at a Barnes & Noble bookstore attempting to sniff them from behind. The video outraged people, especially after it came to light that he had reportedly been in and out of jail since 2005 and was released again this month after being accused of peeping into a family's home where there were children.
--:-- John Bickley: Here's the woman who caught his behavior on tape at Barnes & Noble.
--:-- Woman: The fact that he's out there just able to do what he's been doing, and he's known for harassing and stalking these women for months, and teenagers. So until he does something really bad to someone, he's out there doing whatever he's been doing with a little slap on the wrist. I'm just lost for words, honestly.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: You really can't blame her for being frustrated. So what policy or policies are specifically to blame for the inability of the city to crack down on what seems like obviously bad behavior?
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Well, one of the most controversial policies is zero bail. LADA Gascon implemented a zero bail policy for all but dangerous criminals after he was elected. Last year, Gascon backed off the zero bail policy when he was facing a potential recall, but a judge reinstated the policy earlier this year. Since the fall of 2021, Los Angeles County has seen at least 170 organized retail thefts, including the smash and grab trend, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. In most cases, the suspects were either never caught or were released onto the street again.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, California might want to evaluate what other places are doing differently. Maureen, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- John Bickley: Starting salaries for new hires are starting to shrink as businesses grapple with inflation and economic uncertainty. The news comes after years of pay bumps for workers, especially those switching jobs. Here with more on the trend and what it means for workers is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, first off, give us some context here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah. So in many ways, 2022 was the year of the worker. Because of the incredibly tight labor market, workers had more leverage than ever and were really able to negotiate raises at a near record pace, with those switching jobs expecting to see hefty pay bumps. According to federal data, this time last year, workers who switched jobs averaged an 8.5% salary increase. That spike resulted in 50 million workers leaving their jobs in search of more money in 2022 That is the largest labor migration in American history But in recent months those numbers have cooled dramatically as employers have started to offer considerably less for new positions
--:-- John Bickley: So tell us about that new shift we starting to see.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, the first sign of trouble in the labor market came in the fall of 2022, when large tech companies began implementing mass layoffs and hiring freezes. Those mass layoffs soon spread from tech into other sectors, including insurance companies, retail, finance, consulting, entertainment, you name it. And that trend spooked employers around the country and chipped away at much of the leverage that workers had enjoyed throughout 2022.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, many of the same employers who'd offered significant pay bumps to new employees are offering considerably less than they were at the same time last year. According to a Wall Street Journal report, for example, among job postings on ZipRecruiter, the average salary has dropped in the majority of roles this year compared to last. At the same point last year, three quarters of job listings had risen annually. So we're talking about a very significant turnaround.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yes. And another useful metric here in tracking what's going on is the labor leverage ratio. That monitors the number of employees voluntarily quitting their jobs compared to those being fired each month. It gives a good idea of who has the power in the labor market. Well, according to that metric, worker leverage has fallen 26% since last spring. Unsurprisingly, the biggest drops have come in tech and media, where workers lost 68% and 58% of their leverage, respectively. And more broadly, the ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Index has fallen to its lowest level in well over a year. Again, further indicating that workers are well aware that they've just got less leverage in the market than before.
--:-- John Bickley: So what's behind this shift?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, a big factor is uncertainty about the future of our economy. With the fear of recession ever present, many employers are hesitant to bring on new workers, especially those demanding large salaries. Inflation and higher interest rates, unsurprisingly, have also cut into profit margins, meaning employers have less money to go around. It's econ 101.
--:-- John Bickley: But it is worth noting, it's not all bad news in the labor market right now. If you ask President Biden, the jobs market has never been better. He touts the fact that our economy has added around 13 million jobs in the last two years, and that unemployment currently sits at 3.5%, which is historically very strong. Wage growth has also held fairly steady this year at around 5% to 6%, which is technically above the current inflation rate. But on the other side, last month, the economy added just 187,000 new jobs. That was well below expectations and the lowest monthly mark since December of 2020. So more evidence of cooling. Republican lawmakers have also been quick to note that the vast majority of those jobs added since Biden took office were not new positions, but simply reflected people being rehired after COVID lockdowns had forced them out of work. They also note, importantly, that the low unemployment numbers can be deceiving, given the decreased labor participation rate. Since COVID lockdowns ended, millions of Americans simply never went back to work and stopped looking for jobs. The current labor force participation rate sits at just 62%, meaning there are nearly 2 million fewer Americans in the workforce today than there were in February of 2020. So that 3.5% of unemployment is a little bit misleading.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah. All right, well, Cabot, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- 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.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
