--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Wire, and I'm here with my co-host Georgia Howe. It's Friday, January 31st.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, John. Today, we're going to cover the tragic plane collision in D.C., the confirmation hearings of three of President Trump's nominees, and the impact of illegal immigrants on local school systems.
--:-- John Bickley: Let's start with the plane collision. The investigation is still ongoing, but we do know that the American Airlines flight 5342 was originally slated to land on runway one, but the control tower diverted them to runway 33. This led to a collision with a Blackhawk helicopter just seconds later.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. And we're joined now by Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce, who's been following the story. Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me, Georgia.
--:-- Tim Pierce: We know a lot more now than we did yesterday about this crash. The recovery operations are now into a third day, and the belief is that there are no survivors from the crash. The goal now is to recover the bodies of all the victims. Sixty-four people were on the plane, and three soldiers were in the helicopter, so all 67 are sadly now presumed dead.
--:-- John Bickley: That's devastating news, Tim. Can you tell us more about the recovery process?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, the plane reportedly broke into three parts, and one or more of the segments landed upside down in waist-deep water. The helicopter also landed in water. Divers have been attempting to retrieve victims from inside the fuselage, many of whom are still buckled in their seats. But there have also been human remains removed from other locations in the river. It's an extremely painstaking and heart-wrenching process.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's heartbreaking, Tim. And what do we know about the investigation into the cause of the crash?
--:-- Tim Pierce: The New York Times reported on Thursday that the control tower diverted the plane to runway 33, which led to the collision with the helicopter. The FAA has revealed that the number of air traffic controllers on duty at the time of the crash was not normal for the quantity of aircraft, with a single controller monitoring both planes and helicopters.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big concern, Tim. And what about President Trump's comments on the crash? He seemed to imply that the air traffic controllers and the pilots of the Blackhawk helicopter may have been at fault.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right, John. President Trump suggested that the air traffic controllers, as well as the pilots of the Blackhawk helicopter, may have been at fault. He also seemed to imply that lower standards as a result of the Biden administration's DEI policies might have played a role.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a interesting point, Tim. And what about the victims of the crash? We've learned that about a third of the passengers were either figure skating athletes or coaches or their family members.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right, Georgia. According to U.S. figure skating, they were all on a return trip from a competition in Wichita. Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan broke down while talking about the tragedy at the skating club of Boston, which lost members in the crash.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a tragic loss, Tim. And we'll continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, Tim.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, let's move on to the confirmation hearings of three of President Trump's nominees. We're joined now by Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips, who's been following the story. Cabot, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me, John.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We're going to start with the hearing for Trump's nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel. From what we're hearing out of Washington, Patel has the best shot of the three to win confirmation, mainly because he's more of a known commodity on the right, having served previously as chief of staff for the DOD under the previous Trump administration.
--:-- John Bickley: That's interesting, Cabot. And what about the questioning from Senate Democrats? They expressed major concerns over his supposed support of January 6 rioters.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, that's right, John. Despite some furious questioning from Senate Democrats, things went pretty smoothly, all things considered. Patel was asked about his past statements on the FBI, specifically comments from last year in which he called for the Bureau's headquarters to be shut down and turned into a museum of the deep state.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty bold statement, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it was. And Democrats went on to question Patel on his views on the FBI more broadly. He was asked if he thought the FBI headquarters should be shut down, and he responded by saying that the best attacks on him are going to be false accusations and grotesque mischaracterizations.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a pretty defensive response, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it was. And we'll continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, let's move on to the hearing for Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. We're joined now by Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips, who's been following the story. Cabot, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me, John.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Gabbard came out swinging with a fiery opening statement, taking on criticism of her head-on. She said that those who oppose her nomination imply that she is loyal to something or someone other than God, her own conscience, and the Constitution of the United States.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty bold statement, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it was. And Gabbard was also asked about her past comments supporting former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. She refused to call him a traitor, which led to some heated questioning from Senate Democrats.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a pretty contentious issue, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it was. And we'll continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, let's move on to the hearing for Trump's nominee for surgeon general, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We're joined now by Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips, who's been following the story. Cabot, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me, John.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The hearing was pretty contentious, with Democrats focusing on Kennedy's views on vaccines. He was asked about his past comments on the safety of vaccines, and he responded by saying that he believes in the importance of vaccines, but he also believes in the importance of transparency and accountability.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty nuanced view, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it was. And Democrats also questioned Kennedy about his views on pharmaceutical companies. He was asked if he thought pharmaceutical companies were corrupt, and he responded by saying that he believes in the importance of holding pharmaceutical companies accountable.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a pretty bold statement, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it was. And we'll continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, let's move on to the impact of illegal immigrants on local school systems. We're joined now by Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak, who's been following the story. Luke, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Luke Rosiak: Thanks for having me, John.
--:-- Luke Rosiak: The Century Foundation, an influential progressive group, has said that school districts should resist deportation efforts because illegal immigrants bring in money for their budget. In other words, they're kind of saying the quiet part out loud.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty shocking statement, Luke.
--:-- Luke Rosiak: Yeah, it was. And it's not just the money. Illegal immigrants are also taking the place of American students in public schools. In Fairfax County, Virginia, the cost is $20,000 per American student, but $25,000 a year for school for English learners because the extra teachers required.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a pretty big difference, Luke.
--:-- Luke Rosiak: Yeah, it is. And it's not just Fairfax County. This is happening all over the country. Schools are essentially defrauding taxpayers by claiming that they need extra money to educate these students when in reality, they're just using it to line the pockets of teachers union members.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a pretty scandalous situation, Luke.
--:-- Luke Rosiak: Yeah, it is. And we'll continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for joining us, Luke.
--:-- Luke Rosiak: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: And that's all for today's show. Thanks for joining us, everyone.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: Don't forget to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast for more news and analysis.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And don't forget to check out our sponsor, Vanta. Get $1,000 off at Vanta.com/morningwire.
--:-- John Bickley: And finally, don't forget to save money on your insurance with Liberty Mutual. Only pay for what you need at LibertyMutual.com.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening, everyone.
--:-- John Bickley: And we'll be back tomorrow with more news and analysis.
