--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- John Bickley: The work of cleaning up the aftermath of Hurricane Ian has begun, and politics are taking center stage. A potential meeting between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and President Biden has political observers on high alert.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, October 4th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: The immigration crisis is playing a prominent role in border state elections, and at least one gubernatorial candidate is promising to fight illegal immigration on her own terms.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm issuing a declaration of invasion on day one. We're going to start sending troops to the border in key areas where people are coming across, and we're going to stop people from coming across.
--:-- John Bickley: Several L.A. district attorneys are claiming they were demoted after they spoke out against their boss, George Gascon.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We had been suffering in the office and the L.A. County citizens have been suffering for a year under Gascogne's unlawful policies. And I couldn't remain silent anymore.
--:-- [Producer Colton speaks in the background]
--:-- Colton: Hey, guys, producer Colton here in an economy as volatile as this one. It's important to have control when you're making a big purchase like, let's say, a new car. That's where Morning Wire's new partners over at CarZing come into play.
--:-- Georgia Howe: CarZing is an online car shopping website with millions of listed vehicles. By partnering with credit agencies, lenders, and dealerships, their innovative technology and financial tools let you instantly pre-qualify online without affecting your credit score.
--:-- Colton: Once you find your dream car at your ideal budget, all you have to do is bring your save deal voucher with you to the dealership to finalize your next ride. Visit Karzing.com slash wire today to skip the guesswork and find the best deals near you.
--:-- John Bickley: In the aftermath of devastation from Hurricane Ian in Florida, President Joe Biden will reportedly head there Wednesday to survey the damage and the federal response. But there's one potential meeting that has sparked the interest of a lot of politics watchers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If the president visits Florida as planned, he may meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Joining us to talk about it is columnist David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey, Dave. What should we be looking for in this Florida visit?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Morning. The most natural analogy is from 2012 when Barack Obama visited New Jersey in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and was hugged by then-governor Republican Chris Christie.
--:-- David Marcus: A lot of folks, including some not-so-happy Republicans, thought the embrace and show of support from Christie helped Obama win reelection just a few weeks later. This is almost the inverse because this time it's DeSantis on the ballot for reelection.
--:-- John Bickley: So if there are any goodwill political credits to be earned, he's the one in a position to spend them right now. If the natural dynamic here is more disposed to help DeSantis, what would the Biden administration want out of this? What would be a best case scenario for the meeting?
--:-- David Marcus: It's funny. I asked a few elected officials I know about this, and one of them told me, You can give a pat on the back and an attaboy but you don't have to hug. I think that's what you see. But it's awkward because DeSantis is clearly among the Republicans Biden has called semi. And it's rare for a sitting president and a sitting governor to have gone at each other on such equal terms.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to protocol and etiquette, this is the president's show. It's his meeting. But given that these two are already talked about as the potential 2024 matchup, that could be hard to pull off.
--:-- David Marcus: Of late, Biden seems to toggle back and forth between fairly drastic rhetoric about Republican extremists and the danger they pose, and then a message of unity and optimism. Is this an opportunity for the president to maybe take down the partisan temperature a bit?
--:-- John Bickley: Yes, I'm sure it is, but it's difficult when the lion's share of Democrat candidates nationwide are running races based on Republicans trying to take away people's rights and supporting insurrections and the like.
--:-- David Marcus: We noted signs here about two weeks ago, that this angry rhetoric was helping Biden's personal numbers, but hurting Democrats in swing Senate races. And that's really been confirmed now in places like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Wisconsin.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So there's a strong political case for a kumbaya, let the past be the past moment here. But given its past, we shouldn't hold our breath for a major pivot from this administration.
--:-- David Marcus: What has the media reaction been thus far to DeSantis's handling of the hurricane and the ensuing emergencies? He's been very front and center in handling the disaster. How is that playing out?
--:-- John Bickley: It's been a mix, but fairly positive. In recent days, he has been criticized for not evacuating Lee County, which had dozens of fatalities earlier. But as his campaign has pointed out, nobody was calling for that at the time. The storm just shifted.
--:-- David Marcus: Here's how the governor handled the question when asked by CNN. Do you stand behind Lee County's decision to not have that mandatory evacuation until the day before the storm? Well, did you where was your industry station when the storm hit? Were you guys in Lee County? No, you were in Tampa. So that's you know, they were following the weather track and they had to make decisions based on that.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Some commentators, notably The New York Times' Maggie Haberman, among others, have pointed out that the test of a major storm isn't just the immediate response, but the long-term recovery. That really feels like a concession that the immediate reaction has been pretty good, but it leaves open the possibility of criticism down the line, perhaps even during a presidential run.
--:-- David Marcus: Before that, of course, is the election. How are the prospects looking in his race against Charlie Crist? Well, back in August and early September, as with many races, it looked like it had tightened up. But even before Hurricane Ian, DeSantis was back up to high single-digit leads in the polls.
--:-- John Bickley: There's a lot of confidence that he'll win, and maybe even that he could make Marco Rubio's Senate race against Val Demings a little easier for Republicans to hold.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it's going to be really interesting to see how this all shapes up. Thanks for joining us today, David.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. Coming up, an Arizona gubernatorial candidate pledges to take border security into her own hands.
--:-- Colton: Do you like to be the first to know about trendy news and current events? If so, you gotta get the Daily Wire Plus app. Not only will you receive mobile notifications whenever something's happening, but you'll also have access to the best commentary to break it all down.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Download the Daily Wire Plus app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
--:-- John Bickley: U.S. officials are aware of about 600,000 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally in the past year and were never apprehended by authorities. These gotaways are in addition to over 2 million migrants processed at the southern border in fiscal year 2022.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to discuss the border crisis and its impact on midterms is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So, 600 migrants seems like a lot. How does that compare to other years?
--:-- John Bickley: Other years aren't anywhere close to that number. Georgia Officials reportedly counted at least 599,000 gotaways in fiscal year 2022. That's the most that have ever been tallied in one year.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Last year, which was also a historically high number, officials counted nearly 390,000 gotaways. For those who aren't familiar, gotaways are aliens who entered the U.S. illegally and were seen doing so, whether by camera or sensor or something else, by Border Patrol agents, but they weren't apprehended because of a lack of manpower.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So 599,000 is the minimum, but the actual number of gotaways could be higher. Now, how is the border crisis factoring into midterms? Well, it's given Republicans good leverage against Democratic opponents across the Southwest, and it appears to be a pretty important issue in a few places.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Of course, you remember Republican Mayra Flores. She's a Mexican-born American and the wife of a Border Patrol agent. She won a special election in Texas earlier this year in a historically blue region. In Arizona, Republican Carrie Lake is leading Democrat Katie Hobbs in the race for governor.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And Lake's agenda on immigration, if she gets a chance to implement it, would be the toughest we've seen from a state government.
--:-- Tim Pierce: I spoke to the Arizona gubernatorial candidate last week. She told me that she plans to shut down illegal immigration along Arizona's border and begin deportations. I don't want to send illegal immigrants and illegal aliens to Martha's Vineyard in Chicago. It's fun to watch, you know, them complain about 50 illegal aliens.
--:-- John Bickley: When we're dealing with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, we want to stop them at the border, which is my right to do as a governor. And it's what everyone's governor should be doing who's on a border's face.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Lake said that she had already been building support among other states for her hard-nosed approach to border policy. So we've already talked with some other governors, including Governor DeSantis. He's agreed to send his National Guard. And we're going to ask Governor Youngkin next week to agree. And we have other governors who are willing to help out.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right. And are there any other states where immigration policy is as important for voters? Yeah. Nevada is an abhorred state, but it's been feeling some of the impacts of illegal immigration, especially the drug trade.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Republicans in the state have been edging out Democratic incumbents across a series of statewide races in recent polls. Former State Attorney General Adam Laxalt is leading Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in at least five consecutive polls.
--:-- John Bickley: Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo is running ahead of Governor Steve Sisolak in several polls as well. Republicans are also ahead in state races for attorney general, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, I always like to take the polls with a grain of salt, but the trend looks good tentatively for Republicans in Nevada.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire's Tim Pierce. Three Los Angeles prosecutors claim they were demoted after publicly criticizing progressive district attorney George Gascon.
--:-- John Bickley: The prosecutors who openly supported the recall were transferred to non-supervisory positions after the recall effort against Gascon failed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire investigative reporter Marit Alordi is here with more details for us.
--:-- Marit Alordi: So, three senior prosecutors in Los Angeles, each with decades of experience, were reassigned last week after they publicly criticized D.A. Gascon for what they say are his soft-on-crime policies.
--:-- John Bickley: One of the prosecutors, Jason Lustig, said that on Thursday, with no prior notice, he was informed that he was being reassigned from his current position as assistant head deputy district attorney in the Long Beach Courthouse to a non-supervisory trial deputy role in the downtown Los Angeles Courthouse.
--:-- Marit Alordi: Here's Lustig speaking to Fox News. My title and supervisory status have been taken away, and the position I've been put in as trial deputy in the major narcotics division. While it is an important position, it's a position that I held as a grade two deputy DA in 1994.
--:-- John Bickley: Why has he done this? Because when the second recall started, I could no longer remain silent.
--:-- Marit Alordi: Lustig did say that despite what he views as a demotion, his salary has not changed. Two other senior prosecutors were also reassigned, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney and Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, both of whom worked in the elite major crimes division.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so three senior prosecutors appear to have been demoted. Has Gascon's office responded to these allegations?
--:-- Marit Alordi: Yes, so Gascon's office told Morning Wire in a statement that essentially this is nothing out of the ordinary. Special Advisor Tiffany Blacknell said the office routinely conducts personnel transfers and that this particular transfer included nearly 50 employees.
--:-- John Bickley: The DA's office said that no employees were demoted during this process and that, quote, we take issue with the insinuation that only the people currently assigned to the major crimes division are capable of doing challenging work, calling that idea blatantly false.
--:-- Marit Alordi: The office added that all victims deserve to have a highly skilled prosecutor to prosecute the person who caused them harm, not just the ones that make the evening news.
--:-- John Bickley: Lustig responded to the office's explanation by acknowledging that some of the transfers are likely in the normal course of business, but he said that it just so happens that three senior prosecutors who all criticized Gascon have been put in basically entry-level positions.
--:-- Marit Alordi: Lustig says he plans to file a grievance over the transfer and then potentially legal action after that. But he said that some of his colleagues are scared of Gascon's, quote, scorched-earth, vindictive behavior.
--:-- John Bickley: All right, so some very strong words from Lustig. Have the other prosecutors publicly commented on this? Yes, McKinney has.
--:-- Marit Alordi: McKinney was one of the first and most outspoken critics of Gascon. He told Morning Wire he will likely file a grievance. And he will challenge Gascon for DA in 2024.
--:-- John Bickley: Here's McKinney speaking to Fox News. He took three of the most veteran prosecutors to so-called untouchables. And he didn't just punish us, but he tried to humiliate us.
--:-- Marit Alordi: McKinney went on to say he was taken off the high-profile murder case of UCLA grad Brianna Kupfer, who was stabbed to death while working at a furniture store.
--:-- John Bickley: I had to call her family and let them know that I would no longer be able to handle the case going forward. I had that case since its inception. I filed the case. I built a rapport with them. They trust me. And now all of a sudden I'm going to be gone and there's going to be a new prosecutor that they're going to have to get reacquainted with. I don't think George Gascon realizes how traumatizing that is for a victim going through what they're going through.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, as we've noted on Morning Wire before, total crime in L.A. is up 12 percent with fewer violent criminals and re-offenders being prosecuted under Gascon's policies.
--:-- John Bickley: Right. And it's exactly statistics like that that prompted the recall effort in the first place.
--:-- Marit Alordi: Marit, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks, John.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire investigative reporter Marit Alordi. Another story we're tracking this week. The Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to the federal vaccine mandate for health care workers.
--:-- John Bickley: Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh sided with the liberals to form a majority in January to allow the mandate to remain in place while a decision was reached in a lower court.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation. If you love our show and you stand with our mission, consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
