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--:-- Georgia Howe: Polls in battleground states are tightening as the White House drops its economic message and goes on the attack.
--:-- John Bickley: We've seen some signs of improvement in terms of the favorability rating, how folks are thinking about the economy. But in a number of these states, he's still trailing President Trump.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We break down the latest from the campaign trail. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, March 28th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: NBC dumps Ronna McDaniel after several hosts launch an on-air mutiny.
--:-- Georgia Howe: You wouldn't hire a made man like a mobster to work at a DA's office, right? You wouldn't hire a pickpocket to work as a TSA screener.
--:-- John Bickley: And two shocking murders in New York City force Mayor Adams to confront the issue of crime and public safety. It is the good guys against the bad guys. And these bad guys are violent. They carry guns. And the symbol of our public safety, which is that police uniform, they have a total disregard for.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Producer Brandon: Hey, guys. ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. Z-Biotics produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. It's designed to work like your liver, but in your gut where you need it the most.
--:-- Producer Brandon: I drink Z-Biotics before my first drink on Friday night and woke up feeling great on Saturday. Go to zbiotics.com slash wire to get 15% off your first order with code wire at checkout. That's zbiotics.com slash wire today.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: With Election Day fast approaching, Donald Trump continues to lead Joe Biden in head-to-head polls, but the White House claims they're gaining ground.
--:-- John Bickley: Here with the latest from the campaign trail is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, you've been keeping a very close eye on the race for the White House. Get us up to speed a bit.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, the big story throughout the winter was the resilience of Donald Trump. Despite those highly publicized court cases, the former president went on a historic romp to the primary and from December to January, really pulled ahead of Biden in the vast majority of polls.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But as we head into the spring, the White House is claiming their campaign is showing signs of momentum. First, there was the State of the Union address, which while certainly polarizing, was received positively by the majority of Americans. Numerous polls showed around 60% of voters giving a thumbs up on that address.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That speech was followed by a string of campaign appearances in battleground states where President Biden went after Trump even more directly than he had in months past. And then this week came a new batch of polling from Bloomberg that showed Biden gaining ground on Trump in key battleground states like Nevada, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The White House was quick to tout those numbers as proof that Biden is riding a wave of momentum. But it is worth noting that same poll still showed Trump leading nationally by four points. And on average, he is still ahead of Biden in all seven swing states.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, we've seen a bit of a shift in campaign strategy from the president. Unpack that a little bit.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So throughout the fall and winter, Biden was really focusing his message largely on the economy, touting his so-called Inflation Reduction Act and what he called Bidenomics.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But that message simply fell flat as voters clearly disagreed with his rosy outlook on the economy. Remember, poll after poll has shown the vast majority of Americans disapprove of his performance on the economy.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And the White House seems to have taken note. You can tell by the president's use of the phrase Bidenomics. From June to November, he used the phrase more than 100 times in public appearances.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But last month, he did not say it once. Instead of trying to convince an electorate that inflation isn't that bad and that the economy is strong, it seems he's turning his focus more on Trump, trying to make the race a choice between stability or chaos.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But regardless, it's clear they are trying a new strategy. Now we'll have to wait and see if polling reflects a shift one way or the other.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Sounds like 2020 again.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So turning to Trump, there's been a growing buzz lately about a potential running mate announcement. What are we hearing?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, we all know Trump is a wild card and could pick someone totally unexpected, but we are starting to get a better idea of his shortlist.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Last month, he mentioned two names as potential picks, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Since dropping out of the primary, Scott has stumped for Trump at numerous events and has shown the ability in the past to win over establishment donors and more moderate portions of the GOP base that Trump has struggled at times to win over.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For her part, Noam has been a longtime Trump loyalist and earned praise from Republicans for her refusal to implement lockdowns in her state during COVID.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Noam could help Trump with suburban women, a voter bloc he's been open about targeting this year.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Other women whose names continue to pop up are Trump's former press secretary and current governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and even former Democrat Tulsi Gabbert.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Trump says he has made his mind up, but we'll have to wait and hear from him what that pick is.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, speaking of vice president picks, independent candidate RFK Jr. announced his pick this week. Who did he pick?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, on Tuesday, Kennedy tapped 38-year-old political newcomer Nicole Shanahan to be his running mate.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Shanahan is a successful attorney and tech entrepreneur, but is probably best known for being the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, typically, major party nominees wait until the summer to announce their picks, But there's a reason Kennedy announced his choice sooner.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: First, Shanahan is very wealthy and will provide a cash infusion for the campaign. To that point, she was the lead donor behind Kennedy's $7 million Super Bowl ad.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But more importantly is her role in RFK getting on the ballot in all 50 states, nearly half of which require a VP selection to move forward with the process.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So the timing here gives the Kennedy campaign a longer runway to secure the necessary signatures nationwide.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right, and he's going to be a major wildcard this cycle, it looks like.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yep, looks that way.
--:-- John Bickley: Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
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--:-- Producer Brandon: If you want to try Beam's best-selling dream powder, then go to shopbeam.com slash wire and use code wire at checkout for up to 40% off. That's shopbeam.com slash wire and use code wire for up to 40% off.
--:-- Megan Basham: NBC News is facing backlash for terminating its contract with former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel. The company reversed course on adding McDaniel to its roster following a revolt from its on-air hosts.
--:-- John Bickley: Here with more is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Megan, this story developed pretty quickly. Last Friday, NBC announced it was hiring McDaniel. Then NBC and MSNBC talent pretty vociferously criticized that decision over the weekend. Then NBC announced the deal was canceled by Tuesday.
--:-- Megan Basham: So first off, why were NBC employees so up in arms about hiring McDaniel? She was the RNC chairwoman. That seems like it would be a pretty solid resume for a job as a panelist.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, it does seem like that. But NBC and MSNBC employees insisted that it wasn't about her being a Republican or a conservative. They really focused their comments on the 2020 election, and they framed McDaniel as part of an election denial effort.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Chuck Todd, for instance, said, and I'm quoting here, the issue isn't about ideology, it's about basic truth. Those trying to make this a left-right issue are being intentionally dishonest.
--:-- Megan Basham: He then claimed that McDaniel tried to ruin the credibility of honest journalists like him when she spoke about the election results.
--:-- Megan Basham: He then went on Meet the Press and suggested that by the same reasoning, no one who has worked for the RNC in a high-profile role in recent years should be a welcome voice on NBC or MSNBC.
--:-- Megan Basham: Many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination.
--:-- Megan Basham: Now, MSNBC's top pundit, Rachel Maddow, said basically the same thing. Elections are fraudulent here anyway. Who cares if we give them up? Ronna McDaniel has been pitching in on that too, continuing to say since 2020 that that election wasn't right, that the American public should know that that vote wasn't real.
--:-- Megan Basham: So it's pretty amazing that these complaints were not happening behind the scenes, but right out there on the open airwaves.
--:-- Megan Basham: And that has opened up NBC and MSNBC to an avalanche of criticism because the company has had no problem welcoming people like Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and Stacey Abrams, all of whom have also claimed that some elections were fraudulent.
--:-- Megan Basham: So because of that seeming contradiction, some conservative pundits associated with NBC are crying foul.
--:-- Megan Basham: To give you one example, Hugh Hewitt, who moderated NBC's GOP primary debate just last year, said that he's never seen anything this brutal since he got started in media in 1990.
--:-- Megan Basham: That's a direct quote. And he pointed out that the 74 million people, really about half the country, who voted for Donald Trump are now very unlikely to trust or watch NBC News.
--:-- Megan Basham: Now, did the higher-ups at NBC explain their decision to drop McDaniel?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, they've kept their comments pretty broad. NBC News Group chair Cesar Conde said in a memo to staff that it was about having a cohesive and aligned newsroom.
--:-- Megan Basham: So he didn't specifically address the election denier angle, and NBC hasn't put out any sort of formal statement.
--:-- Megan Basham: What about McDaniel? Has she said anything?
--:-- Megan Basham: So she hasn't commented on the revolt at NBC, but she is reportedly looking at her legal options and media analysts are saying that it's pretty likely that she's going to get a major payday from NBC out of this.
--:-- Megan Basham: But I think it's likely to worsen an already incredibly siloed media landscape because McDaniel didn't just lose out on her NBC deal. A major talent agency, Creative Artists Agency, also dropped her as a client.
--:-- Megan Basham: And that's significant because it's not as if anything had changed for McDaniel. And you have to remember that multiple networks had reportedly tried to secure a deal with her when she became available. NBC won out.
--:-- Megan Basham: So CAA now dropping her suggests that they don't think they're going to be able to land her lucrative deals with those other legacy outlets now.
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, just goes to show how strong the legacy media infrastructure is.
--:-- John Bickley: Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Anytime.
--:-- David Marcus: A pair of shocking crimes rocked New York City this week, once again raising concerns about the safety of America's largest metropolis.
--:-- John Bickley: In addition to the brutal murder of an NYPD police officer during a traffic stop, a New Yorker was also thrown in front of a moving subway car and died from his injuries.
--:-- John Bickley: Here to discuss the troubling incidents and the city's response to them is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Morning, John. It was a terrible incident that really underscores the dangers that law enforcement face in New York and around the nation.
--:-- David Marcus: Officer Jonathan Diller and his partner saw a car parked in a bus zone. They approached it, told the two occupants to step out, at which point one of them shot Officer Diller, who fought back but later died of his wounds.
--:-- David Marcus: Both men in the car were career criminals with lengthy rap sheets. And rather than be arrested again with an illegal gun, one of them decided to murder a cop.
--:-- David Marcus: That suspect was himself shot by police but is expected to recover.
--:-- David Marcus: Really a tragic situation there.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, the other incident saw yet another New Yorker pushed into the path of a subway car, something we've seen before and is truly a terrifying prospect.
--:-- David Marcus: What happened there?
--:-- David Marcus: Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Jason Boltz, a 54-year-old man, was apparently intentionally shoved into the path of a train by a mentally disturbed suspect who once again had a recent history of arrests and was in fact out on bond pending a trial that had been set for July when this killing took place.
--:-- David Marcus: He's now been charged with murder and is being held.
--:-- David Marcus: Violent crime on the subway was up 53% last year compared to pre-pandemic levels. And even with increased policing, including now some National Guardsmen, the problem clearly has not abated.
--:-- David Marcus: And another New Yorker has lost their life.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, the New York Times has referred to some of this violence as random, quote unquote, as opposed to systemic.
--:-- David Marcus: Is the mayor taking this problem seriously enough for New Yorkers liking?
--:-- David Marcus: Both the media and the mayor's office, as well as nationally, the Biden campaign, have argued that some overall violent crime numbers have come down, albeit from lofty heights.
--:-- David Marcus: But it's not clear that New Yorkers or Americans in general feel that in their gut yet.
--:-- David Marcus: Mayor Adams has cited recidivism as a major contributing factor here, as he did at a press conference this week.
--:-- David Marcus: April 2023, less than a year, gun charge. He's back on the streets. This is what you call not a crime problem, a recidivist problem.
--:-- David Marcus: Same bad people doing bad things to good people.
--:-- David Marcus: And he's right that a small percentage of New Yorkers commit the vast majority of these crimes, but the city struggles to either keep them locked up or to rehabilitate them when they are released.
--:-- David Marcus: And as to the mental health crisis, the real problem is that there is no clarity as to when authorities can compel a dangerous, mentally ill person to get treatment before they commit a potentially deadly crime.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, that's the key there.
--:-- John Bickley: Finally, is there any evidence that the persistent migrant crisis in New York is contributing to this overall issue of crime?
--:-- David Marcus: I mean, look, this is notoriously difficult to answer, John, largely because most municipalities, including New York, don't keep track of the immigration status of criminal suspects.
--:-- David Marcus: But look, Donald Trump is clearly trying to tie these issues together, referring to a migrant crime crisis.
--:-- David Marcus: So Republicans are banking on the migrant and crime issues co-mingling in the minds of voters.
--:-- David Marcus: And thus far, it looks like a pretty decent bet.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, especially with both issues ranking so high among voters' priorities.
--:-- John Bickley: Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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