--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by Birch Gold Group. Diversify your savings with Birch Gold. Their experts can help you turn your 401k into a 401k in gold. Just text WIRE to 989898 today.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, March 12th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Robert Herr, the special counsel who led the investigation into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, testified today before the House Judiciary Committee.
--:-- John Bickley: In his opening statement, Herr said that he and his team conducted the investigation, like all the other work he's done for the DOJ, fairly, thoroughly and professionally.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He also defended his decision to consider the president's state of mind and memory in the report, noting there were several things Biden could not remember.
--:-- John Bickley: We interviewed the president and asked him about his recorded statement, "I just found all the classified stuff downstairs." He told us that he didn't remember saying that to his ghostwriter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He also said he didn't remember finding any classified material in his home after his vice presidency. And he didn't remember anything about how classified documents about Afghanistan made their way into his garage.
--:-- John Bickley: The White House has pushed back against Herr's report, while Democrats have attempted to liken it to former President Trump's handling of classified materials.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's a tense back and forth between Herr and Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California.
--:-- Adam Schiff: You could have written your report with comments about his specific recollection as to documents or a set of documents. But you chose a general pejorative reference to the president.
--:-- Robert Herr: You understood when you made that decision didn't you, Mr. Herr, that you would ignite a political firestorm with that language?
--:-- Adam Schiff: Politics played no part whatsoever in my investigative steps.
--:-- Robert Herr: You understood nevertheless, didn't you, Mr. Herr, that your words would not have created a political firestorm?
--:-- Adam Schiff: You cannot tell me you're so naive as to think your words would not have created a political firestorm. You understood that, didn't you, when you wrote those words?
--:-- Robert Herr: What you were suggesting is that I needed to provide a different version of my report that would be fit for public release. That is nowhere in the rules.
--:-- Adam Schiff: I was to prepare a confidential report that was comprehensive and thorough.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The transcript of Herr's five-hour interview with Biden is now public. It appears to show memory lapses as well as detailed exchanges.
--:-- John Bickley: Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Herr as special counsel to investigate the matter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Herr previously was a U.S. attorney for Maryland during the Trump administration.
--:-- John Bickley: The U.S. announced today it will send $300 million worth of weapons to Ukraine.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to the Pentagon, the Ukraine aid was put together with money that was saved from other army contracts that came in below cost.
--:-- John Bickley: The aid package will include defense interceptors, artillery rounds and armor systems.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's the first Ukraine security package since December when the Pentagon said it was out of replenishment money.
--:-- John Bickley: It was recently acknowledged that at the time they weren't just out of funds, but $10 billion over budget.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The core consumer price index rose to a higher than expected 3.8 percent year over year, a sign that efforts from the Fed to lower inflation have struck a rough patch.
--:-- John Bickley: According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, both the CPI and core CPI were 0.1 percent higher than expected.
--:-- Georgia Howe: BLS data shows food prices have risen over 2 percent year over year, while energy prices rose 2.3 percent.
--:-- John Bickley: Managing Director of Case Capital Partners, Kenny Polcari says this will force the Fed to reconsider rumored rate cuts until at least summer.
--:-- Kenny Polcari: That suggests that inflation remains sticky. That suggests that the Fed is having a hard time bringing inflation down and that rates are not restrictive enough maybe or that rates should stay exactly where they are and not be lowered the way a number of people on the street are screaming and yelling about that to think rates are too high, that it's restricting the economy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What this report shows is that, in fact, they're not restrictive enough because inflation is rearing its ugly head.
--:-- John Bickley: Housing prices still remain high as well, rising nearly 5.7 percent year over year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash morningwire.
--:-- John Bickley: That's shopify.com slash morningwire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest on a report from U.S. intelligence.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The report suggests that a more moderate government could succeed Netanyahu's government.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It also questioned the Jewish state's goal of destroying Hamas, saying the country will most likely face a grueling, years-long fight against the terrorist group.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The report also cast doubt on Netanyahu's ability to rule, saying distrust has deepened and broadened across the public and protests demanding his resignation are expected.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The assessment comes amid growing tensions between the Biden administration and the Israeli government, with the White House expressing concern over civilian deaths in Gaza, though the numbers have not been officially verified.
--:-- John Bickley: Three of America's biggest adversaries held joint naval drills near the Persian Gulf.
--:-- Georgia Howe: China, Iran, and Russia sent over 20 ships, support boats, and combat vessels into the Gulf of Oman.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Footage of the drills, named Marine Security Belt 2024, aired on Chinese state television and appeared in a Russian video.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A report by Iranian state television quoted the drill spokesperson saying that the drill which was the fourth between the nations since 2019 was also meant to build relations between the countries.
--:-- John Bickley: Iran has stepped up its military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow in response to tension with the U.S.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced he will resign last night, leaving the country in the hands of a yet-to-be-established government council.
--:-- John Bickley: The country has been in total disarray for about a week after 5,000 prison inmates escaped confinement in a coordinated gang effort, leading to extreme violence in the country's capital of Port-au-Prince.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The U.S. airlifted all non-essential personnel from the American embassy yesterday.
--:-- John Bickley: And a Boeing whistleblower who filed a complaint over safety concerns was found dead on Monday.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Officials say the former quality inspector appears to have died from a self-inflicted wound.
--:-- John Bickley: 62-year-old John Barnett had a long career at the aircraft manufacturer and sounded the alarm with aviation authorities in 2017.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In a statement from his family, they said he tried to shine a light on serious concerns, but was met with a culture of concealment that valued profits over safety.
--:-- John Bickley: This comes as U.S. air safety regulators found dozens of problems at several Boeing facilities during a six-week audit on production of the 737 MAX jet.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.
--:-- Mike Whitaker: We're working with Boeing and demanding that they come up with a very detailed plan within the next 90 days to fix the quality issues that are out there.
--:-- 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.
