--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Good morning, I'm John Bickley, and welcome to Morning Wire. I'm joined today by my co-host Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us, John.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Today, we're covering a lot of ground. British comedian and podcaster Russell Brand is denying claims of sexual assault. A strike by the United Auto Workers enters its fifth day, and a tragedy in a New York daycare leaves a one-year-old dead, highlighting the massive threat posed by fentanyl.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. Let's start with Russell Brand. Comedian and podcaster Russell Brand is refuting allegations of sexual assault, including rape, which were reported over the weekend as part of a years-long joint media investigation between The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4 dispatches.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's right, Georgia. Russell Brand is denying the allegations, saying the relationships he had were absolutely always consensual. But what is being alleged, and why is Brand calling this a coordinated attack?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, John, according to the investigation, four women are accusing Brand of sexual misconduct, dating back to 2006 through 2013. The most serious accusation comes from a woman who claims Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home back in 2012.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's a very serious allegation. And it's not just one woman making these claims. What's Brand's response to this been?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Brand attempted to get ahead of these allegations by posting a video to Rumble and denying any non-consensual encounters. He's also been pretty open about his promiscuous past, but insists that his encounters were always consensual.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And it's not just the allegations against Russell Brand that are making headlines. The media outlets that conducted the investigation, including Channel 4, have had to open investigations into their own actions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. Both Channel 4 and the BBC, where Brand used to work, are looking into their own handling of the situation.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Alright, let's move on to the strike by the United Auto Workers. A strike by the union enters its fifth day today, and it's rattling the U.S. auto industry.
--:-- Guest (Cabot Phillips): Thanks for having me on the show, John.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, Cabot, what's behind this strike, and how could it impact the economy?
--:-- Guest (Cabot Phillips): Well, John, the United Auto Workers Union is demanding a slew of pay raises and new benefits, including a 36% raise, a 32-hour workweek with 40 hours of pay, and the return of pension funds and healthcare for retired workers.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's a very tall order. And the automakers are saying they're willing to offer a 20% raise, but that meeting all of those demands would threaten the viability of their companies.
--:-- Guest (Cabot Phillips): That's right, John. The union is saying that the companies are raking in record profits and should give workers their fair share. But the automakers are saying that meeting the union's demands would put everyone out of work.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And this strike is unique in that the union is staggering their walkouts in different cities with no warning. What kind of impact do you expect this strike to have on the economy?
--:-- Guest (Cabot Phillips): Well, John, if every member of the union goes on strike, it could cost the U.S. economy $5 billion every 10 days. And that's not counting the impact on tax revenue, employees at car suppliers and dealerships, and the price of cars.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's a lot of potential damage. And this strike is just one of many high-profile strikes we've seen in the last year.
--:-- Guest (Cabot Phillips): That's right, John. We've seen strikes in Hollywood, among rail workers, and now auto workers. According to new Labor Department data, 2023 has seen 4.1 million missed days of work as a result of strikes.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Alright, let's move on to the tragedy in the New York daycare. A one-year-old child was killed and three other children hospitalized last week after being exposed to fentanyl at a daycare center where drugs were being cut.
--:-- Guest (David Marcus): Thanks for having me on the show, John.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, David, can you give us an outline of how this all went down?
--:-- Guest (David Marcus): Well, John, police responded to an emergency call on Friday afternoon to the daycare center in the Bronx borough of New York City, where they found four toddlers unconscious. They were rushed to the hospital where one of them, Nicholas Feliz Domenici, died.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's a terrible tragedy. And it's not just the death of the one-year-old that's alarming. Fentanyl is now regularly cut into drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and even fake pharmaceuticals like Adderall that are commonly taken by teens and young adults.
--:-- Guest (David Marcus): That's right, John. Fentanyl is a massive threat, and it's only getting worse. According to the National Safety Council, there were over 67,000 preventable fentanyl deaths in 2021, a 26% increase from the previous year.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's a staggering number. And it's not just the number of deaths that's alarming. Fentanyl is now regularly cut into other drugs, making it even more deadly.
--:-- Guest (David Marcus): That's right, John. Fentanyl is a major problem, and it's only getting worse. And it's not just a domestic issue. Fentanyl is coming from China, mainly manufactured by the Mexican Jalisco and Sinaloa drug cartels.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Alright, that's all the time we have for today. Thanks for waking up with us, and we'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
--:-- [Theme music starts playing]
