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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The Biden administration has released a $2.7 billion payment to Iran that had been frozen due to sanctions. The president is committed to ensuring that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and we believe that diplomacy is the best means to accomplish that. Why has the U.S. quietly begun negotiations with the terrorist regime, and what does each country stand to gain?
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, June 15th, and this is Morning Wire. We have some breaking news right now. ABC News has confirmed. CBS News can confirm that Donald Trump, former President Trump, has been indicted. Has been indicted over his handling of classified documents.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): As mainstream media aired nonstop coverage of Trump's federal indictment, bombshell evidence alleging President Biden's involvement in a bribery scheme went largely ignored. And after 18 months, New York's top cop is leaving her post. Insiders blame Eric Adams, his management style, and his lack of vision for the latest high-profile resignation.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): While Mayor Adams is the mayor and he is the boss at the end of the day, sometimes, you know what, we need to stay in our lanes and let the people who we've hired, that we entrust, let them do their jobs.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The Biden administration has quietly resumed talks with one of America's foremost adversaries, Iran. The diplomatic efforts come as the authoritarian state has closely aligned itself with Russia and expanded its nuclear program.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Here with more on the high-stakes discussions is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So, a big development in the Middle East, what can you tell us?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, we talked last week about how the White House is attempting to reopen talks with China after years of icy relations, and it now appears they're doing the same with Iran. This week, it was revealed that the Biden administration has held a series of indirect conversations with Iran, speaking through intermediaries in Oman on three separate occasions.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The Biden administration has two main goals here. First, they want to negotiate the release of three Americans currently imprisoned in Iran on what the U.S. calls trumped-up charges. Those prisoners include an environmentalist and two businessmen.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Secondly, and most importantly, Biden wants to curb Iran's growing nuclear program. The country has a large stockpile of enriched uranium, and according to the U.N., has the resources to make at least two nuclear bombs.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And what do the Iranians want?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, for their part, Iran is calling on the U.S. to ease economic sanctions and release billions of dollars in gas and oil revenue that are currently frozen abroad. To that point, this week, the U.S. gave Iraq permission to pay $2.7 billion that it owed to Iran as part of an energy deal.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, some view the unfreezing of those funds as an act of good faith in these negotiations, but the Biden administration is insistent that the timing is coincidental and had nothing to do with the ongoing talks.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The Iranians have also expressed a desire to reenter the nuclear deal signed by President Obama in 2015 that Trump later pulled out of. And importantly, they want a pledge from the U.S. that we won't pull out of it again.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: While President Biden did campaign on reinstating that deal and might be open to the idea, Iran's demand that we make it binding in the future is difficult from a legal perspective. No president can force his predecessor to abide by a treaty that wasn't first backed by two-thirds of the Senate, which is really unlikely to happen in this case.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So, there probably going to be an impasse on that front. Now, tell us about the timing of these talks. Why is it coming now?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, they come amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. In recent months, the Iranian Navy has seized a number of oil tankers sailing in the Persian Gulf. And more importantly, they've deepened ties with American adversaries.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: In an attempt to get around U.S. sanctions, they've turned to China for economic support, exporting oil and gas, and importing a vast array of goods. China is now Iran's largest trade partner, which is starting to concern American officials.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And Iran has also deepened their military alliance with Russia over the past year. In exchange for Russian cyber weapons and surveillance software, the Iranians have supplied Putin with hundreds of military drones for use in their invasion of Ukraine.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And another international player to keep in mind here is Israel, America's closest ally in the region. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that he would not abide by any nuclear agreements between the U.S. and Iran, while Israeli leaders have said in the past that increased nuclear production from Iran could trigger a preemptive strike that they would consider defensive.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So, there's a delicate balancing act when it comes to negotiating with Iran.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, are these negotiations a political liability for Biden?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it's interesting on that front. Politically speaking, there's a reason the Biden administration is trying to keep these discussions under wraps.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Their team reportedly wants to avoid making Iran an issue in the 2024 race, and a formal deal would likely result in congressional oversight, which Biden wants to avoid.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The majority of Republicans in Congress, as well as a number of progressive Democrats, oppose any sort of nuclear deal with Iran and would put up a major fight.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Their general point of view is that Iran cannot be trusted to act in good faith on any agreement. They point to the 2015 nuclear deal as evidence, noting that Iran routinely violated the terms of that agreement and continued developing nuclear weapons in secret.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Lawmakers in opposition to a deal want even stricter sanctions on the regime and say that any agreement would simply result in the U.S. giving up leverage and ultimately play right into their hands.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): All right. Well, Cabot, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Coming up, mainstream networks ignore allegations of White House corruption. Last week, Network Nightly News ignored the revelations from an FBI document involving the Bidens and a Ukrainian company, Burisma.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The FBI document, which has now been seen by members of Congress, alleges that the owner of Burisma paid $10 million in bribes to the Bidens to shut down an investigation into the gas concern.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Here to discuss is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey, Dave.
--:-- David Marcus: So just how paltry was the coverage of the Biden story?
--:-- David Marcus: Morning. Media Research Center looked at the news coverage for ABC, NBC, and CBS from June 8th to the 12th. That's the four days after both the Trump indictment was announced and in which we learned the FBI document alleging a Biden bribery scandal was about Ukraine and Burisma.
--:-- David Marcus: The numbers could not be more stark. The Trump story garnered a whopping 291 minutes of coverage, while the Biden story got zero minutes. Zilch. Nada.
--:-- David Marcus: This despite the wide coverage of the Biden scandal in much of the conservative media. For example, the Biden story was on the cover of the New York Post on Monday, but nowhere to be found in the nightly network news.
--:-- David Marcus: And what explains the difference in this coverage between say the New York Post putting it on the front cover and nightly news passing on the story entirely?
--:-- David Marcus: A big difference I think the justification that the networks would give is that on its own the revelations from the FBI document don't prove anything.
--:-- David Marcus: And so taken in isolation, it's not something they need to cover. Now, let's set to one side the fact that this is not exactly how they treated President Trump.
--:-- David Marcus: But the difference for right-leaning outlets is that they see the claims in the FBI document as part of a larger picture of corruption, especially given that it involves the Ukrainian company Burisma, which we all know gave Hunter Biden an $80,000 a month board position when Joe was vice president, a position Hunter admits he only got because of his last name.
--:-- David Marcus: So they're choosing to look at it in the context of that larger story.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): It sounds like this isn't just about story selection, but a broader question about the nature of news itself. How divergent are the approaches becoming?
--:-- David Marcus: On some level, this comes down to a fundamental question of what news is and how it should be presented.
--:-- David Marcus: So, for example, on Tuesday night when Trump spoke at his club in Bedminster post-indictment, neither CNN or MSNBC took it live.
--:-- David Marcus: Both Jake Tapper and Rachel Maddow respectively said that because Trump allegedly lies or says, quote-unquote, dangerous things, it's irresponsible to show him live.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, this is a former president and the current GOP frontrunner. It is a big choice for a news outlet to essentially ban his live remarks.
--:-- David Marcus: There's another more conservative or traditional view of news in which you show the remarks and then do analysis, calling out lies if needed.
--:-- David Marcus: There's no right or wrong here. It's a subjective judgment, but it leaves Americans with two very, very different versions of the news, not just in subject matter, but also in form.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Yeah, indeed.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Speaking of those different approaches, because MSNBC appears to have beaten Fox News in primetime last week for the first time in the years.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Is this a blip or is a real change happening here?
--:-- David Marcus: It's probably a bit early to say.
--:-- David Marcus: Fox took a big hit in the ratings after canceling Tucker Carlson's top-rated show, and those losses seem to be lingering.
--:-- David Marcus: But we also have to remember that Trump being indicted was always going to be ratings gold for liberal outlets.
--:-- David Marcus: If your team wins the Super Bowl, you're a lot more likely to watch the post-game show.
--:-- David Marcus: And for many who dislike Trump, his indictments are a big win.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Look, this could be part of a bigger trend heading into 2024, especially at a time when social media companies like Twitter are also siphoning off audience.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Yeah, as we've noted here, that thread is particularly interesting.
--:-- David Marcus: Dave, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): New York City's police chief resigned this week, but she's not the only one. The head of police is just the latest in a string of top officials who have left Mayor Eric Adams' administration.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So, Maraid, who else has left Mayor Adams' administration?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Hi, Georgia. Several officials have left recently, specifically the officials responsible for crime, homelessness, and housing.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: These are some of the city's most stubborn and urgent problems.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Last month, the chief housing officer, Jessica Katz, resigned. In February, the city's social services commissioner, Gary Jenkins, resigned.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: And of course, on Monday, the city's police commissioner, Keyshawn Sewell, resigned suddenly. Mayor Adams and City Hall were blindsided by her departure which they thought wouldn't come until at least the fall.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Adams first deputy mayor, his chief of staff, and his buildings commissioner have also left their posts.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: And Adams is about to lose more important figures too. Adams' chief counsel, his communications director, and chief efficiency officer also plan to step down by the end of the summer.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: New York City mayors usually see some resignations, but they usually don't see this many until later in their term.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So what's going on here? Why such a mass exodus?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, different officials have different reasons, but Sewell reportedly felt boxed in by the mayor.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: There's also the perception that Adams and City Hall are attempting to micromanage the city, which becomes particularly problematic when you're dealing with dozens of agencies.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The mayor's communications director, the one who's stepping down this summer, suggested so many people are leaving because government work is extremely stressful right now.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Insiders who spoke to the New York Post said one reason for the high turnover is that Adams doesn't have a larger vision for his administration and has hired longtime friends for his inner circle.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Another person called the administration chaos.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Sewell received a huge standing ovation and round of applause from about 200 NYPD members and members of the public when she appeared at NYPD headquarters for her first public appearance since she resigned.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So it seems like she was well-liked.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Now, has Adams addressed all these departures?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Yes, he actually disputes the idea that there's a massive exodus of high-level staff.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: He's accused journalists who claim this of living in a bubble and reminded them that he oversees more than 300,000 city employees.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Adams said people aren't running for the door. Quote, everybody is running to do their job.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): On Tuesday, Adams went on the offensive on Sewell's departure. Everybody's talking about how much you loved her. Did you show her love when she was here?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: I showed her love. I adored what the commissioner was doing. And the rest of you should ask, what role did you play?
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): We should note, Adams has several big issues coming up with the city council. First, they're debating New York's $106 billion spending plan for 2024.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Also, Adams is opposing expanding the city's housing voucher program.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Meanwhile, New York is dealing with several urgent issues, including a housing crisis, a homeless crisis, and a flood of illegal migrants from the southern border.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Violent crime usually spikes in the summer too, so that's an upcoming concern.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Other issues that could cause problems for Adams are a potential commercial real estate crash and federal scrutiny of city jails.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Well, I can't imagine running New York City is an easy job, but hopefully Mayor Adams is up for it.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Maureen, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Other stories we're tracking this week. Marine veteran Daniel Penny has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The charges against the 24-year-old Penny are still unknown and will be released at his arraignment.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday against the censure of Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of California for his insistence that former President Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The vote was 225 to 196.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Hey, thanks so much for listening to our show.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): We created this to bring more balance to the national conversation.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): If you love the show and stand with our mission, consider subscribing, giving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): That's all the time we've got this morning.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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