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--:-- John Bickley: The Chinese spy balloon that floated across the U.S. did, in fact, gather sensitive intelligence on U.S. military sites, despite what authorities told the public. We break down a new report detailing the claim. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, April 4th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A Supreme Court race in Wisconsin is smashing fundraising records. The progressive left has poured a huge amount of money into trying to capture state Supreme Courts. What's at stake and why are Democrats saying this seat is necessary to save democracy? Tennessee's governor announces a new school safety law following the horrific shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville. Plus, former President Trump is set to be indicted today in Manhattan. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Two months after the Chinese spy balloon was shot down after it crossed the American mainland, U.S. officials have confirmed the device did collect sensitive data from American military installations. contradicting previous claims from the Biden administration. Because we knew its path, we were able to protect sensitive sites against collection. Here with more on what sort of information the balloon was able to gather and how it contradicts the original White House response is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, new details emerging here. What have we learned? Well, quick refresher on that original incident. So back on January 28th, a Chinese spy balloon entered U.S. airspace over Alaska and then drifted into Canada. Four days later, it reentered our airspace in the skies over Montana. The balloon then continued to drift across the continental U.S. until it went over the Atlantic off the coast of South Carolina and was finally shot down.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, remember, at the time, the White House said they'd been tracking the balloon since it entered Alaskan airspace and had decided not to shoot it down because it posed a threat to civilians on the ground. And more importantly, because they were confident it was not transmitting any sensitive information back to the Chinese government. And they also released a statement saying, quote, it posed no military threat, but they also went a step further. But some officials telling CNN that our military had effectively turned the tables and was able to not only block the device, but actually gather intel on the balloon itself and basically do reverse spying.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: It's important to remember that claim was a crucial part of their response to the initial report of the balloon. But now we know that was not the case after all. Right On Monday a pretty stunning report from NBC News cited multiple U senior officials who say the balloon was actually able to gather data and other intelligence from some of our most sensitive military sites.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: According to these officials we were able to block some of the signals coming to and from the balloon but not all of them That means the craft was able to transmit sensitive data in real time back to the Chinese government Instead of taking pictures and collecting images, though, the balloon was primarily collecting electronic signals coming from our military bases. Those signals reportedly included communication between military personnel and even signals coming from our weapons systems.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And remember, the craft flew over four different military sites, including Malmstrom Air Force Base, where a number of our most sensitive nuclear assets are housed. So the bottom line is this spy craft was at least partially successful in spying. Despite what we were told by the White House, it did appear to gather sensitive information while traversing the country.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Okay, so what else did we learn that contradicts the previous narrative? Well, we also found out that China appeared to be controlling the craft the entire time it was in our airspace. That refutes claims from Chinese officials who still say it is not a spy aircraft, but a weather balloon that simply drifted off course.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: According to U.S. officials, the craft actually passed over some military sites multiple times, moving in a figure eight type motion to maximize time spent over our bases. The new report also confirmed that the device did have a self-destruct mechanism that was never initiated by the Chinese. Now, some military experts say there could have been a malfunction and that's why it never went off. But many others say the fact China did not blow it up likely means that they were gathering information and had no reason to.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: All right, so a lot of new details here. How has the Biden administration responded to this story? On Monday, White House official John Kirby reiterated to reporters that our military had limited the balloon's, quote, ability to be able to collect anything additive. Additive there is the important word. So essentially, they're still saying that anything the Chinese got was not useful.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But that has not alleviated the concerns of many who feel the administration did deceive people with their initial description of events. Well, that incident has really shaken a lot of Americans' views of our approach to national security. It has. We'll see what else comes out on this.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. Coming up, Wisconsin voters head to the polls to determine the balance of the state's Supreme Court. Looking to take your fitness routine to the next level? Nugenix has you covered. Nugenix is offering a complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total Tea when you text 231-231 and enter the keyword WIRE. Nugenix Total Tea testosterone booster with testophen will help you turn back the clock, re-energize your workouts, and feel like the man you really want to be.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Wisconsin residents head to the polls today to vote for a new state Supreme Court justice. The race has picked up unprecedented national attention and brought in a record-breaking $45 million in political cash. Here to discuss the political divide and the race's implications is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, first off, tell us about the candidates who are up for the seat. Sure. This election is for a judge seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Right now, the court has a four to three conservative majority, but a win for Democrats would reverse that. Democrats are backing liberal Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protosawix. She's embraced left-wing criminal justice reform measures as a judge and has been a vocal supporter of abortion.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Republicans are backing former Justice Daniel Kelly. He served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for about four years after he was appointed back in 2016. He lost re in 2020 Kelly is described as a constitutional originalist He received backing from the state sheriffs and he strongly supported by Wisconsin pro groups In total including the primary battle an estimated million has been spent in the race so far Just for some context, that's more than triple the record for any state Supreme Court race in U.S. history.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Since early on, Proto-Sawix has had enormous financial backing from Democrats outside of the state of Wisconsin. She was outspending Kelly by millions of dollars up until about mid-March. She had broadcast more than three times as many TV ads in Wisconsin than all pro-Kelly groups combined. Kelly, in the last few weeks, though, has started to close that gap.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, why is this race so important? Why is it getting so much attention? Well, this is part of a larger progressive strategy to win judicial positions at the state level. This Wisconsin seat is uniquely important because the state court is expected to rule on gerrymandering. Democrats hope that they'll be able to redraw state maps in ways to improve their odds in the House elections.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Right now, Wisconsin has eight congressional districts. Six of those are held by Republicans and two by Democrats. We spoke to Heritage Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky about this strategy from Democrats. They lost before the U.S. Supreme Court on the Wisconsin redistricting claim. Now they want to take control of the state court because they're hoping that the judges then of the state Supreme Court will suddenly claim that political gerrymandering violates the state constitution.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Von Spakovsky said Democrats have used this strategy already in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. They gained control of the state Supreme Court through the election process. And in fact, some of the judges who were running for that made campaign promises as if they were legislators that they would make sure that redistricting favored their political party. And in fact, they did exactly that.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: On that note, Protosawix herself has called the current maps rigged during the election. We know that the maps are not fair. But the question is, am I able to fairly make a decision on a case? Of course I can. How are the maps currently drawn and who do they favor right now? Well, Republicans have more seats. That's largely due to the geographic distribution of voters. Democrats have tended to concentrate in the two big city centers.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Republicans say the maps as they are right now generally keep legislative districts, cities, and counties together, which is constitutionally required. They say the changes Democrats want are largely based on race and unconstitutional. The maps Democrats are advocating for withdraw lines around so-called communities of interest. In the past, when they defended the new map in court, they argued that the Equal Protections Clause should prevent minorities from having their votes diluted.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected that argument, saying that race-based lines are unconstitutional. Democrats are also framing the race as vital for the upcoming presidential election, relating to any potential legal challenges. Remember, the Wisconsin Supreme Court tossed an election lawsuit from Donald Trump back in 2020, but that was a narrowly divided decision with a conservative swing judge joining the three liberals on the court.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: What's the conservative response been? Conservatives over the last few weeks have been scrambling to close the spending gap in this race. They're concerned that Protosawik's political remarks indicate that she'll be an activist judge. They argue she's broken rules of decorum for judicial elections and say this race could set a bad precedent of politicizing judicial elections to come.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire's Amanda Prestigiacomo. A week after the Covenant school shooting the state of Tennessee will move forward with a law to fund armed security at every public and private school in the state Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So Tim, before we get to the governor's announcement, we've learned some new details about the Covenant shooting, correct? That's right. On Monday, more details about the shooter's plans came to light. The shooter, again, was a 28-year-old female who went to the school years before and who police say recently began to identify as transgender. her. Police have now revealed that during the attack, she fired off 152 rounds.
--:-- Tim Pierce: They also say she planned the attack for months before carrying it out, taking time to study past mass shootings. And again, police have said she specifically targeted the Covenant School in part because of its lack of armed security. And that lack of security has prompted some action here in Nashville. What are some of the most likely reforms to come out of this current school safety push in Tennessee?
--:-- Tim Pierce: At the top of the list is money for armed guards in every public school. For private schools, the state is limited in what it can mandate, but one idea is funding grants that private schools can apply for to pay for their own armed security. Next is a focus on security upgrades such as magnetic locks on doors, more secure windows, and better security cameras. All that will be covered under state grants as well.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And the third solution is more money for mental health. Here's Lee on that. We will increase funding for mental health resources, double the amount of funding that we have for our school-based mental health liaisons, so that we not only have one in every county, but that we have multiple and many counties.
--:-- Tim Pierce: All right, so a lot of agreement on hardening schools and mental health. What other major changes could we expect to be worked out in the next few weeks? Well, one major consideration is red flag laws. It's not clear that there's enough room for agreement to get it passed, though. Red flag laws would allow authorities to take someone's guns away temporarily if that person is thought to be a danger to himself or others.
--:-- Tim Pierce: A lot of Tennessee Republicans are skeptical of law like that because of its potential for abuse, such as a person reported out of prejudice and not because they're actually a threat. How do these reforms stack up against other states? The shooting in Nashville has spurred school safety reforms across the country, and some of those proposals look very similar to what's being done in Nashville.
--:-- Tim Pierce: For instance, the state of Oregon is looking at more money for more secure schools. Lawmakers there are also looking at a bill that would put a crisis switch in classrooms that teachers can press as soon as an emergency begins to contact the local police department. Florida and a couple other states have adopted similar legislation in the past.
--:-- Tim Pierce: There's also some movement on the federal level as well. Tennessee's two senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Haggerty, have introduced the Securing Aid for Every School Act. That bill would create a $900 million federal grant program for school safety measures such as armed security guards or modern physical security.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire's Tim Pierce. Another story we're tracking this week. Trump's arraignment is set to take place today, the first time a former president has ever been indicted on criminal charges. In preparation, police in Manhattan have set up barricades and have been gearing up for protests.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, that's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know. IRA or 401k into an IRA and precious metals. Text WIRE to 989898 to get your free info kit on gold today. That's WIRE to 989898 today.
