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--:-- John Bickley: Good morning, and welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire, and I'm here with my co-host Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, August 4th.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Good morning, John. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: We've got a lot to cover today, so let's dive right in. The NFL is back, and FanDuel's got everything you need to play your game. From same-game parlays to live betting. Right now, new customers bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. 21-plus in president select states. 18-plus in Kentucky and Wyoming. Must be first online real money waging. $5 deposit required. Bonus issued is non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See full terms at FanDuel.com slash sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Nearly a year after the much-criticized U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country is in ruin. One success was the takedown of al-Qaeda's leader in Kabul. Justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more. We have a firsthand account of what it's like on the ground in the Taliban-controlled country.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. We're joined by former AFP Afghanistan Bureau Chief Lynn O'Donnell to discuss the implications and the situation on the ground there now.
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: Thank you for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: First, let's talk about the killing of this al-Qaeda leader right there in the heart of Kabul where you recently visited. What do we know?
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: Well, as far as we know, in the early hours of the 31st of July Kabul time, Eman al-Zawahiri, who is the leader of al-Qaeda, was taking the air on a balcony of a house that he was living in, in a Shishi area of Kabul. And he was hit by a drone, at least one we know of, maybe more, that also killed the son and son-in-law of his host, whose name is Sirajidin Haqqani, who is one of the senior leaders of the Taliban.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, how did U.S. officials know where the terrorist al-Zawahiri was going to be?
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: Well, finding out is all about human intelligence on the ground, as it was with Osama bin Laden. You have to find somebody who can tell you that this person is in this place. And then what they appear to have done is long-term surveillance to make sure that the person who'd been identified as al-Zawahiri was in this particular building and was there long-term.
--:-- John Bickley: Okay, now what about the political implications? What does the taking down of an al-Qaeda leader in Kabul mean politically?
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: Well, there are a whole lot of levels there, a whole lot of layers. If you're talking about what it means to the Taliban in my view, it exposes fictions, frictions, factions within the Taliban that have been becoming increasingly clear over the last few months.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Joining us to discuss the implications and the situation on the ground there now is former AFP Afghanistan Bureau Chief Lynn O'Donnell.
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: First, let's talk about the killing of this al-Qaeda leader right there in the heart of Kabul where you recently visited. What do we know?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, as far as we know, in the early hours of the 31st of July Kabul time, Eman al-Zawahiri, who is the leader of al-Qaeda, was taking the air on a balcony of a house that he was living in, in a Shishi area of Kabul. And he was hit by a drone, at least one we know of, maybe more, that also killed the son and son-in-law of his host, whose name is Sirajidin Haqqani, who is one of the senior leaders of the Taliban.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, how did U.S. officials know where the terrorist al-Zawahiri was going to be?
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: Well, finding out is all about human intelligence on the ground, as it was with Osama bin Laden. You have to find somebody who can tell you that this person is in this place. And then what they appear to have done is long-term surveillance to make sure that the person who'd been identified as al-Zawahiri was in this particular building and was there long-term.
--:-- John Bickley: Okay, now what about the political implications? What does the taking down of an al-Qaeda leader in Kabul mean politically?
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: Well, there are a whole lot of levels there, a whole lot of layers. If you're talking about what it means to the Taliban in my view, it exposes fictions, frictions, factions within the Taliban that have been becoming increasingly clear over the last few months.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Military recruitment is at a record low. What effect is this having on our nation's security?
--:-- Lynn O'Donnell: [pause] I'm not the expert on this topic.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We have a firsthand account of what it's like on the ground in the Taliban-controlled country.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We're joined by Daily Wire investigative reporter Maire Alordi to discuss the military recruitment crisis.
--:-- Maire Alordi: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Maire, just how big is the drop in enlistments?
--:-- Maire Alordi: This is a pretty severe military recruitment problem. The New York Times reports that as of late June, the Army has reached only about 40% of its goal for the fiscal year that ends this September.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, what's driving the drop in enlistment?
--:-- Maire Alordi: One factor is the COVID pandemic. Pandemic lockdowns made it hard for recruiters to go out and connect with people face-to-face. Another issue is that many young Americans are not physically fit to be accepted into the military or have backgrounds that disqualify them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The labor shortage in civilian life is another issue. The military life is less attractive when people can take their pick of civilian jobs.
--:-- Maire Alordi: There are many more jobs than people right now, and the unemployment rate is at only 3.6%. Only about one in 10 young people now say they would consider joining the military.
--:-- Georgia Howe: At the same time, the mandatory COVID vaccinations and rumors about politicized training activities are making the military less attractive in conservative-leaning communities, which have traditionally been a strong source of recruits.
--:-- Maire Alordi: So, what is the military doing to address this issue?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the military is now offering up to $50,000 in enlistment bonuses and quick cash of about $35,000 for some recruits who start basic training within 30 days.
--:-- Maire Alordi: The armed forces also loosened certain rules like the standards around neck tattoos to attract more people. The Army in June even went as far as saying recruits no longer needed a high school diploma, but they backtracked on that move soon afterwards.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Last month, Army officials sent out a memo about the recruiting issues, saying that many Americans don't understand the Army, can't see themselves in Army life, and don't trust the military as much as they used to.
--:-- Maire Alordi: So, unless the Army can address some of these issues, it's hard to see how it's going to solve the recruitment problem.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks, Maire, for bringing us this story.
--:-- Maire Alordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The LA City Council has voted to crack down on homeless encampments, at least in certain areas. I've been following this, John.
--:-- John Bickley: So, tell us about this new measure in LA.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to prohibit homeless dwellings within 500 feet of schools and daycare centers. The measure passed with a strong majority of 11 to 3, which I think reflects the growing frustration that a lot of Angelenos are feeling around this issue.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And this was actually an expansion of a pre-existing ban that already included a ban on sitting, sleeping, or camping on the premises of a school or daycare centers that have been specified by the council.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, this measure would affect approximately 750 schools in the L.A. area, and it was brought forward after parents and teachers complained to the city.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, it's not clear whether the city actually has the capacity to enforce this kind of ban, but it's at least a sign that L.A. is taking steps to rein in the homeless encampments.
--:-- John Bickley: The second and final vote won't be until next week, but it's possible it won't succeed because there's already been some pretty significant pushback from activists.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Tell us about that. What kind of pushback are they seeing and what are the protesters saying?
--:-- Georgia Howe: [plays audio clip of protesters]
--:-- Georgia Howe: The city council meeting was actually interrupted by a group of protesters who say the measure criminalizes homelessness and poverty.
--:-- John Bickley: One of the council members who voted against the measure said he did so because the homeless don't have a place to go because the numbers have overwhelmed the shelter capacity.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This ordinance is based on the false premise that the problem is that people are refusing to go indoors and we have a plethora of opportunities for them. We don't have a place for 60 percent of the people who are on the street.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, the timing is also difficult because a program with several hotels that are currently housing homeless is set to end soon.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Opponents though say the priority should be making sure kids can safely come and go from school.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's Council President Nuri Martinez explaining her vote.
--:-- Nuri Martinez: I am housing people, and we're doing the outreach necessary to bring people inside. The least I can do for my community, which I grew up in and I still live there, is to be able to clear the public right away for them to send their kids to school every day and feel safe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And safety is becoming a major issue for L.A. residents, including the homeless.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On August 1st, a homeless man stabbed another homeless man to death outside of the Santa Monica Public Library during daylight hours.
--:-- John Bickley: And it's incidents like this that may be why 4 in 10 L.A. residents now say they feel unsafe in the city.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And 1 in 5 say they're contemplating moving out of L.A. That's according to the L.A. Times.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, homelessness was a major campaign issue in the primary for mayor. Is there evidence that L.A. voters are ready for a new direction on this?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Absolutely. So in June, billionaire Rick Caruso, who was seen as the conservative candidate, way overperformed expectations in the Democratic primary, winning 41 percent.
--:-- John Bickley: And the leading progressive candidate, Karen Bass, came in at 37 percent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those two will face off in a runoff election in November.
--:-- John Bickley: So, we'll have to wait until then to find out how Angelenos really feel about this.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, if homelessness is so unpopular with voters, why is there so much energy behind these protests?
--:-- John Bickley: We reached out to author and homelessness advocate Michael Schellenberger about that.
--:-- Michael Schellenberger: The leaders of the protest at this meeting are anarchists and anti-capitalists. They ostensibly want socialized housing, but their activism around homelessness is secondary to their broader political movement.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He says they're sympathetic liberals have joined their cause on homelessness out of compassion.
--:-- John Bickley: What's occurred in California and Seattle, Oregon, progressive West Coast cities, but increasingly in progressive cities around the country, is that progressive policymakers have decided that it's more compassionate to let people just remain in the throes of late-stage addiction, living in tents, defecating publicly, engaging in prostitution, human trafficking, and sexual assault, rather than require them to stay in shelters, require them to get drug treatment, require them to get psychiatric care.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So things have only gone from bad to worse.
--:-- John Bickley: So we're going to find out next week if this measure passes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And in November, we're going to see if L.A. is ready for a new mayor.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, that'll be a fascinating election to watch.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Georgia, thanks for the report.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Other stories we're tracking this week. California Democrats signed a bill Tuesday that would create state-funded drug-using sites in the cities of Oakland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
--:-- John Bickley: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday.
--:-- Georgia Howe: China is now conducting military drills around the island nation and blocking some of its trade as a show of strength.
--:-- John Bickley: Paul Pelosi, husband of Nancy Pelosi, entered a plea of not guilty on DUI charges in a California court on Wednesday.
--:-- Georgia Howe: U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski of Indiana was killed in a head-on car collision on Wednesday.
--:-- John Bickley: Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully died Tuesday night at 94 years old.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Scully called thousands of games during his 67-year career.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you love our show and you stand with our mission, consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we've got this morning.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
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