--:-- [Upbeat music fades out]
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--:-- Host: Eight people are dead and several others injured after a gunman opened fire outside a mall in Texas. It's not a situation that I would wish upon anybody. It's just unfathomable to see the carnage. What do we know about the shooter and how are political leaders responding? I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, May 8th, and this is Morning Wire. What's your name?
--:-- Georgia Howe: My name is Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: Georgia Howe. What's your name?
--:-- Georgia Howe: [laughs] My name is Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: [laughs] Okay, well, let's get into the news. Demonstrations shut down a Manhattan subway station and turned violent over the weekend as hundreds protested the death of a homeless man killed on the subway. The identity of the veteran who restrained the man has now been revealed and his lawyers have spoken out. And King Charles is crowned at Westminster Abbey in the first coronation in 70 years. The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep, so help me God. How did the new king break with tradition? And what new promises is he making for the monarchy?
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--:-- Host: At least nine people, including children, are dead after a gunman opened fire outside of a crowded mall in Allen, Texas on Saturday. At least seven more people were hospitalized after the tragedy. Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. Tim, this was a horrifying incident. What details have we learned since this happened?
--:-- Tim Pierce: It was. A lone gunman stepped out of his car outside of an H&M store at Allen Premium Outlets around 3.30 p.m. Saturday. He immediately started shooting people outside the store. Witnesses say he fired dozens of rounds, and footage of the incident seems to capture nearly 40 gunshots.
--:-- John Bickley: The mall where this took place is a gun-free zone by mall policy, and it's not clear if there was any security around that could have stopped this rampage if the officer hadn't been there.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Videos from the incident showed that the shooter dressed up in what appeared to be tactical gear and was carrying a long gun.
--:-- John Bickley: What do we know about the shooter?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Not much. Police say the shooter was a 33-year-old Hispanic man, and they're reportedly investigating this as a potential act of domestic terrorism. Police searched the home of the suspected shooter's parents Saturday night.
--:-- John Bickley: Neighbors said the suspect had lived with his parents in northeast Dallas until recently. He had been working as a security guard at the time.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And it's clear that he went there intending to inflict mass casualties. The scene afterward was devastating.
--:-- John Bickley: Stephen Spanauer, an Allen resident, was one of the first people on the scene even before the first responders. Here's what he described.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, President Biden weighed in on this on Sunday. What did he say?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, Biden put out a statement Sunday calling again for a ban on so-called assault rifles. and to end immunity for gun manufacturers.
--:-- John Bickley: Texas Governor Greg Abbott, on the other hand, says we need a renewed focus on mental health issues.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's what the governor told Fox News on Sunday. We've seen increased number of shootings in states with easy gun laws as well as states with very strict gun laws. There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of anger and violence that's taking place in America.
--:-- John Bickley: And what Texas is doing in a big-time way, we are working to address that anger and violence by going to its root cause, which is addressing the mental health problems behind it.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Abbott also appeared to get some bipartisan support. Here's Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, a devastating weekend for Texas. Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That was Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
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--:-- Host: Coming up, protesters take over a Manhattan subway station over the death of Jordan Neely. Over the weekend, demonstrators shut down streets and subway lines across New York City, protesting the death of a 30-year-old homeless man at the hands of a 24-year-old Marine. Now, as tensions rise in the Big Apple, the identity of the Marine has been released to the public. Here with more on the demonstrations and the legal response is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, so over the weekend, a number of protests turned violent as demonstrators clashed with police who they accused of upholding white supremacy for releasing the Marine responsible for the death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely.
--:-- John Bickley: In one particular demonstration, dozens of protesters jumped onto subway tracks on the Upper East Side, bringing trains to a standstill as they chanted for justice.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Police eventually pulled them off the tracks, but demonstrators remained at the station, blocking passengers from boarding incoming trains.
--:-- John Bickley: As police attempted to move the demonstration out of the station and onto the street, things turned violent as a number of protesters were seen on video fighting police officers, sparking chaos on the crowded platform and prompting a number of arrests.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: You can hear the chaos here as protesters and police clash.
--:-- John Bickley: This case has been a lightning rod. Many Americans are divided on what happened here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it's definitely worth noting the public response to the incident has varied quite a bit. In one camp are those who say Neely was harmless and that Strap Hanger should have simply ignored him, even if he was saying some threatening things to other passengers.
--:-- John Bickley: They've shared old videos of Neely dancing to Michael Jackson songs on the subway as evidence that he was a kind soul who was simply down on his luck and desperate for help.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The other camp, though, says the incident is tragic, but that Neely was a violent criminal who should have been in prison, not roaming the streets.
--:-- John Bickley: They point to his 42 prior arrests including one case in 2021 where he fractured the orbital bone of a 67 woman and another in 2015 in which he was convicted with the attempted kidnapping of a seven girl as evidence that he posed a serious threat to those around him
--:-- Cabot Phillips: In their view, New York City officials are at fault for creating an environment where strap hangers feel the need to take matters into their own hands to defend themselves.
--:-- John Bickley: The big news over the weekend was that the identity of the man who restrained Neely was released. What do we know about him?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, on Friday, it was confirmed that the unnamed 24-year-old was Daniel Penny, a native New Yorker who reportedly served two tours as an infantryman with the Marine Corps.
--:-- John Bickley: According to a Marine Corps spokesman, Penny was a recipient of a number of awards and medals and left the service in 2021 in, quote, good standing with the rank of sergeant.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: On Friday, the law firm representing Penny released a statement on the incident saying, quote, When Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves until help arrived.
--:-- John Bickley: Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Penny's lawyers added their hope that the incident would create a, quote, new commitment by our elected officials to address the mental health crisis on our streets and subways.
--:-- John Bickley: What sort of response have we seen from the NYPD and the city's leadership?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Penny was initially taken into custody after the incident and questioned by police before being released shortly after.
--:-- John Bickley: New York Mayor Eric Adams says that homicide detectives are currently investigating the case and will decide whether or not to press charges.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: If this case does go to trial, prosecutors will have to prove that Penny did not believe that Neely was using or intended to use deadly force against him and other passengers.
--:-- John Bickley: Remember, video footage showed Neely saying he was ready to die and witnesses say he told them he would, quote, hurt anyone on this train.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So the big question in a potential trial would be if that constitutes a legitimate threat of deadly force.
--:-- John Bickley: Expect to hear more on that in the coming weeks. And we'll be sure to report on what authorities decide.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That was Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
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--:-- Host: For the first time in 70 years, the United Kingdom witnessed the coronation of a new monarch. King Charles III was crowned on Saturday to great fanfare and much celebration. Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham is here now to give us the details on the coronation.
--:-- Megan Basham: Ah, who would miss it? Well, you know, despite some rainy skies, it provided all the pomp and circumstance, I will say, that an Anglophile like me could possibly wish for.
--:-- John Bickley: It started with the king's procession from Buckingham Palace. We saw flags and the King's Guard lining the road.
--:-- Megan Basham: There were cavalrymen, riders on horseback, leading Charles and Camilla in the Diamond State Jubilee coach. Now, that was a little bit different.
--:-- John Bickley: If you haven't watched footage, it's an enclosed six-horse-drawn carriage that's estimated to be worth about $4 million.
--:-- Megan Basham: And it's one of the newer coaches in the palace collection. It was first used for his mother's Diamond Jubilee in 2014.
--:-- John Bickley: And since the mid-1800s, British monarchs have usually used the gold state coach to arrive at Westminster Abbey.
--:-- Megan Basham: So that was a little bit of a break with tradition. And could be because the rumor is that the gold state coach, which was first commissioned in 1760, is reportedly very uncomfortable.
--:-- John Bickley: However after the ceremony the newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla rode back to Buckingham Palace in that gold state coach
--:-- Megan Basham: And then there was the ceremony itself We saw Prince William kneel and pledge fealty to his father.
--:-- John Bickley: I, William, Prince of Wales, pledge my loyalty to you and faith and truth I will bear unto you as your liege man of life and limb. So help me God.
--:-- Megan Basham: And then right here, you can hear the moment when Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, crowned Charles King.
--:-- John Bickley: God save the king! God save the king!
--:-- Megan Basham: So definitely a sense of watching history come alive there.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, what are we expecting from Charles in terms of his role that could be different from Queen Elizabeth?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, you know, Charles has spoken in the past about his intention to create a more, quote unquote, modern monarchy.
--:-- John Bickley: And he said that he sees his role as king as being defender of faith instead of the traditional defender of the faith, that being the established Anglican church.
--:-- Megan Basham: Now, there's no question that the oath he swore Saturday was still very Protestant in nature.
--:-- John Bickley: Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God and the true profession of the gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant reformed religion established by law?
--:-- Megan Basham: All this I promise to do. I, Charles, do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God profess, testify and declare that I am a faithful Protestant.
--:-- John Bickley: But he also included non-Christian faith leaders in the ceremony, and he added a line to the oath about fostering an environment where, quote, people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.
--:-- Megan Basham: So that is certainly a shift from the past.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, finally, to just dip briefly into the royal family drama, Prince Harry was, of course, there, but Meghan Markle wasn't.
--:-- Megan Basham: There's been a lot of tension for a variety of reasons, but particularly since Harry dropped his memoir, Spare.
--:-- John Bickley: What was his role in all of the proceedings?
--:-- Megan Basham: He really didn't have a formal role whatsoever.
--:-- John Bickley: He was seated in the third row apart from the working royals.
--:-- Megan Basham: It was quite a contrast to the full regalia of the rest of the family.
--:-- John Bickley: He wasn't attired in military or ceremonial clothing.
--:-- Megan Basham: And he didn't appear with the family later on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, which is fairly telling.
--:-- John Bickley: All right. Well, a historic day nonetheless. Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Anytime. That was Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
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--:-- Host: Another story we're tracking this week. At least seven people were killed and almost a dozen others were injured in Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday when a vehicle reportedly plowed into a crowd of people near the U.S.-Mexico border. Police say the suspected driver has been arrested and is currently being treated at the hospital. So far, no motive has been given.
--:-- Host: The tragedy occurred as El Paso officials reported the largest single group to have ever illegally crossed into the city over the weekend.
--:-- 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, please 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. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know. Bye.
