--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Former President Donald Trump is facing fraud charges in a New York civil case, setting the scene for what could be a lengthy legal fight. We're going to be here for months with a judge that already made up his mind. It's ridiculous. Other than that, things went very well.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): What were the key moments and how will the trial affect the 2024 campaign? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, October 3rd, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed an abortion activist to be the late Senator Dianne Feinstein's successor. Since the dawn of patriarchy, women have had their power stolen. Who is LaFonza Butler and why is her California residency in question?
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): And a new California program seeks to help homeless people suffering from severe mental illness. This is a dynamic of trying to engage people in long-term or continuous care to interrupt cycles of crisis response.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): We break down the court-ordered program. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): On Monday, former President Donald Trump appeared in a New York courtroom to face charges that he engaged in fraudulent business practices, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle in the Big Apple.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Here with more on the former president's defense is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, so on Monday morning, Trump arrived at the state Supreme Court for opening statements, and it was a testy atmosphere inside the courtroom.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Throughout the day, state prosecutors laid out their case, accusing him of, quote, lying year after year about his business operations and deceiving banks, lenders, insurers and customers in the process.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Trump's lawyers then fired back, calling their clients' business practices legitimate and saying his properties were undervalued, if anything.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They also called the case a, quote, dangerous precedent for all business owners in the state of New York.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, unlike past trials involving Trump, this time there were a number of cameras present inside the courtroom, something his team has long been lobbying for.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. Video shows Trump flanked by lawyers with a stern look on his face throughout the day as Attorney General Letitia James can be seen in the background sneering at him.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: During one viral moment, the camera panned to the judge, Arthur Ingram, who removed his glasses and offered the camera a wide grin before laughing in the direction of state prosecutors.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, this case is different than some of the others that Trump is involved in.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: It's important to remember this is a civil case, which is unconnected to the four criminal trials that he's involved in.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Attorney General James says Trump exaggerated the value of his businesses by upwards of $3.6 billion in an attempt to, quote, enrich himself and cheat the system.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here she is outside the courtroom Monday morning.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Donald Trump and the other defendants have committed persistent and repeated fraud. My message is simple. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And as we've reported, remember, if Trump is found guilty, he could essentially be forced out of business in New York, as the court would force him to give up control of his numerous properties throughout the state.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So there's a lot at stake here.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Yeah there certainly is Trump has had quite a bit to say about Attorney General James
--:-- Cabot Phillips: What did we hear from him yesterday?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So from the start Trump and his team have said Attorney General James has a personal vendetta against the former president and is only suing him to score political points with progressive voters.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here he is speaking outside the courtroom after the first hearings.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Disgraceful trial put forward by an attorney general who's corrupt. We have murders going all over the city, all over the state at a record level. It's an epidemic and they waste their time with this.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Trump says James made up her mind to go after him before she even took office or saw any of the evidence against him.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For example, they point to comments like this from 2018 when she was running for office as proof that she has a clear bias against Trump.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: No one is above the law, including this illegitimate president. And so I look forward. I look forward to going into the office of attorney general every day, suing him, defending your rights, and then going home.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And remember, that's before she was elected.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: In other campaign videos, James can be heard telling supporters, quote, we're definitely going to sue him. We're going to be a real pain in the, we'll say, backside. He's going to know my name personally.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And there's a good chance those comments actually backfire in court and hinder the state's prosecution.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. Now, near the end of the day, Trump did get what could be one significant win.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The judge seemed to agree with him that the statute of limitations applies to claims made before 2014.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That last five minutes was outstanding because the judge essentially conceded that the statute of undictions is in effect.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Therefore, about 80 percent of the case is over.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So we'll have to see how that plays out.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Final question. How could this case impact the 2024 primary for Trump?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, there are two sides to this, the political and the logistical.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: From a political perspective, it's one more arrow in the quiver for Trump, who, remember, has campaigned largely on the claim that the entire legal system in America is out to get him.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: His argument that a vote for him is a vote against what he calls the deep state certainly appears to be working.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So whatever the final verdict in this case, it's unlikely it hurts him in the primary, though it could play a role in the potential general election.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Logistically speaking, though, this case and the others against him are a real hindrance to his campaign, especially financially.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: According to Open Secrets, the former president has so far directed more than $130 million worth of donor funds towards covering legal fees since he launched his re-election bid.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: It's his largest campaign expenditure by far.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, Trump can say he's unfazed by the cases, but the reality is he would much prefer to be spending that money and time on campaign efforts.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right, the bills keep stacking up on that front.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Yeah. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): After Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein passed away last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom has named her replacement. Lafonza Butler, the president of abortion activist group, Emily's List.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Here to discuss the appointment is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, first, tell us who is Butler and why did Newsom select her?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, remember that Newsom in 2021 promised to appoint a Black woman for the next senatorial seat opening. And now he's followed through with that.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Butler is a Black woman and she'll be the first openly gay person to represent California in the Senate.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Newsom actually boasted in his announcement that she will, quote, make history becoming the first Black lesbian to openly serve in the U.S. Senate.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Butler is also relatively young. She in her 40s and she hyper progressive
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: As John mentioned she the president of Emily List This is a PAC that works to get pro Democrat women elected to office
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And they raise big money In the 2022 election cycle alone, for example, they spent $68 million.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Butler was also the union leader of Service Employees International Union, or SEIU.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And she also notably served as a senior advisor to VP Kamala Harris's failed 2020 presidential campaign.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Overall, it seems Butler struck a great deal for herself.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Not only was she tapped for this seat, but she was chosen under no preconditions.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That means if Butler wants to, she can run for this already hotly contested seat in 2024.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Now, there were other candidates, though, that were being considered for this appointment.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, the only Black woman who was actually running for this seat in 2024, Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee, she was thought to be a shoo-in for this position.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: One liberal commentator called this a, quote, slap in the face to Lee.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And the Black Caucus also urged Newsom to appoint Lee to this seat.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Those calls, of course, went ignored.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: There's also an argument to be made that Newsom didn't want to put his thumb on the scale for this 2024 race.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And that's why he didn't choose Lee.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And it also matters that Lee is pulling far behind both reps Adam Schiff and Katie Porter, who are also seeking the seats.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Here's former California Congresswoman Jane Harman, a longtime friend of Feinstein's, reacting to Newsom's choice and how she believes Feinstein would have reacted to it herself.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The new news for me is no preconditions. I had thought he was planning to nominate a caretaker, but this does mix up the race and there already is an African-American woman in the race, Barbara Lee.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So what do we know about Butler's position on issues?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Obviously, she's the president of EMILY's List, so we can presume she would not support limits on abortion.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Right. Her organization is known for backing candidates who support on-demand abortion till birth.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: She's also seen as a diehard progressive on LGBT issues.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: In addition, she oversaw a rebrand of EMILY's List to expand the focus beyond abortion and to also include broadening voting options, climate justice, and fielding more diverse candidates.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: She also has an extensive background in political consulting with an emphasis on progressive candidates.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: There's also been a little bit of controversy with Butler regarding where she lives, which is not actually in California.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: According to a recent Federal Election Commission filing, that's correct.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: She lives in Silver Springs, Maryland, which is a suburb of Washington, D.C.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: It seems her team was scrambling over this issue this past weekend because according to archived web pages, Emily's list has removed a line from its website indicating that Butler lives in Maryland.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Newsom, for his part, he downplayed her residency and said Butler will simply re-register to vote in California before being sworn in.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Well, this is a Senate seat, so her votes are going to matter for all of us.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Sure thing.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): California's new court-ordered treatment program targeting severely mentally ill homeless people goes into effect this week.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Meanwhile, San Francisco's mayor is floating legislation to make homeless benefits contingent on drug testing and treatment.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So, Maraid, on its face at least, this sounds like a major departure from the status quo.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: First let talk about this state initiative What does the court order actually require
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Good morning Georgia
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well the Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment or CARE Act program which went into effect this week allows the families of adults suffering from serious untreated psychotic disorders to file a petition in civil court to pressure their loved one into getting treatment and housing.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Clinicians, first responders, and others can also file a petition for treatment on behalf of an individual.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: If approved, a judge can order a year-long care plan, which can be renewed for a second year.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The person will be connected with a treatment team as well as a housing plan.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The care court program only targets the most severely mentally ill among California's huge homeless population.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The program does not apply to mental illnesses like anxiety disorders, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So if concerned individuals go through these steps to file the paperwork, the court can order treatment.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Is there any enforcement mechanism or is this treatment voluntary?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So technically the program is voluntary, but judges do have some leverage.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Tal Clement is the deputy for the mental health unit of the San Francisco Public Defender's Office.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: And he says the court can't force people to take medication or lock them up.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: But Clement says the court order is somewhat coercive in that if a person is not successful in care court, that can be used later to put a patient in a mental institution or conservatorship.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So it builds a paper trail that can theoretically be used later to enforce more severe measures down the line.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So this isn't for all homeless people. It's fairly exclusive.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: What are the requirements?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Yeah, it definitely requires some administrative legwork.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The petition for treatment must include an affidavit from a licensed mental health professional saying they at least tried to examine the person on multiple occasions recently, or the petitioner must submit evidence that the person was detained for at least two periods of intensive treatments.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So the program is being rolled out in seven counties with the expectation of expanding statewide by the end of the year.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Counties will receive state funding for the program, including for new housing units, treatment and behavioral health services.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Governor Gavin Newsom has touted the plan as a way to help homeless Californians get treatment instead of being incarcerated or involuntarily hospitalized.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So Newsom is still touting this as a way to avoid those harsher actions.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Alternatively, though, San Francisco's mayor is actually swinging in the other direction.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Tell us about the mayor's initiative.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Yeah, that's right. Last week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced a plan to require all welfare recipients to comply with drug testing and treatment programs.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: We're here because we need to make a significant change. No more handouts without accountability.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So in order to get resources from our city, you will need to be in a substance use disorder program and consistently seeking treatment.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: According to Breed, the treatment programs could include anything from residential treatment to medically assisted treatment, including detox, as well as outpatient options and abstinence-based treatment.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Importantly, individuals who are noncompliant would lose access to cash assistance.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So this is Breed's proposal.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: How likely is it to get a green light?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, the mayor is up against a heavily progressive city council that has historically preferred the housing-first approach.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: But the fact that an idea like this is even being talked about in San Francisco is shocking.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: But the city is facing record fatal drug overdoses, so there may finally be an appetite for serious action.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): All right. Well, it'll be interesting to see what they do.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Maureen, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- 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 this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
--:-- [Theme music fades in]
