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--:-- Host (John Bickley): This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): This episode is brought to you by Black Rifle Coffee. Start your morning with America's coffee from BlackRifleCoffee.com.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The Manhattan grand jury tasked with weighing whether or not to indict former President Trump was told not to convene on Wednesday, delaying any potential arrest of the former president. The move followed what some are saying could be case-altering testimony.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): My obligation is to bring the truth to both the district attorney and to Trump's lawyers. That's exactly what I did. We have the details. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, March 23rd, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The GOP-led Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released a new report on the government's use of counterterrorism resources against parents. Is there any connection, Mr. Attorney General, with the school board letter and then five days later your memo regarding school board issues?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And a football coach who lost his job for praying after games wins a seven-figure settlement in what supporters are calling a victory for religious freedom. The superintendent and myself, we always said we were not going to take it personal.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Inflation has consequences. And as the Fed continues to raise interest rates to combat out-of-control government spending, long-term bonds are diminishing in value and crippling banks. Diversifying your savings is crucial in this volatile market, which is why you need to get in touch with the experts at Birch Gold Group today. Gold is a great hedge against the stock market and against inflation. Birch Gold will help you convert an existing 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.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Former President Donald Trump has yet to be charged by progressive Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, following dramatic testimony that seriously damaged the prosecution's star witness, ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Here to discuss the latest in the Stormy Daniels hush money case is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Hi, John. First, tell us about attorney Robert Costello and what he included in his testimony before the grand jury.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Hey, John. So Costello is not Trump's lawyer, to be clear. He's represented the likes of Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, and he did advise, of course, Michael Cohen. The attorney who says his only mission is to tell the truth about Cohen testified for some two hours on Monday. And he really attacked the credibility of Cohen, whom he noted as a convicted liar. Costello added that the ex-Trump lawyer is on a revenge tour and couldn't tell the truth if you, quote, put a gun to his head.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Costello spoke to the press following his testimony on Monday. Here he is describing a meeting with Cohen about the Stormy Daniels hush money he says took place in April of 2018.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Michael Cohen told us that he was approached by Stormy Daniels' lawyer, and Stormy Daniels had negative information that she wanted to put in a lawsuit against Trump. So Michael Cohen decided on his own, that's what he told us, on his own to see if he could take care of this. So he sat with the lawyer for Stormy Daniels They negotiated a non agreement for So I said Michael where did you get the Is that Trump money No it not Well where did you get it Did you take it out of your own account? No. Again, how did you get it? I took out a Keylock loan for $130,000. I said, why would you do that? He said, because I wanted to keep this secret, even secret from my own wife.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Costello seemed generally optimistic about how he fared in front of the grand jury, but I'll add that he did express some frustration. He said he presented the prosecution with some 330 emails related to Cohen, but the jury only saw six of those. Just six out of more than 300.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Right. Where are we now with a possible indictment, and what are legal experts saying in the wake of this testimony?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Well, remember, this really ignited over the weekend when Trump speculated that he'd be arrested on Tuesday. That day, of course, came and went, and now Legacy Media is reporting that the earliest an indictment could come down would be later today. At the very least, this process seems delayed from Bragg's original timeline. The grand jury did not meet on Wednesday as it was expected to. Some legal experts have said that could be due to Costello's very damaging testimony and have even speculated that Bragg could end up dropping the case.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Here's Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz on Fox Tuesday. I think that Bob Costello has changed this case dramatically. I think that Bragg now only has two possible results from that. Number one, he can say, all right, I'm going to try to make the case without Cohen. He cannot use Cohen as a witness anymore. That would be unethical because of the testimony that Costello gave. Or he could say, look, I have to drop the case.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Dershowitz, who represented Trump during his impeachment trial, wasn't alone in his assessment. Here's former assistant special Watergate prosecutor John Sale on CNN. I think Bob Costello's testimony, if nothing else, should cause Mr. Bragg to at least pause and think if this is the right case. If there is the facts and the law, Donald Trump should be held accountable. But frankly, I don't think this is the case. And I think beyond a reasonable doubt that Bob Costello's testimony tips the scale in favor of not bringing this case.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: So another voice saying Costello's testimony might have changed the equation. Has Trump responded to this latest turn of events? Yeah, absolutely. Trump posted Tuesday that Cohen got, quote, crushed by Costello, whom he called highly respected. He also ripped a brag for not dropping the case when legal experts agree there's, quote, no crime, no affair, no bookkeeping error or misdemeanor, no nothing.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Well, the saga continues. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That was Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo. Coming up, the weaponization of the Government Committee releases an explosive new report. Hey, guys. Producer Brandon here. You deserve the perfect balance of quality and convenience to kickstart your morning. Stock up on cans of Black Rifle's ready-to-drink coffee at blackriflecoffee.com or grab an ice-cold can from a convenience store near you. For a more explosive energy boost, try ready-to-drink 300. Available in caramel vanilla, rich mocha, salted caramel, or vanilla bomb flavors. Go to blackriflecoffee.com and use promo code WIRE for 10% off your purchase. That's blackriflecoffee.com, promo code WIRE. Black Rifle Coffee, America's Coffee.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government has published a new report outlining coordination between the Biden White House and the National School Board Association to pressure the DOJ into investigating parents expressing concerns at school board meetings. Here to discuss is columnist David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Good morning. So it's important to note that this is an interim report but essentially the committee has found significant evidence that the National School Board Association was working closely with the Biden White House to get parents targeted just for asking hard questions at school board meetings. These were parents questioning lessons about critical race theory or sex and gender.
--:-- David Marcus: And the committee says that undue pressure from the Biden administration may have led DOJ to undertake unwarranted investigations. And going so far as to say that the DOJ did not invoke, quote, due diligence, unquote.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, part of the allegation here is that the NSBA actually collaborated with the Biden White House on the letter it sent to that same White House, which was then passed along to the DOJ. Is that kind of action standard protocol? I mean, let's hope not. You know, just putting your thumb on the scale and then they're slamming your elbow into it with all of your body weight, which looks a lot more like what Biden's people did here.
--:-- David Marcus: I think that's the big scary story here. The idea that interested parties, namely the NSBA and the Biden administration, were basically getting their story straight before they went to Attorney General Merrick Garland. Look, I think the White House will say, you know, we'll talk to interested parties before making recommendations, but this is the interested party. It doesn't look great.
--:-- David Marcus: No. So Merrick Garland has been asked about this by Congress for over a year now. Has he shown any willingness to walk back efforts to target parents? No, he hasn't. And I think that's part of the frustration and why the committee wants to highlight this.
--:-- David Marcus: Senator Chuck Grassley has compared this to something that might go on in a communist country. That's not a small thing to say. Is the Justice Department National Security Division really necessary for keeping local school boards safe If parents aren't domestic terrorists and if the Patriot Act isn't being used, why is the National Security Division involved at all?
--:-- David Marcus: This kind of looks like something that would come out of some communist country, expansive definition of national security. This is a time when education is occupying the minds of voters. And one might say specifically swing suburban voters in a way that's new.
--:-- David Marcus: Clearly, the knee-jerk reaction to just back the school boards hasn't gone very well. And the DOJ, and frankly, the White House, may need to shift gears and actually address some of the concerns that parents have, or at least not simply demonize them.
--:-- David Marcus: This comes at a time in which more and more concerned parents are actually running for local school boards and in which many red states at least are enacting changes such as school choice that threaten the education bureaucracy. Is that playing into all this? Without question.
--:-- David Marcus: The sort of we are the experts, don't question our model of public education is under threat. Parents have real questions about what their kids are learning. Can their 10-year-old choose their own gender? Is the history of America steeped in racism? They want some say in all this, and clearly the NSBA sees them as a threat.
--:-- David Marcus: Is there a sense that the work of this committee in exposing the collaboration of the NSBA and the Biden administration could actually lead to some changes? Yes, but ultimately, the committee is following the lead of parents. None of this happens if they weren't showing up angry, right, at school board meetings.
--:-- David Marcus: The subcommittee can help those parents, can protect their voices, but it's the parents, not elected officials, who are leading this fight. And I don't think we should expect that to change.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Well, Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That was Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. A Washington football coach who was fired for praying after games has received nearly two million from the school district that fired him.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): I think every American should have the same freedoms of everybody else. The First Amendment is live and well for all Americans people of faith different faiths or no faith at all.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That was Joe Kennedy, an assistant high school football coach who took his case all the way to the Supreme Court and won. Here to discuss the ruling is Daily Wire senior editor Ash Short.
--:-- Ash Short: So Ash, first off, how did we get here? So this goes back several years to 2015, and actually much earlier than that. Coach Kennedy's after-game prayers on the 50-yard line started including athletes and other students, with the coach giving inspirational speeches that featured religious references.
--:-- Ash Short: Over time, the prayer group grew to include a lot of students. Even though no one was compelled to participate in these prayer sessions, the school district became concerned of a potential lawsuit. The fear was that the prayer sessions could result in perceived favoritism toward those who participated and marginalization of those who did not.
--:-- Ash Short: After a complaint was made to the principal, the school placed Kennedy on administrative leave and then recommended against renewing his contract for the upcoming school year. Kennedy sued, saying his post-game activities were protected under the First Amendment, and took his case to the Supreme Court, which ruled last year that Kennedy had a right to pray after these games.
--:-- Ash Short: In the majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that, quote, But the lower courts actually ruled against Kennedy. Right. Kennedy then appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. They said that because students and fans could see Kennedy exercising his religious expression, the school was in the right to terminate him, arguing his prayers were not protected by the U.S. Constitution.
--:-- Ash Short: Kennedy then took the case to the Supreme Court, which in 2019 declined to review his case, but sent it back to the district court to answer some questions the justices had. The district court in the Ninth Circuit again sided with the school district, and this time the Supreme Court decided to hear Kennedy's case.
--:-- Ash Short: So the Supreme Court ruled in Kennedy's favor in June. What's happened since then? Well, in October of last year, the district court ruled that Kennedy must be reinstated and that the school cannot interfere with or prohibit Kennedy from continuing his after-game prayers.
--:-- Ash Short: In addition, the school district was prohibited from retaliating against Kennedy or taking any adverse employment action against him for prayers that comply with the Supreme Court's ruling. The school reinstated Kennedy earlier this month, and he will return to campus when the football season starts later this year.
--:-- Ash Short: And this week, Kennedy received more good news, as he and the school district agreed to a $1.7 million settlement package.
--:-- Ash Short: Now, what's the community reaction been? Is there a lot of support for Kennedy? It's been mixed. Some residents say he never should have been fired, but others are concerned about the separation of church and state.
--:-- Ash Short: The nearly $2 million payout has also divided citizens. At last week's school board meeting, plenty of parents and some students expressed frustration over the cost of the settlement. Here's a bit from that meeting.
--:-- Ash Short: My question goes to how it's going to be paid for. Is it paid out of insurance? Is it paid out of a budget? How is this going to affect the educational process and building tech centers and all these other things that we want to do? You have cost us, the people that live here in Bremerton, this money. The school board has not addressed how the settlement will be paid, so as of now, we still don't have answers to these questions.
--:-- Ash Short: Well, a significant case with major religious liberty implications. Ash, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): You're welcome. That was Daily Wire Senior Editor, Ash Short. 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.
