--:-- John Bickley: Former President Donald Trump has been indicted again, this time on federal charges related to documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Our country is going to hell and they come after Donald Trump, weaponizing the Justice Department, weaponizing the FBI. We can't let this continue to go on because it's ripping our country to shreds.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, June 9th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: Violent school protests in California got national attention this week. We speak to parents who are on the scene who say this wasn't about pride. It was about sexualized content being taught to their kids.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm not some huge political guy, but now I'm going to be, right? Now I'm going to get more involved. I'm going to protest.
--:-- John Bickley: And hundreds of Oakland, California residents descend on a local town hall to complain about spiking crime. We need to stop the violence and killers. We're coming after y'all.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: On Thursday night, the Justice Department lodged criminal charges against former President Donald Trump as part of their investigation into his handling of classified documents.
--:-- John Bickley: Here with more on the historic charges and the case against the former president-turned-candidate is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, we'd heard this might be coming, and last night it did happen. What do we know?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Last night, former President Trump announced that he'd been formally charged by the Biden Justice Department, marking the first time in history that a current or former president faced federal criminal charges.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, we're still waiting to see the charging document for ourselves, but the charges reportedly include seven counts, including willfully retaining national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice conspiracy, and making false statements.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Remember, this all stems from that FBI raid at Trump's private residence back in August. The DOJ alleges that he intentionally kept classified documents from his time as president and then lied to the FBI about their contents and attempted to obstruct their efforts to recover them.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The former president addressed the charges in a video posted on his Truth Social account. They can't stop because it's election interference at the highest level. There's never been anything like what's happened.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: I'm an innocent man. I'm an innocent person. This is warfare for the law.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And we can't let it happen. Trump went on to say that the real reason they're going after him is because he's currently leading Biden in national polls and they're trying to take him out.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: You can expect to hear more of that message in the coming weeks.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So what can we expect going forward? Well, Trump said that he would turn himself into authorities at the Miami Federal Courthouse this coming Tuesday.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And looking ahead, a big part of this case depends on what exactly Trump had in his possession. We know the contents of some of those documents.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For example, he kept a number of personal mementos, including a letter from North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. But we don't know what else he had or the national security implications.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Federal prosecutors will look to prove the president knew he was breaking the law by taking documents when he left the White House, that he intentionally misled and stonewalled investigators, and that his actions constituted a legitimate threat to national security.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We heard from Trump lawyer Alina Hubba last night on Fox who said the charges present a clear double standard There is a two system of justice that we are seeing right now.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hillary Clinton smashed a computer got rid of emails We had recordings in sock drawers. We have Biden and Obama who are hiding things.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Biden still has things in Chinatown in his home. Nothing happens to these people.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So when your name is Donald Trump, when you're leading in the polls, you are going to get hit hard. You are going to get indicted until you can't take it anymore.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's worth noting, another prosecutor in Georgia said that she also intends to charge Trump in a separate criminal case involving his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election there.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So these likely are not the last charges we'll see against the former president.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, what does this mean for his 2024 campaign? Well, it's an extraordinary and unprecedented situation.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We've got a candidate for president currently being charged by the very administration of the man he's trying to unseat.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For his part, President Biden attempted to assure the American people that he had no role in the charges.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here he is speaking Thursday afternoon before the charges came down. I have never once, not one single time, suggested the Justice Department what they should do or not do, relatively bring any charge and operating charge.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: I'm honest.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But from a strictly political standpoint, look, there's still a chance that Trump actually benefits from these charges.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: His message throughout the last few years has been that the political establishment of Washington will do anything they can to keep them out of power.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And many Republican primary voters will likely view this as a vindication of those claims.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Remember, when Trump was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney, his poll numbers surged as the Republican base rallied around him.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And there's a real possibility that happens here as well.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But again, we just don't yet know what the implications of these charges will be, so we'll have to wait and see.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right, well, Cabot, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Parents in California concerned about sexualized curriculum in public school classrooms clashed with Antifa activists this week at a protest resulting in three arrests.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, this protest outside a Glendale school board meeting has garnered a lot of media attention. What happened?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Hey, Georgia. This was a planned protest from parents of kids who attend schools within the Glendale Unified School District.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: They've been demonstrating and speaking out at school board meetings for months now. At this protest on Tuesday, they called for more transparency and an end to some LGBT curriculum and policies that they say are, at the least, completely age-inappropriate.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The common mantra from these parents was a demand to, quote, leave our kids alone.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: I spoke to a father named Arno, who has a child in kindergarten within the district, about his concerns.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: We were basically out there, again, talking about parental rights, having transparency, stopping this nonsense as far as pushing this ideology, this gender dysphoria on our children.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Kindergarten to sixth grade, middle school kids even, the kids that are going super hormonal, pushing this curriculum, pushing this ideology down these kids' throats.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Another parent named Irvin, who has two children in the district, he told me the lack of transparency is his top concern.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Irvin says he recently inquired about an upcoming lesson on LGBT topics and Pride Month, and the school said he had to physically go to the school to view the content.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: They're proving that they're not being transparent.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And they probably know most parents don't have time to take out of their day to go down and watch like a 10 piece of content
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: But I did.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: He also generally concerned about some of the LGBT material he says is being taught to very young students
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Why do elementary kids need to learn about sexual orientation or who they want to have sex with?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Like eight, nine-year-olds are not thinking about who they're going to have sex with.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, how did this become a racially charged incident?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, a lot of the parents speaking out in this district are Armenian or Hispanic.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Also, one of the counter-protesters, a teacher who supports the queer curriculum and describes herself as an advocate for trans youth, she appeared to specifically scold Armenian parents in particular at this school board meeting over their pushback against these LGBT policies.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Both Arno and Ervin are Armenian.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Armenians talk about the genocide, but they received SSI, but they don't want to talk about the indigenous genocide of 1850.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: and the lack of preparations for Black and Indigenous people in this country.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Arno says Armenians are not anti-LGBT.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Make this very clear.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: There is no hate towards the LGBTQ community.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: We have family members. We have clients. We have friends who are part of this community.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And there is no hate against them.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The message here is stay away from our kids.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Let our children be children.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Please be transparent with us regarding the curriculum, the material that's being taught to our kids.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, video footage shows that this protest got violent.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Great. Footage from the protest shows men wearing shirts that say, leave our kids alone, brawling with masked black-clad Antifa members.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: It's not clear yet who initiated the violence, but there were three arrests in total.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: They came with helmets and gear.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: I mean, that doesn't sound like a counter-protester to me.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That sounds like they're there to start a fight or start a riot.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Arno echoed that same sentiment.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Were they there to antagonize people?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And that's exactly what happened.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That's exactly what happened.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: We had a peaceful protest going on.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And then, I mean, you could poke the bear so many times.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Eventually, it's going to strike back.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, what's the school district saying about all of this?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The district put out a statement in the aftermath, basically saying that the LGBT content is mandated by the California legislature and the Department of Education.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: But they also said they encourage parents to ask questions and be engaged in their kids' education.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Ironically, this is a point parents are protesting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: They say they are not part of the conversation.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom also waited on the protests with some pretty strong language.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: He described these parents as participating in a, quote, campaign of hate.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Again, this is Gavin Newsom up in Sacramento or up at his winery talking about protesters being hateful.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Was Gavin Newsom there?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Was Gavin Newsom there to hear the parents' voices, the parents' concerns?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, the issue of parental rights in schools is clearly not going away anytime soon.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Hundreds of angry residents in Oakland, California, showed up to a town hall meeting on crime last week.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi is here with the details for us.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So Maraid, why is this town hall getting so much national attention?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Hi Georgia. Well the footage from this town hall was pretty wild which is probably why it went viral online.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: About 500 angry people packed into the Oakland Technical High School auditorium on May 30th and demanded answers and action from city leaders.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Even progressive residents showed up to complain about the lack of consequences for criminals.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: One trans-identifying man said he and his partner were robbed twice in two weeks during the day.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: He said he's been involved in extremely progressive community organizing activism, but letting people continue to commit crimes is harmful to everyone involved.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: One woman in her 50s said she was attacked right outside her North Oakland home last month.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: She said two teenagers beat her and tried to take her purse.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: At first, she thought the kids needed help, but then a teen boy body slammed her and a teen girl joined in on the attack.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: In the corner of Forty Figgins chapter, down on the pavement, punching me, kicking me, dragging me through the street.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: In Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood, considered one of the city's safer areas, a 63-year-old woman was attacked in broad daylight outside a bustling indoor shopping mall.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The attackers were part of a group of nine teens and preteens, police said.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Business owner Adam Stemmler, who owns a pizza shop in Oakland, said his staff has been held up at gunpoint four times over the last six years.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The last time that my staff got open, I was white.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Oakland native, military veteran, black man for Oakland, almost got shot and killed.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Stemmler also said his shop and employees' cars have been broken into multiple times.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: He said it feels like the Wild West and accused the city of encouraging this type of behavior by refusing to address it.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So clearly a lot of frustration.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: What are the city leaders saying? Some are trying to offer solutions.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The town hall was called by Oakland Councilmember Dan Kolb, a Democrat.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The Oakland Police Department and Department of Violence Prevention hosted the community meeting alongside Kolb.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Kolb said he wants consequences for repeat offenders and would also push for funding in the city budget for police overtime pay.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: However, residents at the town hall criticized Kolb himself, even though the council member had called the meeting.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: One woman said a group of nine troublemaker juveniles had lived in an RV right outside Kolb's home.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: She told him to, quote, open your blinds and accused him of not helping residents previously.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Now, what do the crime stats actually look like in Oakland this year?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Violent crime in Oakland is up 8% so far this year, according to police data.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The city has experienced more than 2,800 incidents of violent crime so far in 2023.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Robberies are up 13% to more than 1,300 robberies.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: More than 400 were strong-arm robberies and more than 500 involved a firearm.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: And rapes are up 25% to more than 80 rapes.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Car thefts are also up 26% to more than 5,200, an increase of more than 1,000 compared to this time last year.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Oakland is also not the only California city that has held a town hall like this on public safety recently.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Which other cities are seeing this?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, San Francisco city leaders held a less heated community meeting on public safety in April.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Stockton, California also held a town Hall and Public Safety in the wake of a shooting that left a 17-year-old dead.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, crime is one of those issues that really galvanizes people.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Mara, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
