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--:-- Host John Bickley: Former President Donald Trump says he expects to be arrested this week on charges from a New York district attorney. We recap the unprecedented case and break down the political reaction from over the weekend.
--:-- Host John Bickley: I'm taken aback at the idea of indicting a former president of the United States at a time when there's a crime wave in New York City. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, March 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: Mass protests have erupted in France over major changes to the country's pension system. What are the reforms and is Macron's presidency at risk?
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: And after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest for alleged war crimes, Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a defiant visit to Ukraine.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Over the weekend, Donald Trump announced he expects to be arrested this week as part of an investigation into hush money payments the former president turned candidate made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The news sent shockwaves through Washington and could play a pivotal role in the 2024 election.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Here with more on Trump's statement and how it was received is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, on Saturday, former President Trump took to his social media app Truth Social to issue a statement claiming he would be arrested this coming Tuesday. In his words, quote, with no crime being able to be proven and based on an old and fully debunked fairy tale, the far and away leading Republican candidate and former president will be arrested on Tuesday of next week. He then added, quote, protest, take our nation back.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, shortly after that post, a Trump spokesman said he'd written the post without direct knowledge of when a potential arrest could happen, but was, quote, rightfully highlighting his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system.
--:-- Host John Bickley: All right, a lot of unanswered questions here. But first, can you give us a quick recap of this case?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, the case he's referring to comes from New York, where the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has been investigating hush money payments that Trump made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels back in 2016, so more than six years ago now.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Daniels alleges that she and Trump had an affair in 2006 and that Trump's lawyer paid her $130,000 to keep quiet when she threatened to go public ahead of his campaign in 2016.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: It is worth noting, though, Trump says that he'll be arrested Tuesday, but at the moment that seems unlikely. There still one more witness left to testify before the grand jury which likely delays a possible indictment for at least a few more days. Could even be weeks. We just don't know.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: All right. So an arrest is not a given. Right. More speculation from Trump.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Assuming it does happen, what would that mean? Well, look, historically, there is no precedent for this type of action. We've never seen a major presidential candidate arrested. And more importantly, we've certainly never seen a sitting or former president facing criminal charges.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And remember, because he's a former president and current candidate, the bar to charge him with a crime is just set much higher than it is for the average citizen.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, if he is arrested, it would likely look similar to any other arrest. He'd be handcuffed, fingerprinted, then he'd take a mugshot. But obviously, we don't know what sort of special accommodations that he might receive.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Clearly, there are complications with regard to Secret Service and other security measures. And it's also likely that he'll go in on his own volition if charged. That's according to reports coming out of Trump's legal team.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: However, even if he is charged, it's unlikely that he would actually spend any time behind bars, as the felony charges he's reportedly facing are nonviolent.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And finally, for what it's worth, Trump says that he'll continue campaigning whether he's charged or not.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Right. What sort of political reaction did we see over the weekend?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: As you can imagine, Democrats were largely excited by the news. Many leaders on the left have long claimed that Trump is guilty of federal crimes, and many celebrated this as vindication of those claims.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For example, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump's statement reckless and said, quote, he cannot hide from his violations of the law, disrespect for our elections and incitements to violence.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But there were some pundits on the left who cautioned that this could backfire and actually help rally the GOP base around Trump and give him an easier shot at the nomination.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, Republicans had a lot to say. Their common argument was that the investigation was politically motivated and that Trump would never be facing these charges if he weren't a former Republican president and current candidate.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For example, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called it, quote, an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Okay, so about this DA, we heard plenty of talk about Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Bragg is a notoriously far-left DA who's come under fire as New York's crime rates have surged under his tenure.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Remember, Bragg made waves last year when he took office and announced that he would no longer be prosecuting a wide variety of misdemeanor offenses.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And he's also come under fire from New Yorkers who say that his insistence on reducing felony charges to misdemeanors has allowed violent criminals to remain on the streets and out of jail.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, critics have used that against him, saying the fact he's going out of his way to charge Trump with a nonviolent felony while refusing to charge violent criminals in his own city is a clear sign that he's motivated by politics.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And look, it's worth noting, there are legal experts who say the Manhattan DA does not have the legal jurisdiction to charge Trump with a federal election crime.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So there's a very good chance Trump's attorneys could push back on that front. We'll just have to wait and see.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Well, another politically explosive and unprecedented development involving Trump. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Host John Bickley: That was Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: Coming up, mass protests erupt in the streets of France. Hey, guys, producer Brandon here.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: French President Emmanuel Macron is as unpopular now as at any point in his presidency after he forced through reforms to his country's pension system.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Hundreds were arrested in mass protests over the weekend as Macron faces backlash from Parliament.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Daily Wire Tim Pearce is here to break down the French pension fight and Macron's options against a wave of voter resentment.
--:-- Tim Pearce: So first off, can you explain some of these images of mass protests we're seeing coming out of France?
--:-- Tim Pearce: France was in an uproar over the past two months over changes Macron wanted to make to the country's pension system.
--:-- Tim Pearce: The changes were unpopular, to say the least, and the French president is now sitting at his highest disapproval numbers since the Yellow Vest protests.
--:-- Tim Pearce: For those who don't remember, the Yellow Vest protests broke out over a proposal to hike fuel taxes in 2017.
--:-- Tim Pearce: Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets across France. They blocked roadways, battled police, and brought much of the country to a standstill until the government eventually backed off the tax hike.
--:-- Tim Pearce: At the time, Macron's disapproval rose to about 70 percent. And something similar has happened today.
--:-- Tim Pearce: Macron's disapproval is up again at that 70 percent mark, and the French people are back on the streets protesting, sometimes violently, against Macron's government.
--:-- Tim Pearce: But Macron was able to push through the reform anyway.
--:-- Tim Pearce: How did he manage to do that? For some context here, the French government centralizes a lot of power in the president.
--:-- Tim Pearce: So Macron had the constitutional authority to make moves like this. In fact, he used what's called the 49.3 power, named after the article in the Constitution it's found in, several times last year to pass budgets.
--:-- Tim Pearce: So first, he failed to get the necessary support for his reforms in the National Assembly.
--:-- Tim Pearce: When he couldn't get the votes, he instituted the reforms unilaterally.
--:-- Tim Pearce: So what are these reforms and why does he think they're necessary?
--:-- Tim Pearce: The reforms themselves are relatively modest. They gradually raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 by the year 2030.
--:-- Tim Pearce: They also get rid of some special carve-outs for workers in certain industries. For instance, before the reforms, train operators in France qualified for full retirement benefits a decade earlier than most at age 52.
--:-- Tim Pearce: Macron pushed for the reforms, though, because he says they're necessary to save a failing system.
--:-- Tim Pearce: France's national debt is equivalent to over $3 trillion, so Macron is trying to rein in some deficit spending while saving the program.
--:-- Tim Pearce: But critics have called his use of 49.3 brutal and undemocratic.
--:-- Tim Pearce: Now, we've seen some headlines that suggest this could topple Macron's government altogether. Is that likely?
--:-- Tim Pearce: Well, after Macron invoked 49.3, French MPs on the right and the left called for a no-confidence vote in Macron's government.
--:-- Tim Pearce: If it were to pass, it wouldn't kick Macron out of office, but it would topple his cabinet and the prime minister, and it would overturn Macron's pension reforms.
--:-- Tim Pearce: Now, no-confidence votes in France are fairly common and are typically used as a symbolic motion against the party in power.
--:-- Tim Pearce: It's still politically risky for Macron, though, because he doesn't have majority support in the National Assembly.
--:-- Tim Pearce: He lost it in last year's elections. If Macron's opposition on the left and right all decide to vote together, they could get the majority required to oust Macron's government and repeal his reforms.
--:-- Tim Pearce: That vote is expected to take place later today.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Well, we'll keep an eye on that. Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Tim Pearce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire reporter Tim Pearce.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Saturday, his first trip to a territory of the country that Moscow seized in September.
--:-- Host John Bickley: The trip comes just days after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the Russian president's arrest on war crime charges.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo is here with the latest on this defiant move by Putin.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, tell us about Putin's recent travels.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, as you mentioned, this is the first time Putin has visited Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine since the war began.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: He traveled first to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary since it was annexed by Moscow.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Then he traveled north to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol which has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: In fact, in response to Putin's visit, the exiled former mayor of the city said that Putin was going there to quote see what he will be punished for, referencing the horrific damage done there.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The city has been occupied for more than 10 months, and Ukraine says more than 20,000 people have been killed there as a result of Russia's attacks.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Putin's trip has widely been viewed as an act of defiance after the International Criminal Court's charges against him.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And he's clearly trying to sort of plant the flag in the city with this move.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Exactly. First, give us some context. What is the International Criminal Court, the ICC, and what can we expect from these charges?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, sure. The ICC is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and is governed by Rome's statute.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The court describes itself as a court of last resort that investigates and tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And that includes genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The court seeks to complement, not replace national courts, and it relies on local police to apprehend suspects.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The court was formed in 1998 and includes 123 signatory countries, but Russia actually withdrew in 2016.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And side note, the U.S. also withdrew its signature just last year.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: President Biden addressed that in his response to the arrest warrant.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, I think it justified it. But the question is, it's not recognized internationally by us either.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: But I think it makes a very strong point. He's clearly committed war crimes.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Unless Putin travels to a nation that does recognize the ICC, this won't have any impact.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: But it does have a symbolic significance, and it could further restrict his travel.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Now, this visit to Mariupol comes ahead of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: What significance could this meeting have?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, Xi's trip to Russia next week is the first in four years, and it comes a year after Beijing and Moscow declared a no-limits partnership.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Chinese officials have said this meeting will be about brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: It's unclear if that's really the goal here, but in any case, it doesn't seem to be realistic either.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the U.S. would oppose any peace deal coming out of Xi's trip to Russia.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: All that's going to do is give Mr. Putin more time to refit, retrain, reman, and try to plan for renewed offensives at a time of his choosing.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: We hope, and we've said this before, that President Xi will call and talk to President Zelensky because we believe the Chinese need to get the Ukrainian perspective.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Well, a meeting that the world will be watching regardless. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That was Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: Another story we're tracking this week. Swiss bank UBS agreed to buy out its rival Credit Suisse on Sunday for a deal of 3 billion Swiss francs, which is more than 3 billion American dollars.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: Swiss regulators played a key part in the deal as they looked to stop a contagion from threatening banking around the globe.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: The Swiss National Bank pledged a loan of up to 100 billion Swiss francs to support the takeover.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation.
--:-- Host John Bickley: If you love our show and stand with our mission, consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: And if you're a Morning Wire super fan and you want to represent our show, you can shop our merch selection at dailywire.com slash shop.
--:-- Host John Bickley: We have a pretty elite Morning Wire mug. We have T-shirts. We have tote bags. Pretty soon, we're restocking our hoodies. And you can find all of that at dailywire.com slash shop.
--:-- Host Georgia Howe: Well, that's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Host John Bickley: We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
