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--:-- John Bickley: The Donald Trump hush money case is still in the hands of the jury. What evidence did the jury request to review? And why are the judge's instructions getting blasted by legal analysts? If they can't agree on that, that by definition should be reasonable doubt. Yet the judge is telling them they can convict. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with guest host Michelle Tafoya, host of the Michelle Tafoya podcast. It's Thursday, May 30th, and this is Morning Wire.
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--:-- John Bickley: Donald Trump's fate now lies squarely in the hands of a Manhattan jury in the unprecedented trial of the former president of the United States after almost four hours of deliberation on Wednesday. The day in court began with Judge Juan Mershon giving his instructions to jurors, including the controversial charge that they can convict Trump without agreeing on the underlying crime. Here to talk about the state of play as 12 New Yorkers wrestle with the outcome is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey, John. So let's start with Mershon's instructions. What were jurors told?
--:-- John Bickley: Morning, John. The heavily criticized instructions took about an hour and a half and were basically along the lines of what legal experts were anticipating from Mershon. That includes some very standard language he was mandated to use, making clear that Trump has the presumption of innocence and importantly, that his own choice not to testify cannot be used to impugn any guilt on his part. They were also told that if they thought any witness, cough, cough, Michael Cohen, had lied to them, they were free to disregard all of his testimony. Notably, in New York, the jurors are not given a physical copy of the charging instructions. So if they need clarification, they have to send a note to the judge, which had already happened Wednesday afternoon.
--:-- David Marcus: Right. So after about two hours of deliberation, they did send a note asking for a few things. What did they ask for and what does it tell us about their thinking?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, that's interesting. They asked to review testimony from David Pecker the first witness if you can remember back that far Apparently the jury couldn who worked for AMI which owns the National Enquirer and who was involved in killing the Karen McDougal story about her alleged affair with Trump They also wanted his and Michael Cohen's testimony about a meeting in Trump Tower that the prosecution alleges was the birthplace of the conspiracy they say occurred to influence the election. It's possible that they're just starting from the top of the trial and need their memory refreshed. It could also mean that they're entertaining the election interference theory instead of just deciding there was no bookkeeping crime. It could also be almost anything in the world.
--:-- David Marcus: So they also wanted to hear back some of that jury instruction that took so long. This came close to the end of the day. So Marshawn sent them home and will address these issues tomorrow morning. And as we've said, those jury instructions, very controversial.
--:-- John Bickley: Yes. Obviously, we didn't get a fast verdict here yesterday, and these requests may signal that the jury will need maybe a lot more time. Do we know who this might help? The answer is probably no, although the Trump team has said that the longer the deliberations go on, the better it is for them. That was also the opinion of legal scholar John Yu writing in National Review. The logic here is really that as this drags on, the likelihood of a hung jury only increases. It suggests there are elements of the prosecution's case they don't agree on. But honestly, right now, it's probably a bit early to start talking about that this morning. If by the end of the day there's no verdict, well, that might be another story.
--:-- David Marcus: Finally, Trump declined his usual morning press conference behind the barricades outside the courtroom, but he did speak after the jury instruction. Did we glean anything from his tone? A lot of observers, myself included, thought so. He was less agitated, more somber. Here's a bit of that sound. We have a very, very serious problem here. I mean, our country's going bad. It'll be talked about in the history books. What's happening here is weaponization at a level that nobody's seen before ever. This is unfamiliar territory for Trump. There are really no more cards for him or his legal team to play. And on top of that, he can't leave the courthouse because he has to be present for any notes the jury brings in. Most defendants can go grab a bite to eat, try to distract themselves, but security concerns keep Trump stuck inside 100 Center Street. There were reports of huge bags of McDonald's being brought in, though. This could go on for a while, but until those 12 jurors come to some kind of consensus or lack thereof, Donald Trump is off the campaign trail.
--:-- John Bickley: Meanwhile, the weight of this decision growing heavier by the second. Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: Despite billions of dollars in taxpayer funding, President Biden's electric vehicle push has failed to gain traction amid a shortage of charging stations and demand. Here to break it all down is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, since taking office, President Biden has made transitioning to electric vehicles a top focus of his administration's climate change agenda. Big picture, Biden has called for the majority of new cars in America to be electric by the year 2032, and for U.S. carbon emissions to be cut in half by the end of the decade which ultimately will force manufacturers to prioritize electric and hybrid models The White House has also proposed sweeping regulations that would force auto manufacturers to increase fuel economy on new cars, ultimately requiring new fleets to average around 50 miles per gallon by 2026. That, again, would force automakers to all but abandon the production of new gas-powered cars. That is a lot of regulation, and those aren't the only measures we've seen, right?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, that is just the tip of the iceberg. In the last three and a half years, the federal government has spent billions of dollars subsidizing electric vehicle programs and offering massive tax write-offs for those who go green. But that effort really has been anything but smooth. For example, in 2021, the Biden Energy Department announced a $7.5 billion plan to build half a million EV charging stations around the country. But three years later, according to federal data, that money has been used to build a grand total of, get this, eight charging stations. So for those keeping track at home, they're about 499,992 short of their goal. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was recently grilled on that failure in an interview with CBS. Here's some of that exchange. The Federal Highway Administration says only seven or eight charging stations have been produced with a seven and a half billion investment that taxpayers made back in 2021. Why isn't that happening more quickly?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So the president's goal is to have half a million chargers up by the end of this decade. Now, in order to do a charger, it's more than just plunking a small device into the ground. There's utility work. And this is also really a new category of federal investment. But we've been working with each of the 50 states. Every one of them is getting formula dollars to do this work, engaging them and the first handful.
--:-- John Bickley: That's ambitious. Yeah, theoretically, they'll be ready. But at the current pace, obviously, that seems impossible. But even if they were all built, there still would not be nearly enough charging stations to accommodate this massive looming influx in electric vehicles that manufacturers will be forced to make under these regulations. For example, the U.S. would need an estimated 134 million charging ports to accommodate an all-electric national vehicle fleet. At the moment, there are fewer than 200,000 public ports nationwide. So even if Biden reaches his half-million goal, the country would still have a tiny fraction of the charging ports necessary to sustain a majority electric fleet. And that's not even taking into account the other just as important problem, demand. Right. I mean, that's a big part of this conversation. We have seen that the demand really hasn't been what I think this administration expected. And I didn't think it was up to the government to create demand. So walk us through that aspect of this debate.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So if you look at the data, last year, Americans bought more than a million fully electric cars, trucks, and SUVs, which sounds like a lot, but that still accounts for less than 10% of the overall market. To put it simply, millions of Americans simply are not interested in driving an EV. And that's despite the fact that EVs have become considerably more affordable in recent years. In 2022, for example, they were about $17,000 more on average than a gas car. Now they're right around $5,000 more. So prices are coming down, and while EV sales have increased compared to previous years, the pace has fallen significantly in recent months, leading auto manufacturers to actually trim production. For more on that tug of war between government desire and market demand, I spoke with Daniel Turner of Power the Future. If your goal is to see these industries thrive, the worst thing you can do for them is to use the power of government to force their competition out of business and to force their adaptation more quickly than the free market will allow Clearly the Biden administration is hoping consumers embrace electric But if not they made clear they are willing to force a change Well let hope the consumers have the last say.
--:-- John Bickley: Cabot thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- John Bickley: California's legislature is trying to delay a new $25 minimum wage for health care workers after Democrats realized it could affect state programs. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraida Lordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: So, Maraida, what's going on with California's legislature? They now want to delay this new minimum wage law, correct?
--:-- John Bickley: Hi, John. That's right. Governor Gavin Newsom signed this law back in October, but now the Democrat-controlled legislature is scrambling to delay this law. So this new minimum wage law is set to take effect on June 1st and would start phasing in a $25 minimum wage for health care workers. So is this coming from a realization of just how expensive this is going to be for the state? It seems like it, and that it's taken till now to realize that is remarkable since they had warnings from legislative analysts back in the fall about how much this new health care minimum wage law was going to cost. The state is predicting the law will cost California about $4 billion a year. This is mainly because Medicaid costs would jump and the state would have to pay more to its own workers at state-owned health care facilities. Healthcare providers have also warned that mandating higher pay could force them to pare down patient services. Some California hospitals say they expect the law to cost them tens of millions of dollars. Republicans in the legislature also oppose the law. Their main concern is that the cost will end up falling on patients who are already struggling. Here's what Republican State Assemblyman Devin Mathis had to say back in the fall. Somebody has to pay for that increase. And at the end of the day, that increases the bills of all those who are already in medical debt. It's coming out of their pockets.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Meanwhile, California's budget deficit is now a whopping $45 billion, and that's a conservative estimate. Right. So what is Newsom saying about this? He's trying to delay his own law, correct?
--:-- John Bickley: Correct. Well, last week, Newsom presented his latest budget proposal, and he said that the governor's office, the legislature, and supporters of the new minimum wage are currently working out a deal on potential changes to the law. Newsom said, quote, this budget will not be signed without that deal that we committed to being addressed. However, it's not clear whether a deal will be reached before Saturday, which is when the law takes effect. It's also not clear what are the sticking points in the negotiations. By the way, even if the law is delayed, some health care facilities have already begun raising wages for workers in anticipation of the law. And this is not the only minimum wage hike happening in California right now, right? That's right. In September, Newsom also signed a law establishing a new $20 minimum wage for fast food workers, which kicked in last month. Since that law was signed, California fast food restaurants have increased prices by 10% overall, more than any other state. We should note, too, California's current minimum wage for all workers is $16 an hour. That's more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, though several states have rates set higher than that.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Well, many unfortunate and not unpredictable side effects to all of this. We'll see how California handles this health care minimum wage with that massive deficit looming.
--:-- John Bickley: Mireille, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Thanks, John. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know. From providing funding and equipment to first responders to helping veterans fight cancer, your money goes a long way toward giving back to those who serve our nation. Visit BlackRifleCoffee.com to learn more.
