--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Wednesday, August 14th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- John Bickley: A repetition of stale and unsubstantiated claims. That's what Judge Juan Mershon called Donald Trump's legal argument after rejecting the former president's latest attempt to have the judge taken off the hush money trial.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Trump's lawyers had argued the judge had a conflict of interest due to his daughter's work for Kamala Harris's campaign.
--:-- John Bickley: Mershon, though, dismissed the claim, stating that innuendo does not create a conflict. The judge will remain on the case through Trump's sentencing on September 18th for allegedly falsifying business records.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a key member of the progressive squad, won her primary on Tuesday, despite mounting criticism of her anti-Israel stance.
--:-- Joel Needler: Here with the details is Daily Wire senior editor Joel Needler.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Omar's victory comes as two other squad members, Representatives Jamal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, were defeated in their primary races this summer after heavy spending by pro-Israel groups.
--:-- Joel Needler: In contrast, Omar's Minnesota race did not have a lot of outside funding. According to Ad Impact, Omar spent $2.6 million on ads, while her opponent, more moderate city council member Don Samuels, spent $32,000.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Omar's win underscores the ongoing divisions within the Democratic Party over the war in Gaza.
--:-- Joel Needler: Here's Omar praising her staff after her victory. These are the people who were the backbone of the campaign, and I'm grateful to celebrate here with them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Also in Minnesota, a former NBA star hopes to dunk on Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar this fall.
--:-- Royce White: I'm Royce White, formerly of the Sacramento Kings.
--:-- Georgia Howe: You've won the Minnesota Senate Republican primary.
--:-- Royce White: That's right. I've picked up several key endorsements from Trump allies, including Representative Matt Gaetz and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
--:-- Georgia Howe: You defeated retired Navy officer Joe Frazier to take on Klobuchar in November.
--:-- Royce White: While defeating Klobuchar is considered a long shot for me, my primary victory signals strong support for the former president within the state's GOP.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Businessman Eric Hovde clinched the Republican Senate nomination in Wisconsin on Tuesday, setting up a highly competitive race against incumbent Democrat Senator Tammy Baldwin.
--:-- Eric Hovde: I'm Eric Hovde, and I'm running for Senate in Wisconsin.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hovde, backed by Trump, is expected to be a formidable challenger as Republicans aim to flip the seat.
--:-- Eric Hovde: Baldwin faces a tough re-election battle in a state that could be crucial in determining control of the Senate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We spoke to Hovde before his primary at the Republican National Convention.
--:-- Eric Hovde: He called out Baldwin on what he says were false accusations made in attack ads against him.
--:-- Eric Hovde: She's trying to distract from her record and what she's done of opening our border and all the crazy spending bills that she's voted with to ignite this inflation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A California sheriff is blasting Vice President Harris for using his image in a presidential campaign ad portraying her as tough on crime and immigration.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux stated that his image was used without permission and he accused Harris of falsely taking credit for local law enforcement's work during her time as California's attorney general.
--:-- Tim Pierce: He described the ad as smoke and mirrors, saying Harris actually did very little to combat drug cartels and illegal border crossings.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's what he told Fox News about Harris.
--:-- Mike Boudreaux: She's not supportive of a secure and strong border. It's evident when we have untold amounts of fentanyl cartels right here in my county that we have worked to dismantle, along with human trafficking that takes place up and down the state of California right across the border.
--:-- Tim Pierce: When she was the attorney general, that could have been secured. It wasn't. Her as vice president could have made moves to secure that. It wasn't.
--:-- Mike Boudreaux: So I would say that we have to go on a track record. The track record is not conducive or supportive of anything that she's saying within that ad.
--:-- Georgia Howe: U.S. inflation is up 2.9 percent in July versus a year ago, potentially paving the way for the Federal Reserve to begin cutting interest rates next month.
--:-- Tim Rice: Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the latest.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The consumer price index increased 0.2 percent from June, as experts have forecasted.
--:-- Tim Rice: Core inflation, excluding food and energy, rose 3.2% annually, showing a steady cooling trend.
--:-- Tim Rice: Inflation has eased from its 9.1% peak two years ago, with food prices stabilizing.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Fed Chair Jerome Powell says he still wants more evidence of slowing inflation before cutting rates, though most economists anticipate the first rate cut will come in mid-September.
--:-- Tim Rice: Morning Wire spoke to economist E Antony who questioned the timing of a potential rate cut.
--:-- E Antony: It's certainly not a mistake from the standpoint of there an election around the corner. That shouldn't have any weight whatsoever in this decision process.
--:-- Tim Rice: It's a mistake from the standpoint of there is still much too much money sloshing around in the economy relative to the size of the economy.
--:-- E Antony: You know, the Fed has a lot more work to do in wringing out all of that excess liquidity before they should even think about having a conversation about rate cuts.
--:-- Tim Rice: This is entirely premature.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Paramount Global is expected to lay off 15 percent of its U.S. workforce, impacting nearly 2,000 employees.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The media giant, which owns CBS and MTV, also plans to sell Paramount Television Studios.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The cuts aim to save $500 million and position the company for growth ahead of its merger with Skydance Media.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Paramount's co-CEOs stated the company is at an inflection point amid shifts in the TV and streaming industry.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The layoffs are expected to continue through the end of 2024.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kushida announced today that he will step down next month, citing public distrust over scandals and the rising cost of living.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Kushida, who has led since 2021, stated that, quote, politics cannot function without public trust and expressed a commitment to political reform.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will hold a leadership contest in September to choose his successor.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
