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--:-- John Bickley: The fate of Kyle Rittenhouse is now in the hands of the jury after the prosecution and defense gave their closing arguments Monday. Georgia Howe is on assignment in Kenosha for the verdict. That's right, John. I am in Kenosha and I was there for the final day of the trial and I have a firsthand report.
--:-- John Bickley: It's Tuesday, November 16th, And this is Morning Wire. Claims of dysfunction and lack of focus are plaguing Vice President Kamala Harris at the same time as President Biden is facing the lowest poll numbers of his presidency. What's behind the reports about the vice president? And how has the White House responded? And a new Harvard poll shows fewer Americans than ever approve of President Biden's handling of the border. What's driving the shift? And how could it influence Biden's approach to immigration going forward?
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Closing arguments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial took place on Monday in a polarizing case that gripped the nation. While the prosecution laid out its final arguments against the then 17-year-old Rittenhouse, the defense presented its case for self-defense. Georgia, you were in the courthouse in Kenosha for the closing arguments. Set the scene for us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the courthouse was pretty packed, and speaking with people, it feels like the locals are very evenly split on this case. So the prosecution was up first. What were the main points they made in the closing arguments?
--:-- Georgia Howe: The prosecution actually pivoted a little bit from last week. In his final argument, lead prosecutor Thomas Binger actually leaned into the active shooter angle, which was new today. That really wasn't a huge focus in the trial last week. He claimed that the men who pursued and were eventually shot by Rittenhouse were, quote, heroes for attempting to subdue Rittenhouse out of alleged concern that he was an active shooter threat.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The central strategy with that line of argument is they want to frame Rittenhouse as the initial aggressor and paint Rosenbaum, Grosskreutz, and Huber as acting in self-defense. Their legal argument is that Kyle cannot claim self-defense if he initiated the dangerous situation. And as you might imagine, this was disputed by the defense.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The prosecution also questioned whether Rittenhouse should have resorted to deadly force. They accused him of, quote, bringing a gun to a fistfight. Overall the prosecution focused on dressing down Rittenhouse for making poor choices that evening They talk about how he lied about being an EMT and when he said Rosenbaum pulled a gun on him that was incorrect And they argued that he was 17 and shouldn't have inserted himself into a dangerous situation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Overall, they really took aim at Rittenhouse as a person and they presented the deaths as his fault, which some people in the courtroom likely found pretty effective. They did have some missteps though. The prosecution downplayed the damage from rioters, which I think might not play so well with a jury of Kenosha residents.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For example, he said that the men Rittenhouse shot were, quote, heroes several times, which I think came across as a little bit saccharine, especially given the extensive criminal histories of those men. So I think that stuff might have been a little bit of a turnoff for the jury.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And how about the defense? What were the key arguments there?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Overall, the defense was a little bit less methodical and a little bit less clear in delivery than the prosecution. However, I think the video evidence did cut in favor of the defense. So, for example, we saw a slow motion video of Rittenhouse first being pursued by Rosenbaum and then cornered between two cars. Then we saw Rittenhouse being pursued by what appeared to be a mob. He was kicked in the head. He was hit with a skateboard. It was actually pretty hard to watch, and I think that's what made it effective.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And keep in mind, the defense only needs to prove that Rittenhouse was afraid for his life in the moment he used the firearm. So in some ways, that's a lesser burden to prove than homicide.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so what should we expect now? Any indications of, you know, when the verdict will be reached?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the jury's going to begin deliberations at 9 a.m. today. And I will say, I personally found both sides compelling. So it wouldn't surprise me if the deliberations take a little bit of time, especially because this case is such a Rorschach test in a lot of ways.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Obviously, this has been a very polarizing case with some expecting rioting if the verdict goes in the favor of Rittenhouse. What was it like outside the courthouse?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, there were actually fewer protesters outside the courthouse than I expected. Maybe half a dozen in the morning, about 15 in the evening. But it was also really, really cold out. Fingers crossed, the cold keeps people out of the streets.
--:-- John Bickley: Georgia, thanks for the reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, absolutely.
--:-- John Bickley: Coming up, Vice President Kamala Harris faces growing scrutiny from the media. You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. Even if you're not a Daily Wire member, you'll be first to know what's trending with mobile notifications for the latest news, and you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, it's pretty widely understood that President Biden's presidency is in trouble. His approval ratings have hit new lows of around 40%, and they look like they're going to continue to drop as he keeps moving to the left on policy, despite initially running as a moderate.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But in an interesting turn of events, his vice president has come under media scrutiny after initially escaping a lot of criticism since entering office. Remember, the legacy media basically ignored the vice president, despite the fact that she was tasked with overseeing the illegal immigration crisis as border czar, but didn't visit the border for three months.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Do you plan to visit the border? Not today. But I have before and I'm sure I will again.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But now even the legacy media seems to be questioning the popularity and the ability of Kamala Harris. Okay so what contributing to this Well first off there Harris approval ratings She currently has an approval rating of 28 28 Have we seen a VP approval rating this low, at least at this point?
--:-- Ian Howarth: These are notably low numbers, lower than many of her predecessors, and even lower than former President Donald Trump's worst polling numbers at the end of his presidency, by 10 whole percentage points. This really isn't anything new, though, much in the same way as the primaries in 2020.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Harris was lauded by the media as a leading candidate, but ended up dropping out before California even voted because she was polling in single digits. On Sunday, CNN published an article titled Exasperation and Dysfunction Inside Kamala Harris's Frustrating Start as Vice President. Insiders revealed for the first time tension and frustration behind the scenes between Vice President Kamala Harris and the White House.
--:-- Ian Howarth: According to some sources, Harris is now being actively sidelined, while others said she's ill-prepared for any future role she could take, and others are saying that her staff have failed her. But the reality is pretty clear.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Kamala Harris was unpopular before she was vice president, and she's unpopular now. It does look like the Biden administration is aware of this, though. For example, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted out at 8.20 p.m. on a Sunday evening, quote, For anyone who needs to hear it, VP is not only a vital partner to POTUS, but a bold leader who has taken on key important challenges facing the country, from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So the White House is going to bat for Harris there. Before you go, can you explain why Harris's decline has broader implications for the Democratic Party, especially as we approach election season?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yeah, if we zoom out here, Kamala Harris's numbers are definitely going to be causing panic beyond her own office. According to the latest data, Republican congressional candidates are holding their largest lead in midterm voting preferences in the last 40 years of ABC News, Washington Post polls.
--:-- Ian Howarth: At the same time, President Biden seems to be hitting a new low in approval ratings with every day that passes. And so the Democratic Party is scrambling to find a new face for 2022 and 2024. But based on reports, the two names being considered are Kamala Harris, who is even more unpopular than President Biden, and Pete Buttigieg, whose biggest headlines were regarding his two months paternity leave.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So unless something happens which adjusts the popularity of the alternatives, the fate of the Democratic Party in the next few elections looks like it's still hanging on the fate of one man. That's President Joe Biden.
--:-- John Bickley: Ian, thanks for the update.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Absolutely.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire's Ian Howarth. Following a year that saw an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border, new polling shows Americans' approval of President Biden's handling of immigration policy has hit a record low. Here with details on the poll and an update on the president's latest attempt to address the border crisis is Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, Harvard has a running poll that tracks Americans' approval of the president on certain key issues. In this case, on immigration, the poll found that just 35% of Americans approve of Joe Biden's handling at the border. That's the lowest mark he gets on any policy issue.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, it's helpful to look at tracking polls like this for evidence of trends more than anything. And the clear trend is regression across the board. During the summer months, anywhere from 49 to 53% of Americans supported as immigration policies. So we're talking about a pretty steep drop-off in just three months.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, that's pretty sharp. Overall, there wasn't actually a single policy issue where the president was above 50% approval. The economy was at 40%. Foreign affairs, 39%. Handling of crime, 38%. And maybe most consequentially just 36 say the country on the right track So some grim numbers for the president Yeah And for context those numbers were almost completely flipped back in the summer when just 39 of people thought the country was on the wrong track.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So again, a complete flip thing. That figure is especially big because it gives a good idea of how Americans will vote heading into midterms. Naturally, if they don't like the direction of the country, it increases the odds that people will vote for the party not in power, In this case, Republicans.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, that's traditionally a key indicator of voting trends. What else did we learn in the poll? One key finding was that Americans have really soured on the idea of open borders. Remember, President Biden maintained a softer tone on immigration throughout his campaign. And he essentially promised to loosen things up at the border once he took over.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But following a year where we did see record numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the border, Americans have totally swung the other way. This poll found that 68% of voters actually want to see stricter immigration laws to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. And while President Biden has blamed the surge on conditions in Central and South America and even climate change, the American people see it differently.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: 65% say his policies have directly encouraged people to come here illegally. So about two-thirds say his policies have actually inflamed the situation. Yeah, and one more key finding in that poll that really seems to refute a lot of the Democrat messaging on immigration. 71% of Americans say those who cross the border illegally should be deported. 71%? 71%.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So essentially, President Biden campaigned on ending a lot of Trump-era immigration policies. But right now, according to polling, those policies are actually popular with most Americans. Yeah, one of those Trump policies the president campaigned on reversing was remain in Mexico. And as we discussed on the show a few weeks ago, that policy was actually reinstated.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah. Are there new updates? So that policy said migrants detained at the border would be sent back to Mexico while they waited for their court dates in the U.S. The Biden administration tried to rescind that order last month, but federal courts said that they didn't have the power to do so, meaning they had to start re-implementing it.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But then two weeks ago, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a new, much longer, more detailed memo saying the Biden administration would be making another attempt at rescinding Remain in Mexico. So now we're waiting to see if the courts will once again put a hold on things or if they've been able to work through those past legal issues and actually make it something they can rescind.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But it is worth pointing out, Remain in Mexico is actually quite popular. In that same Harvard poll, 67% of Americans said President Biden was wrong to try and rescind it in the first place. So, you know, immigration was really a flashpoint for Democrats when Trump was in office, but now it seems to be working against them.
--:-- John Bickley: Cabot, thanks as always.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime. That's Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
--:-- John Bickley: Another story we're tracking this week. British authorities have declared a deadly car explosion outside a busy hospital in Liverpool to be an act of terrorism. Four men have been arrested in connection to the bombing, which took place Sunday. British intelligence have now increased the country's terrorism threat level to severe.
--:-- John Bickley: If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five-star review.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: If you like this podcast, get the Morning Wire newsletter are delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe. Use code morningwire to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
