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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, and I'm here with Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us.
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--:-- John Bickley: After three years, the trial of actor Jussie Smollett began on Monday. The former Empire star is accused of lying to police about being the victim of a hate crime. Now he's claiming he was set up. We'll catch up on the famous crime and take a look at the opening arguments from each side.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right. And we're joined now by Daily Wire entertainment reporter Megan Basham. Megan, it's been a few years since Jussie Smollett was in the headlines. Can you remind us exactly what this case is all about?
--:-- Megan Basham: Sure. So in 2019, Jussie Smollett was the main character on this hit Fox show Empire. Now, he'd also scored some pretty high-profile roles in several big movies. Ridley Scott's Alien Covenant was one. So you really could call him sort of an up-and-coming young star. Well, in January of that year, Smollett claimed two white men in ski masks beat him up around two in the morning when he was out getting a sandwich in Chicago. He said they called him the N-word and homophobic slurs and told him, quoting here, this is MAGA country. Then he claimed that they poured an unknown substance on him and put a noose around his neck. At that point, he called the police and filed a report.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. And there was a lot of sympathy at first when this happened to Jesse. Yeah, there was. And it was all over the news. At the time, Kamala Harris called it a modern day lynching. Nancy Pelosi said it was an affront to our humanity. Donald Trump condemned it as horrible. So yeah, a lot of sympathy, except the story wasn't true. In the weeks that followed, it came out that Smollett allegedly paid two Nigerian brothers $3,500 to stage this attack.
--:-- Megan Basham: So what he's standing on trial for now are six counts of felony disorderly conduct connected to those false reports. I know there been a lot of speculation but did we ever get any firm answers about why he allegedly paid these brothers to do this?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, at the outset, some of that speculation was that this was just a publicity stunt. The brothers told police Smollett hired them to stage the attack in order to raise his media profile so he could negotiate a higher paycheck at Empire. He was reportedly earning about $65,000 per episode at that time. However, prosecutors in the trial are now describing an additional motive. So about a month before the attack, Smollett supposedly received this anonymous letter, which included a homophobic slur, a drawing of a stick figure hanging from a tree, and had the words MAGA cut out of newspaper letters. So prosecutors say that Smollett was so frustrated by the lack of response he got over the letter that he staged the hoax to drum up some sympathy.
--:-- Megan Basham: And so all of this occurred in 2019. Do we know why it's taken so long to go to trial?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, normally the state's attorney's office would be prosecuting a case like this, but the Cook County state attorney, Kim Fox, actually dropped all of the original 17 charges against Smollett back in March of 2019. Now, if that had been allowed to stand, he wouldn't be on trial right now. But a lot of people accused Fox of having a conflict of interest, especially after it came out that she'd been communicating with Smollett's family. There were also allegations that her office tried to get the Smollett record sealed so the press wouldn't be able to report on what she'd been doing. So in the end, a special prosecutor said he found, quoting here, substantial abuses of discretion and operational failures in her office. At that point, the special prosecutor convened a grand jury and they recommended reinstating a six count indictment against Smollett.
--:-- Megan Basham: So that's how we got here today. And how is Smollett pleading here?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, he's claimed all along that he's innocent and he's still claiming that now. So during opening statements, his defense attorney claimed that the two brothers set him up because they, quote, did not like him as a person. Smollett's defense has tried to cast doubt on the testimony of the two brothers. And they've also sought to undermine that perception that Smollett was seeking attention.
--:-- Megan Basham: It sounds like the prosecution has a pretty uphill battle here. Yeah, it does.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Of course, anytime.
--:-- John Bickley: Coming up, the Supreme Court considers an abortion case that could overturn Roe v. Wade. 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.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the case out of Mississippi that could dramatically change the landscape of abortion in this country. Leading up to oral arguments, New Hampshire Democratic Senator Gene Shaheen warned of a coming revolt if Roe v. Wade is overturned. I think if you want to see a revolution, go ahead, outlaw Roe v. Wade. Here to give us a closer look at the case is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pintz Bond.
--:-- Charlotte Pintz Bond: So the case is Dobbs v Jackson Women Health Organization and it over a 2018 Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Right now, the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and the ones that came after it, like Planned Parenthood v. Casey, hold that states essentially have to allow a woman to be able to have an abortion up to the point of viability, so when the baby can survive on its own. Most states hold this mark at around 20 to 24 weeks, so the Mississippi law directly challenges that precedent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Originally, Mississippi said in its petition that the questions presented to the court do not require them to overturn Roe or Casey. But in its brief in July, the state wrote, quote, Roe and Casey are egregiously wrong and said the court should overrule those decisions.
--:-- Charlotte Pintz Bond: So why is this case so unique? Haven't we had other laws like this blocked in the past?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes, but when the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Mississippi case, it said it would consider the question of, quote, whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional, which means that with this decision, they could rule that states can make their own laws regarding abortion again, even possibly banning it up to the point of conception. And right now, there are at least 21 states that have pro-life laws or constitutional amendments that would make almost all abortions in their states illegal if Roe is overturned.
--:-- Charlotte Pintz Bond: Do we have any idea how the court is going to rule?
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's obviously impossible to know how the justices will rule on this case. Justice Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan have supported abortion in the past. The newer justices, including Justice Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett, are more conservative, and how they rule in this case will offer a more clarifying look at their stances. Chief Justice John Roberts is difficult to predict, as is Justice Alito, although he has seemed to lean towards pro-life decisions in the past. But that's not the case with Justice Clarence Thomas. He's been very clear in the past on his opposition to Roe.
--:-- Charlotte Pintz Bond: Right. Justice Thomas is probably the most open about his stance against Roe. In a 2020 dissenting opinion, he wrote, quote, Our abortion precedents are grievously wrong and should be overruled. He went on to write, quote, The Constitution does not constrain the state's ability to regulate or even prohibit abortion. This court created the right to abortion based on an amorphous, unwritten right to privacy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, we'll see if that's indeed what ends up happening. Thanks for the reporting, Charlotte.
--:-- Charlotte Pintz Bond: Absolutely.
--:-- John Bickley: The contents of Hunter Biden's laptop became the most controversial and suppressed story of the 2020 election. A new investigative book thoroughly examined its contents and says they prove that President Joe Biden has been financially compromised by foreign powers. The Daily Wire's media reporter Ben Johnson has the details.
--:-- Ben Johnson: So Miranda Devine's new book, Laptop from Hell, which is currently number one on Amazon, covers everything from the most salacious details of Hunter's addictions to allegations of corruption and influence peddling. So how does the president fit into this picture?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the book portrays President Joe Biden as the mastermind and main beneficiary of corrupt global business deals.
--:-- Ben Johnson: We should stipulate that many of these allegations come exclusively from Miranda Devine's original new book. Some of these claims will surely be considered controversial. Miranda Devine told me the most important aspect of Hunter Biden's laptop is the picture that emerges of President Joe Biden. That he's deeply corrupt and a congenital liar. And also the fact that now as president he compromised President Biden she says would set up deals with domestic and foreign interests who wanted something from him They would hire Hunter, who would finance the family's lavish lifestyle. His most famous deal with Ukrainian energy company Burisma netted Hunter $83,000 a month. But his most lucrative deal came from the China Energy Fund Committee, which is part of the Chinese government's imperialist Belt and Road Initiative, seeking to extend Chinese communist influence around the world. Records on his laptop show that Hunter made $6 million from that deal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what role did Joe Biden allegedly play in facilitating these foreign financial deals?
--:-- Ben Johnson: In some cases, he met with Hunter's business partners. For instance, although he officially denied the meeting at first, records on the laptop show that Joe Biden met with the owner of Burisma in Washington, D.C. in 2015, and possibly with others. And then in 2013, Vice President Joe Biden actually brought Hunter on an official state visit to China, where Hunter hammered out his first multi-million dollar deal with the Chinese. Miranda Devine told me that in Chinese culture, this represents a quid pro quo. When Joe Biden arrived with Hunter Biden on Eccles II, it was a signal that Hunter Biden would be taken care of financially, and therefore China could do what it liked. She says this is compromised national security. Because of Hunter's financial dealings, President Xi has no respect for President Biden.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, obviously, the book focuses on the Biden family, but are there any other big names mentioned?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Yes. Hunter Biden allegedly claimed to have sway with other political figures as well. While trying to cement a deal with the Chinese, a document on the laptop says that Hunter Biden has pulled with Democratic royalty on both coasts. He names Kamala Harris, Senators Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Dianne Feinstein, as well as current California Governor Gavin Newsom. But Divine says Biden is the most practiced purveyor of corruption in U.S. politics. Everything is a favor. Everything is a sort of a Tammany Hall, kind of quid pro quo, handshake-y, scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. And his entire family is in on this grift.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, Divine seems to indicate that several members of the Biden family have benefited from corruption aside from Hunter. Right. Devine says that most of the Biden plan has benefited from the president's influence peddling in two ways. First, receipts on the laptop show that Hunter Biden appeared to pay many of the family's bills, including those of his father. In one email, he tells his daughter that Joe Biden claims half of his salary. Second, other family members allegedly preceded Hunter in this family business, particularly Joe's younger brothers, Frank and Jimmy Biden. At one point, Jim Biden reportedly told his business partners, quote, Don't worry about investors. We've got people all around the world who want to invest in Joe Biden.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Other family members got high-paying government jobs. Hunter's Aunt Val, who basically raised him as a child, was granted a U.N. appointment that paid her $26,000 for four months' work. Her daughters also received government sinecures during the Obama administration.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So at the very least, there are some open questions that the American people might want answers to.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Ben, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: If you like 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. 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. If you like this podcast, get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe.
