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--:-- John Bickley: Good morning, I'm John Bickley, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, November 17th.
--:-- John Bickley: A full day of deliberation, and the jury is still out in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. Morning Wire's Georgia Howe has been at the courthouse in Kenosha monitoring the situation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right, John. The judge sent the jury home for the day at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, and protesters continued to huddle outside the courthouse.
--:-- John Bickley: I spoke to many of them, and I'll let you know what each side is saying about the trial.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So the jury of seven women and five men were told by a judge to reconvene Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.
--:-- John Bickley: So they deliberated all day Tuesday, and they requested the first few pages of the jury instructions. But other than that, there's been very little information from inside that jury room.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I did hear from Kyle's family spokesperson late in the evening on Tuesday. They're holding back on giving interviews until after the verdict comes out.
--:-- John Bickley: But he did say that Kyle is not discouraged about the lack of verdict and that he's glad the jury is taking their time to consider the evidence.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And they're feeling pretty hopeful. He did say that Kyle and his family are extremely grateful to all the Americans who are supporting him emotionally and financially with some of his legal bills.
--:-- John Bickley: So you've been on the ground there a few days now. What's the atmosphere around the courthouse?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I mean, it's definitely tense. There's been a growing number of protesters. As of Tuesday, I'd say between about 10 and 20, which is more than Monday.
--:-- John Bickley: And they're primarily supporting the prosecution. Many of them, I noticed, are associated with Black Lives Matter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But there are some people who are there on behalf of Rittenhouse. So you could definitely feel there's a growing tension as this time is passing and the jury is deliberating.
--:-- John Bickley: One thing that's been really interesting is the racial commentary surrounding the case.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The vast majority of the protesters we spoke to, at least those who are in support of the state's case against Rittenhouse, feel that the case is explicitly about race and white supremacy and that Rittenhouse is a clear example of white supremacy.
--:-- John Bickley: What's the argument there?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, at least one protester referenced a photo that circulated of Rittenhouse appearing with, quote, Proud Boys sympathizers, although the prosecution was not able to link Rittenhouse to the Proud Boys, and Rittenhouse himself has denied association with them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Beyond that kind of dubious personal connection the protesters pointed to the donations Rittenhouse received for his legal defense which they say allowed him to obtain pricey legal counsel They claim that him being white was a factor in the amount of donations he received
--:-- John Bickley: However the main point that many of the protesters made was simply that the sequence of events that led to Rittenhouse being in Kenosha, so the wounding of Jacob Blake, is what makes this case racial, regardless of the fact that all of the men involved were white.
--:-- Georgia Howe: One protester explained it this way. This whole thing started because Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times, so everything like this seems to stem around racism and white supremacy.
--:-- John Bickley: What was really interesting is that the Black Lives Matter protesters were chanting the names Anthony and JoJo, and they were saying, say their names.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And they were referring to Joseph Rosenbaum, which is the first white man that Rittenhouse shot, and Anthony Huber. That's the second white man that Rittenhouse shot.
--:-- John Bickley: It's pretty rare to see Black Lives Matter activists using that slogan to represent white victims.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so what were the main arguments of the Rittenhouse supporters?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, first of all, there were fewer of them, but they all generally focused on the right to self-defense.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They say that the video footage clearly shows that Kyle shot Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz after attempting to retreat, and only when harm was imminent.
--:-- John Bickley: They point to Grosskreutz hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard, the unnamed assailant kicking Rittenhouse's head when he was on the ground, and the fact that Huber was carrying a gun in his hand while pursuing Rittenhouse.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They say that it was reasonable for Rittenhouse to feel his life was threatened. And they also expressed a lot of concern that this would set a dangerous precedent for self-defense if Rittenhouse is found guilty.
--:-- John Bickley: Was there any open conflict or violence between the two groups?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I would actually describe the scene outside as mostly peaceful. And I'm not actually making a euphemism there. For the most part, it was a lot of chanting and holding signs.
--:-- John Bickley: And as with any high-profile case, it does bring out some fanatics from all corners. And there have been some tense moments of yelling, but so far it seems like people are just practicing their First Amendment rights here.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That said, there are 500 members of the National Guard stationed in Kenosha, just in case that changes.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, let's hope they're not needed. Thanks for the reporting, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks, John.
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--:-- John Bickley: Coming up, whistleblower documents reveal the FBI is indeed tracking threats to school officials. You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are all on the Daily Wire app.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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.
--:-- John Bickley: Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
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--:-- Cabot Phillips: According to newly released whistleblower documents, the FBI is now using counterterrorism tools in order to track threats against education officials.
--:-- John Bickley: The revelation has left many parents demanding answers about whether they're being monitored by the FBI for simply protesting their school boards.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The new evidence emerged Tuesday as Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee provided an email from the FBI's counterterrorism division.
--:-- John Bickley: Here with more details on this developing story is Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, tell us about this email.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, so this leaked email essentially revealed that the FBI's counterterrorism and criminal divisions created a specific threat tag, as they call them, to track what they deemed to be threats against local school board districts.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The email was signed by multiple officials from the FBI's counterterrorism division and described how the parents who were considered a threat would be monitored under a new tag they created called EDU officials.
--:-- John Bickley: Now this comes at a time when more parents than ever have been showing up to school board meetings to push back against critical race theory and other progressive policies in schools.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And when the email came out, a lot of those parents started demanding answers about whether they're being considered domestic terrorists.
--:-- John Bickley: And they were asking what exactly constitutes a threat in the FBI's language.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, I'm sure. What was the reaction to the email leaking?
--:-- John Bickley: So there were generally two sides to this. Some said the email was a positive and that the FBI should be monitoring angry parents because they're the ones who presumably pose the largest risk to school board members and administrators.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But there seem to be more people who viewed this as overreach on the part of the FBI.
--:-- John Bickley: People in that camp view this as an example of the government attempting to intimidate parents who are protesting what's going on in their kids' schools.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They say equating those parents to domestic terrorists is insulting, and that the broad language in the email could result in almost anyone being monitored or deemed a threat by the FBI.
--:-- John Bickley: Right, and what was the reaction from lawmakers?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Democrats were largely silent on the matter on Tuesday evening, but Republicans on the Hill were furious, to say the least.
--:-- John Bickley: They basically called it an attack on parents, saying the FBI was exaggerating the threat as part of an attempt to suppress protest against liberal policies in schools.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They also were quick to point out how this email appeared to contradict statements given last month by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
--:-- John Bickley: Right, yeah, tell us about that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So you'll remember last month, Garland testified before the Judiciary Committee in the House and was adamant that parents would not be monitored by the FBI for protesting their school boards.
--:-- John Bickley: He also assured the committee that those same parents would not be considered domestic terrorists.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: I can't imagine any circumstance in which the Patriot Act would be used in the circumstances of parents complaining about their children, nor can I imagine a circumstance where they would be labeled as domestic terrorism.
--:-- John Bickley: Jim Jordan, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said that testimony contradicts the information in this leaked email.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: He sent a letter to Garland saying the attorney general had, quote, intentionally misled the American public when he said the FBI was not using counterterrorism tools to monitor parents.
--:-- John Bickley: Republicans essentially said in the letter that either the attorney general lied to the public or was simply ignorant and didn't know he was giving false information.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But either way, they invited him back to testify before the Judiciary Committee once more to, in their words, amend his testimony.
--:-- John Bickley: So now we'll just have to wait and see how he and the FBI and the Biden administration respond.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, we will.
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--:-- John Bickley: On Monday night, the leaders of the United States and China met to discuss numerous issues which concern both countries, including military aggression, trade and human rights.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to break down the event is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Sure. So President Biden met virtually with China's President Xi Jinping late on Monday in what was their first official meeting since Biden became president.
--:-- John Bickley: After three and a half hours of talks, there were no significant breakthroughs on any of the key policies underpinning the shaky relationship between the two countries, beyond a vague pledge to improve cooperation.
--:-- Ian Howarth: One key area of discussion was Taiwan, which has been the target of increased Chinese aggression in recent months.
--:-- John Bickley: Xi reportedly threatened Biden over Taiwan warning that assisting the country in pursuing independence is quote playing with fire and if you play with fire you will get burned
--:-- Ian Howarth: That sounds like a pretty significant threat.
--:-- John Bickley: Xi said that China would have to take resolute measures if, as he put it, Taiwan's separatist forces provoked or crossed some kind of red line.
--:-- Ian Howarth: And China's foreign minister warned Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the weekend that, quote, any conavance of and support for the Taiwan independence forces undermine peace across the Taiwan Strait and would only boomerang in the end.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about other key issues like human rights and trade?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, Biden raised U.S. concerns about human rights abuses in Hong Kong and against Uyghur Muslims, which China effectively rejected as the United States meddling in its affairs.
--:-- John Bickley: Then on trade, Biden discussed the, quote, need to protect American workers and industries from China's unfair trade and economic practices.
--:-- Ian Howarth: She responded with reports indicating he told Biden that the U.S. needed to stop abusing the concept of national security to oppress Chinese companies.
--:-- John Bickley: U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also claimed that Biden and Xi agreed to start arms control talks, with the two leaders agreeing to look to begin to carry forward discussions on strategic stability.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But again, there weren't any breakthrough agreements, with this meeting being a continuation of the understood position of both sides on these key issues.
--:-- John Bickley: Meanwhile, no mentions of the origins of COVID.
--:-- Ian Howarth: No, not that I've seen.
--:-- John Bickley: Before you go, there were some reactions online on the subject of Biden's relationship with Xi.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Can you fill us in there?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, Xi actually appeared to mock Biden during the meeting, calling the president his old friend, which followed multiple denials from the Biden administration that the two are old friends.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Biden did have a habit of reminiscing about his relationship with Xi when he was vice president, even suggesting that the two had traveled for thousands of miles together.
--:-- John Bickley: But when Fox News' Peter Doocy suggested that the two speak old friend to old friend, Biden rejected the label.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Let's get something straight. We know each other well. We're not old friends.
--:-- John Bickley: And White House Press Secretary Jan Psaki doubled down on this claim.
--:-- Ian Howarth: How would you describe their relationship going into this meeting?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, I think I can confirm, Peter, he still does not consider him an old friend. So that remains consistent.
--:-- Ian Howarth: It'll definitely be interesting to see if any substantive policy changes come out of this meeting.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, Ian.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: Other stories we're tracking this week. Pfizer announced Tuesday that it will permit its COVID treatment pill to be manufactured and sold in countries that might not be able to otherwise afford it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Pfizer said it will allow other companies to provide its pill, along with the drug it's administered with, to 95 countries, which would include up to around 53% of the population of the world.
--:-- John Bickley: And the crisis at the border between Belarus and Poland has escalated in recent days after multiple nights of intensity.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The New York Times reported that Polish border authorities used water cannons and tear gas to push back migrants who were trying to get past the border.
--:-- 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.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
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--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
