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--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire, I'm Georgia Howe.
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--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by Black Rifle Coffee. Start your morning with America's coffee from BlackRifleCoffee.com.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Chaos in Chicago as hundreds of teenagers swarmed several high-end tourist areas this weekend, beating pedestrians and smashing vehicles. What impact is the chronic violence having on residents and businesses, and how are city officials responding? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: It's Tuesday, April 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan holds congressional hearings on crime in New York City. Witnesses blame District Attorney Alvin Bragg for not prosecuting violent crime. He dismissed, completely dismissed gang assault and murder indictments against two of the defendants clearly on video participating in the brutal, savage slaughter of my son.
--:-- Host: John Bickley: And the power struggle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the House of Mouse continues. We break down the governor's latest moves.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Host: Brandon: Hey guys, producer Brandon here. Everyone knows we love Black Rifle Coffee, but you don't always have time to brew coffee the traditional way. That's why you need Black Rifle Coffee's ready-to-drink cans. Ready-to-drink coffee is perfect for when you're on the go, and each can contains at least 200 milligrams of caffeine and come in a variety of different flavors. Go to blackriflecoffee.com and use promo code WIRE for 10% off your purchase and your first coffee club order. That's blackriflecoffee.com, promo code WIRE. Black Rifle Coffee, America's coffee.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Downtown Chicago erupted into chaos over the weekend as hundreds of teens swarmed the streets, effectively shutting down the area. The chaos came on the heels of Walmart announcing the closure of four of the city's Walmart stores.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Here to discuss is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: So, Dave, more footage continues to be released, and it's truly shocking. What did we witness over the weekend, and how bad was it?
--:-- Host: David Marcus: For two nights in a row, downtown Chicago was really just overrun by hundreds of mostly teenagers who engaged in all kinds of mayhem, from fighting in the streets, beating random citizens and tourists, to stealing and smashing the windows of cars. Two teenagers were shot and hospitalized. It was just clearly a situation completely out of control.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Police appeared unable or unwilling to contain the violence, though they did make 15 arrests.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Those videos of the riot you mentioned really do have to be seen to be believed.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Yeah, they really do.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: What do we know about the people arrested by the Chicago PD, and what are they being charged with?
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Nine adults and six juveniles were arrested. So it should be pointed out that these were not all teenagers. Most were charged with reckless conduct, but a 16-year-old was picked up for unlawful use of a weapon connected to one of the shootings.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: And it really puts a fine point on the problem here. Teenagers roaming the streets with weapons Including loaded guns is a nightmare And it's not new We saw similar scenes in the Windy City last summer and so far there aren't a whole lot of answers as to how to make it stop
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Now Mayor Brandon Johnson gave a statement in response that caused quite a stir He condemned the violence and vandalism, saying it has no place in Chicago, but then he went on to say that the teenagers involved should not be, quote, demonized.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: So Johnson said that these youths had been, quote, starved of opportunity in their own communities and suggested that this explains why they might come and rage downtown.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: He went on to say that Chicago needs more safe spaces where teenagers can safely gather with adult supervision. Such programs have been tried for decades with varying success.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Back in the 1990s, Baltimore had a famous midnight basketball program that was effective, but it's not really an answer to the underlying problem of growing crime.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: This happened right on Michigan Avenue. That's a very touristy area. And this wasn't the first time this has actually happened.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: What kind of impact do recurring incidents like this have on those institutions and businesses?
--:-- Host: David Marcus: No, it's utterly untenable. I mean, nobody wants to venture through a Lollapalooza of gunfire and broken glass for a nice dinner.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Many of these businesses are less than a year removed from pretty serious COVID restrictions. And now, as they try to come back, they have to deal with this.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: It doesn't take long for a neighborhood to get a reputation as dangerous, and that can have absolutely crushing consequences for anyone trying to scratch out a living there.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Now, just a few days ago, Walmart announced it would be closing four locations in Chicago, most of these in lower income areas.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Is there any connection there?
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Publicly, Walmart is saying that the stores just weren't profitable. It's not clear to what extent crime played into that.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: But recent videos circulated of a massive fight breaking out in the checkout area of a local Walmart. Again, it's really just alarming footage.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: A few of those now closing stores were opened in 2020 in response to the George Floyd riots as part of a social justice initiative to bring business to underserved areas. But the company is now pulling back.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: It's a sign of a dying city. And if the tourists and entertainment districts continue their decline, there will be little tax revenue to fix any of it.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Right. This becomes a vicious cycle very quickly.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Dave, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Host: David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Coming up, Congressman Jim Jordan takes his house investigation on the road to New York City.
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--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: The House Judiciary Committee hosted another remote hearing on Monday, this time in Manhattan. The focus for the hearing was crime, its causes, and how to combat it.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to recap the hearing for us.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Yeah, Republicans brought the hearing to New York in the heart of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's jurisdiction to highlight the records of progressive prosecutors, and especially prosecutors who, like Bragg, receive support from Soros-funded groups.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Here's a clip of Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson reading from a Heritage Foundation analysis of Soros-funded prosecutors before he explains the hearing setting.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: The rogue prosecutor movement destabilizes the safety of our communities treats criminals as victims and police as the criminals and ignores real victims Why are we beginning our crime wave field hearings in New York City Because this is one of the most egregious examples in America. Alvin Bragg is the poster child for exactly what was just described.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: What was the Democrat response to that charge?
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Democrats keyed in on a fight between the committee's chairman, Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, and Bragg over the prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: New York Congressman Jerry Nadler had some pretty pointed words for Jordan, accusing him of carrying water for Trump.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Here's a bit from Nadler.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Committee Republicans designed this hearing to intimidate and deter the duly elected District Attorney of Manhattan from doing the work his constituents elected him to do.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Democrats tried to blame crime on guns. They invited to the hearing Jim Kessler, the co-founder and senior vice president for policy of the left-wing think tank Third Way.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Kessler said there isn't any place in this country really safe because there are too many guns. So I don't think any place in this country is really safe, OK, because we're awash in guns.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: I think number one is gun ownership rates.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz said that Kessler and Nadler were scapegoating guns for the real problem with crime in big cities across the country.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: I have to address this matter of crime rates that my colleagues keep talking about. And to the extent that there is an impact on crime rates in major cities, I would suggest that that is exactly what you get with the sorosization of the United States justice system.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: And I should note that some of the Democrats' remarks weren't taken too well by the audience.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Democrats tried to paint the hearing as a stunt and refer to the witnesses as GOP pawns, which got a rise out of the crowd.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: At least one audience member was escorted out after he called California's Adam Schiff a scumbag.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Let me tell you this. Capitol Police, gentlemen, let's suspend. You're a scumbag. Let me tell you this.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Now, these witnesses suffered tremendous tragedies related to crime.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: What were some of the stories that jumped out?
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Yeah, these were New Yorkers with firsthand experience of Bragg's justice system.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Madeline Brame is the chairwoman of the Victims' Rights Reform Council. Her son was a married father of three and an Afghanistan war veteran. He was stabbed to death in an attack that involved four siblings.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Two were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Another got seven years, but the lone female involved was let out after one year of time served.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: I was totally disrespected. Me, my family, my grandchildren, we were treated like garbage. Like garbage.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: I'm not the only one. There are hundreds and thousands of us. We don't give a damn about your politics. We don't care. It could be the man from the moon who's running for president. As long as whoever's in there stands for law and order and is going to return some civility and sanity to our city.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: That's a pretty powerful statement.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Did Bragg respond to the hearing at all?
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Yeah, he dismissed it as a political stunt and put out a statement saying that crime rates are down from 2022 levels.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: But that's probably little solace to the victims.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Here's Brame again.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: We don't care nothing about your statistics. You cannot convince us to not believe our lying eyes with your numbers.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Again, she is a powerful witness.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host: Tim Pierce: Anytime.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: The power struggle between the state of Florida and Disney is heating up once again.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: On Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a bill that will address Disney's last-minute attempt to hold on to its special privileges in the state.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Here to give us the details is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: So Megan the Reedy Creek drama has been going on for at least a year now.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: And just a reminder for listeners Reedy Creek is the district in Florida where Disney operates.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: That district for decades has had special legal carve that allowed it to operate pretty independently.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: And now that independence is being threatened as a result of some political drama with Governor DeSantis.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: So fill us in on the latest.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: Well, we'll all remember from a couple of weeks ago that right before their terms ended, members of the old Disney-appointed board quietly struck some last-minute deals.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: And those deals blocked the new DeSantis-appointed board from making some promised reforms.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: So a little bit of a cliffhanger there.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: But then on Monday, DeSantis announced that there are a number of legal issues with those Disney deals, and he's arguing that they probably aren't going to hold up in court.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: But just in case, he's also moving ahead to address the issue legislatively.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: At the end of the day, we made the decision as a state, as a people, through the medium of our elections, that we would not have one corporation serving as its own government.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: That's not good government. And it's not something that we want to entertain in Florida any longer.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: And we want to make sure that Disney lives under the same laws as everybody else.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: DeSantis went on to mention that the famous Disney monorail and other rides haven't been subjected to inspections.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: He mentioned some land adjacent to Disney World that could be used to put up a new prison.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: So I'd say it's fair to call that a little bit of hardball there.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: Right.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: Now, DeSantis has sort of taken on, quote, woke Disney in large part as a political message.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: To what extent is this posturing and can slash will he follow through with some of these threats?
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: I think there's definitely some pressure to follow through if DeSantis weren't able to enact these Reedy Creek reforms that he promised, or if he were to back down, that is certainly something that potential rivals like Donald Trump would be able to point to as a failure of leadership.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: So if DeSantis does indeed have aspirations to occupy the White House, the stakes here are much higher than the issue itself would seem to appear on the surface.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: And that's especially true because Trump has been far and away the leader in the Republican primary polls, and his lead has been growing.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: But a new poll of general registered voters shows DeSantis beating Biden in battleground states while Trump doesn't.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: So this latest poll comes from Public Opinion Strategies, and it focused on the two key battleground states of Arizona and Pennsylvania.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: So for Arizona, it was DeSantis over Biden 48 to 42 percent, while Trump would lose to Biden 42 to 46 percent.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: And then in Pennsylvania, DeSantis beats Biden by three points while Trump loses to him by one.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: But one other important nugget out of that poll is that it shows DeSantis boosting GOP congressional candidates in Arizona a couple of points more than Trump if he's the Republican candidate.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: And that flies in the face of what the Trump team has been pushing, which is that Republicans will need him to get those down ballot candidates across the finish line.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: Now, what are the two camps saying about this poll?
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: Well, there's no comment from Team DeSantis, which probably isn't surprising as he has not actually declared his candidacy yet.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: But the official Twitter account of the 2024 Trump campaign called it a, quote, fake poll.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: Well, that's on brand.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Megan, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Host: Megan Basham: Anytime.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: Well, that's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Host: Georgia Howe: We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
