Morning Wire XX
[0] Donald Trump remains trapped in a New York courtroom while Joe Biden hits the campaign trail.
[1] Don't mess with the movement of America.
[2] I'm here instead of being able to be in Pennsylvania and Georgia and lots of other places campaigning.
[3] What do yesterday's battleground polls say about the race for the White House?
[4] I'm Daily Wire editor -in -chief John Bickley with guest co -host Sage Steel, host of the Sage Steel show.
[5] It's Thursday, April 25th, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] anti -Israel protests on college campuses show no signs of letting up and every single one of you students that support Hamas are an absolute abomination and the supreme court heard a challenge to Idaho's abortion law are the restrictions constitutional and what will the decision mean for other states thanks for waking up with morning wire stay tuned we have the news you need to know new row sparks is a game -changing two -and -one prescription treatment that that combines the active ingredients in Viagra and Seattleis.
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[12] The Trump trial resumes today in New York as prosecutors seek to convince jurors that the former president engaged in financial crimes to influence the 2016 election.
[13] Here to discuss the monumental trial and how voters are reacting is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
[14] Cabot, as the Trump trial enters day four, what have we learned?
[15] Well, we've now got a much clearer picture of the case they plan to make over the next few weeks.
[16] The heart of their argument is that Trump used his media connections and wealth to cover up negative stories as part of what they call a, quote, criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.
[17] Now, to this point, prosecutors have focused on David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Inquirer.
[18] He testified on Tuesday that he was in regular communication with Trump and his lawyers throughout the 2016 race and engaged in a so -called catch -and -kill scheme in which they would pay off individuals threatening to come forward with negative stories about Trump.
[19] Now, Pecker has admitted under oath to running made -up stories about Trump's then -primary opponents, including one accusing Ted Cruz's father of being involved in the assassination of JFK.
[20] And while those stories might be salacious or seem like dirty campaigning, to this point, most legal experts agree that we've yet to hear any claims that would constitute illegal election interference.
[21] That is the bar they'll have to meet.
[22] Even the New York Times ran a piece with the headline calling it a, quote, legal embarrassment and historic mistake.
[23] And while the general sense among legal experts is that the case against Trump is weak and unlikely to result in a conviction, we are already seeing the tangible impact it's having on the 2024 election.
[24] While President Biden held campaign events in Florida this week and spent his time speaking with union members in Washington, Trump has still been stuck in New York, where he must attend every day of the trial in person or face jail time.
[25] Yes, certainly a major hindrance to his campaign.
[26] So how are voters responding to this legal drama cabinet?
[27] Well, first, it's important to remember this case carries special political weight because it's likely the only of the four Trump trials that will go before a jury before election day.
[28] And while the trials have to this point had, if anything, a positive effect for Trump, especially in the GOP primary, if he's convicted, that could change.
[29] However, experts say it is the least compelling case from a legal perspective.
[30] And voters do seem to agree.
[31] Latest polling from the Associated Press found that only about one -third of Americans think Trump acted illegally in the hush money case, while just 30 % say prosecutors are treating Trump fairly.
[32] That's 30 % nationally, not just among Republicans.
[33] So it does seem that voters, in large part, agree with Trump's claim that it's being targeted for political purposes.
[34] Meantime, yes, he's stuck in court all week, but he did get some good news on the polling front.
[35] Tell us about that.
[36] Yeah, throughout the winter, we saw Trump pulling ahead of Biden in national polling, at one point holding a four -point lead on average.
[37] But in recent weeks, things have certainly tightened considerably, at least at the national level, with Trump's lead shrinking to under one point.
[38] Now, Democrats have touted those findings as evidence of momentum, but if you look at the data from the swing states, which will ultimately decide this race, Trump is still in a very strong spot.
[39] The latest polling from Bloomberg this week showed the former president ahead in six of those seven swing states.
[40] In Wisconsin, he was up four, Arizona, seven, Nevada, eight, Georgia, six, and North Carolina, 10.
[41] Those numbers are all well outside the margin of error.
[42] So, while national polls have shown Biden gaining ground, popular vote is not what counts.
[43] Whether folks like it or not, this race will come down to just seven or eight states.
[44] And all the data we have shows Trump in a strong spot there.
[45] Goodness, it is going to be a fascinating summer leading up to November.
[46] Cabot, thank you.
[47] Anytime.
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[56] Officials at Columbia have set deadlines for the anti -Israel protesters to remove their encampments, while House Speaker Mike Johnson makes an impromptu appearance at the chaotic scene on campus.
[57] Johnson's appearance comes just a day after Columbia extended the deadline for protesting students to abandon their encampment by 48 hours and has over 100 arrests roiled the streets at nearby New York University.
[58] Here to talk about where things stand and where they may be headed as Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
[59] What did Speaker Johnson say, and maybe more importantly, why did he feel the need to appear at the campus in the first place?
[60] Morning, John.
[61] Johnson met with Jewish students who have expressed fear at being on campus amid this anti -Israel and, frankly, sometimes pro -Hamas occupation of the main lawn.
[62] He then spoke, joined by representatives Nicole Malia Takas and Michael Lawler of New York, among others, on the steps of the library.
[63] He announced his solidarity not just with the Jewish students at Columbia, but with the state of Israel itself and promised that neither would have to stand alone.
[64] There was heckling and yelling to be heard.
[65] At one point, Johnson quipped at his detractors, quote, Enjoy your free speech.
[66] Johnson repeated calls for Columbia's president to resign and said federal funding could be cut for schools who allow these activities.
[67] The speaker also pointed out that Hamas itself has now praised the protesters, calling them the future leaders of America.
[68] Yeah.
[69] That line in particular seemed to be aimed at Americans writ large, not just those in immediate reach of his voice.
[70] And it's a pretty powerful statement.
[71] Yeah.
[72] Here's some of Johnson's remarks.
[73] Those who are perpetrating this violence should be arrested.
[74] I am here today joining my colleagues and calling on President Shafiq to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos.
[75] As Speaker of the House, I am committing today that the Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes hiding in fear.
[76] What was the deal that was reached between Colombia and the protesters?
[77] And are those negotiations still going on?
[78] So one of the key elements of this temporary detente was a pledge from the occupying students to expel anyone who is not a student or affiliated with the university from the encampment.
[79] We've stressed this in our coverage all week, John, because the NYPD has expressed concern about professional agitators in the protesters' midst.
[80] And also just generally, these kinds of occupations have a history of attracting a criminal element.
[81] Now, Columbia University is not an impregnable fortress, and people have been sneaking on campuses for as long as campuses have existed, albeit usually for more amorous reasons.
[82] But clearly, the college is much more comfortable with this situation being all or at least mostly made up of actual students.
[83] So what are the possible ways that the standoff at Columbia could actually wrap up?
[84] Is this something that could go on for weeks or months, even after classes end in a few weeks?
[85] There's basically three ways this can end.
[86] One, Columbia reaches a deal with the protesters and they leave.
[87] Two, Columbia does not reach an agreement and has the NYPD clear out the encampment.
[88] or three, Columbia agrees to allow the encampment to stay.
[89] This third option is one that would put the NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams in a tough spot because they are not allowed to act without Columbia's approval unless they are responding to an active crime or the credible belief that crime is happening there.
[90] Yeah, you can see how that would be very problematic.
[91] We did see some further spread of the protests to campuses in other parts of the country, including the very red state of Texas.
[92] Is it even possible to measure how quickly this is or isn't catching hold at schools across America?
[93] It's hard.
[94] So we did see a few more pop up as at the University of Southern California.
[95] According to Speaker Johnson, some 200 schools have seen some kind of protest.
[96] And as you said, most notably yesterday was at University of Texas in Austin.
[97] But look, UT is again a fairly large and elite institution.
[98] And for Texas, Austin is a fairly liberal place.
[99] We still have not seen much of this at smaller, less politically active colleges.
[100] That could still happen, or the Columbia encampments and others could soon be shut down.
[101] One way or another, a tipping point feels imminent.
[102] Yeah, it certainly does.
[103] Dave, thanks for reporting.
[104] Thanks for having me. The Supreme Court heard a challenge to Idaho's abortion restrictions this week, the first time since Roe v. Wade was overturned that the court has considered whether a state abortion law is constitutional.
[105] Daily Wire investigative reporter Morayda Lorty is here with the details.
[106] So Marade, what case did the Supreme Court hear yesterday?
[107] Hi, John.
[108] So the court heard oral arguments in a case known as Moyle v. United States.
[109] This case deals with whether Idaho emergency room doctors are required by federal law to perform abortions to stabilize pregnant women in medical crisis.
[110] Idaho bans all abortions except to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape and incest.
[111] Doctors who perform abortions outside those circumstances can face criminal penalties, including up to five years in prison and the loss of their medical license.
[112] All right.
[113] So what exactly is the Biden administration arguing here?
[114] Well, it says Idaho's abortion law conflicts with a federal law, the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, known as EMTALA.
[115] That requires hospitals receiving federal funds to provide patients with stabilizing care or risk losing Medicare funding.
[116] The federal law, Amtala, requires hospitals to care for people with an emergency medical condition, including pregnant women in situations where, and I'm quoting here, the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in putting the health of the woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy.
[117] The Biden administration is claiming the federal law should override Idaho's abortion law, since in some cases, stabilizing care will supposedly mean an emergency room abortion.
[118] But Idaho officials disagree.
[119] Right.
[120] They counter that the Biden administration is simply trying to, to undermine the state's abortion law.
[121] Idaho's Attorney General Raw Labrador alleges that the administration is attempting to use federal law to turn Idaho emergency rooms into abortion enclaves.
[122] They also say it would make it easier for women to obtain medically unnecessary abortions.
[123] One of Idaho's lawyers said a pregnant woman could potentially claim that her mental health required her to get an abortion.
[124] We spoke to Dr. Ingrid Skopp, who is a board -certified OBGYN in San Antonio and director of medical affairs for the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
[125] She explained there have been some intentional efforts to confuse doctors about the laws.
[126] Misinformation is spread about women allegedly suffering miscarriages or other adverse outcomes due to state abortion law.
[127] We've seen stories of doctors who have failed to intervene in the wake of the Dobbs decision who say they would have intervened prior to Dobbs.
[128] This is not the fault of the law.
[129] The medical organizations who usually will explain a law to doctors, of course most doctors are not attorneys.
[130] They don't feel confident interpreting a law on their own.
[131] But most of these organizations have not explained the law to the doctors.
[132] And as we've seen, so many doctors are afraid that they are going to lose their license or be charged with a felony because they don't understand the law.
[133] And in fact, to my knowledge, there has never been a doctor prosecuted for doing an abortion when he's done it to save the life of the mother.
[134] So these doctors need to be encouraged that they can use their reasonable medical judgment.
[135] The law specifically allows them to do that.
[136] Now, this case is being closely watched because a broad decision could potentially affect other states, correct?
[137] That's right.
[138] And more than a dozen states have strict state abortion restrictions.
[139] The justices appear divided on the case largely along ideological lines on Wednesday.
[140] However, there appeared to be a split along gender lines as well.
[141] The court's four female justices, including conservative Amy Coney Barrett, pushed back on Idaho's claim that its abortion law supersedes the federal law.
[142] Barrett's criticism was less about the abortion issue itself and more about how much discretion doctors have to make decisions in emergency medical situations.
[143] We should note, too, as the election cycle heats up, Democrats have hammered the abortion issue and seized on personal stories of women who were prevented from obtaining an abortion in their home state.
[144] Right, we've seen Democrats make that a key talking point in their campaigns this year.
[145] Mairee, thanks for reporting.
[146] Thanks, John.
[147] A developing story we're tracking.
[148] An Arizona grand jury handed down an indictment against 18 people Wednesday night for allegedly attempting to subvert the 2020 presidential election by submitting an alternate slate of electors.
[149] Only 11 of the names have been released thus far, including former Arizona GOP chairwoman Kelly Ward.
[150] CNN is reporting that Rudy Giuliani and President Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, are also among those charged.
[151] The state's attorney general Chris Mays, who is a Democrat, announced the indictment Wednesday night.
[152] Charges include conspiracy, fraud, and forgery.
[153] Trump is not charged in the indictment, but is listed as unindicted co -conspirator number one.
[154] The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments regarding Trump's claims of presidential immunity today.
[155] Thanks for waking up with us.
[156] We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.