Morning Wire XX
[0] The first week of the trial of Galane Maxwell, the confidon of Jeffrey Epstein, brought several new revelations.
[1] Daily Wire reporter Marade Allorty joins us from Manhattan to discuss the details of the untelevised case, including new witness testimony, as well as Maxwell's defense strategy.
[2] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
[3] It's Monday, December 6th, and this is Morning Wire.
[4] Amid a wave of brazen violent crimes, 14 suspects were arrested in connection with a of smash and grab thefts in Los Angeles, only to be released within hours.
[5] We'll look at the soft on -crime policies that many say are causing all the chaos and the movement building against them.
[6] And New York City will soon allow non -citizens to vote in local elections.
[7] We'll take a look at the details of this new measure and what it could mean for cities across the country.
[8] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[9] Stay tuned.
[10] We have the news you need to know.
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[17] Quick warning before we get started.
[18] This segment may be inappropriate for younger listeners.
[19] Today we begin the second week of the trial of Galane Maxwell, The former girlfriend of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who now faces charges of sex trafficking minors.
[20] The trial has made headlines worldwide due to allegations that Epstein and Maxwell acted together to procure young victims for rich and famous friends, including Prince Andrew.
[21] Epstein's extensive roster of friends and guests who allegedly traveled aboard his infamous Lolita Express airplane includes dozens of Hollywood elites and at least two former U .S. presidents.
[22] Daily Wire investigative reporter Mairead Alorty has been in Manhattan covering the trial over the past week and has the details for us.
[23] Summerade, tell us what we've learned so far from the trial.
[24] Well, in the first week, we heard from one of the state's key witnesses, a woman who has accused Maxwell of trafficking her for Epstein and who has also claimed that Maxwell personally sexually abused her.
[25] Jane, which is the pseudonym she's using in court, took the stand on Tuesday and described how she was recruited by Epstein and Maxwell when she was just 13 or 14 years old at a performing arts summer camp in Michigan.
[26] Epstein and Maxwell started inviting her to Epstein's house in Palm Beach, she said.
[27] She said they groomed her, giving her impoverished family money, paying for her voice lessons, and Maxwell befriended her, taking her on shopping trips.
[28] They took her on Epstein's private jet to his other houses, and Maxwell discussed sexual topics with her.
[29] Eventually, Epstein began sexually abusing her, she said, and soon afterwards, Maxwell and Epstein took her to Epstein's bedroom and abused her together, still when she was just 14.
[30] And remind us of the charges against Maxwell.
[31] Sure.
[32] Maxwell is charged with eight counts related to the sex trafficking of minors over a decade -long period between 1994 and 2004, including sex trafficking of a minor, enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
[33] A separate later trial will consider two perjury charges against her as well.
[34] If convicted, she could face up to 80 years in prison.
[35] Some serious charges there, and it sounds like there's a mountain of evidence.
[36] What's Maxwell's defense strategy?
[37] Well, her lawyers are primarily arguing that the women accusing Maxwell are motivated by money and have, quote, contaminated memories of their abuse.
[38] The defense even went after Jane over her acting career, asking her on the stand whether she can cry on command.
[39] We also heard from some of Epstein's staff.
[40] What are they saying now?
[41] That's right.
[42] The prosecution talked at length about the, quote, culture of silence among Epstein's staff, so it was really eye -opening, hearing from them.
[43] We heard from Epstein's former pilot who flew his private jets, and we also heard from Juan Alessie, who managed Epstein's Palm Beach House from 1990 to 2002.
[44] The pilot didn't reveal much, but Alessie said that when he cleaned up Epstein's private bathroom after Epstein's frequent massages, he found a sex toy.
[45] Jane said in her testimony that Epstein abused her with a sex toy during the supposed massages.
[46] Alessie said Maxwell was almost always, always around and slept in Epstein's room.
[47] She kept pornographic tapes and took naked pictures of the, quote, many, many females who visited the late billionaire.
[48] She also sent Alessi to pick up Jane and Virginia Roberts, another Maxwell accuser, to bring them to Epstein's house.
[49] He also drove them to the airport and saw both girls get on Epstein's private plane.
[50] Here's one creepy detail Alessie provided.
[51] Maxwell at one point told Alessie not to look Epstein in the eyes because he didn't like it.
[52] Maxwell also gave Lessee a hefty a hefty book of strict rules for staff that instructed them, quote, remember that you see nothing, hear nothing, and say nothing.
[53] Some gritty details there.
[54] Yeah.
[55] How did the first week wrap up?
[56] Well, on Friday, the trial had a visually fascinating moment when investigators unfolded Epstein's green folding massage table in the courtroom.
[57] A police officer testified that when investigators raided Epstein's Manhattan Townhouse in July 2019, they found evidence of a sexualized atmosphere, which the prosecution argued was meant to encourage the minors to have sexual contact with Epstein.
[58] Maxwell, prosecutors say it was partly responsible for this.
[59] There's a lot of potentially damning information coming out of that first week.
[60] We'll be paying close attention to what else comes out these next few weeks of the trial.
[61] Thanks for the reporting, Marade.
[62] Of course, anytime.
[63] Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Allorty.
[64] Coming up, a wave of crime rocks California and sparks blowback against lenient policy.
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[68] Last week, Los Angeles Police announced they'd arrested 14 people in connection with a string of smash -and -grab robberies that have rocked the state.
[69] But within hours of being caught, all 14 suspects had already been released.
[70] leaving many Californians outraged.
[71] Here to discuss the story and its larger implications is Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
[72] Cabot, for those who aren't familiar with this trend of smash and grab robberies, give us a quick recap.
[73] Sure thing.
[74] So California cities have been experiencing a spate of what officials have dubbed smash and grab robberies, where a large group of usually armed people rush into a store and overwhelmed staff and security, smashing display cases and loading up on whatever items they can find before running to getaway cars.
[75] Now, sometimes these incidents turn fatal.
[76] One security guard was actually murdered last week in California during one of these incidents.
[77] And across one 10 -day period at the end of November, stores in L .A. were struck 11 different times, resulting in almost half a million dollars' worth of property damage and stolen goods.
[78] Now, 14 suspects in those cases were just caught, but they're already free.
[79] What's going on there?
[80] The LAPD announced they'd caught 14 people in connection with those crimes.
[81] but like you said, within hours of being detained, they were all released.
[82] That's because of California's new zero bail policy, which means those charged with nonviolent felonies and misdemeanors are released while waiting for their trial without having to pay any bail.
[83] L .A. Police Chief Michael Moore made it clear that he was not happy with the policy, and he blamed it in large part for the crime spike, as well as for these smashing grabs.
[84] You could be arrested for a crime such as burglary.
[85] Serious felony, a person coming into your home or business, during hours of darkness or otherwise, and that that's a zero bail, meaning that we book and process identify you, and then your arraignment date is three to four months from now.
[86] And it's often in those three to four months that those same people commit even more crime.
[87] That these types of policies would lead to more crime seems obvious.
[88] Why exactly were these low bail policies ever rolled out in California?
[89] So back in March amidst the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, the account, the account California Supreme Court ruled that when setting bail rates, judges in the state must consider a suspect's financial background and ability to pay the bail when setting the rate.
[90] Now, supporters of measures like this say it's a way to bring equity to the criminal justice system and that it prevents the wealthy from being the only ones who can afford bail.
[91] But those in opposition say at a time when cities nationwide are seeing record surges in violent crime and homicide, that it's no time to be lenient on criminals.
[92] They also point out cases where offenders have been released on low or zero bail and gone on to commit the same crimes repeatedly.
[93] Right.
[94] Tell us some more about that.
[95] So obviously the biggest recent example of this was the driver in the Waukesha Parade.
[96] Weeks before that attack, he'd been released on just a thousand dollar bail after running a woman over with his car.
[97] And that was a very similar policy to the one they have in California.
[98] But the issue has been most noticeable there in California.
[99] In one case, a man was let go without paying bail and arrested a month later for rape.
[100] a woman.
[101] In another, a man was arrested 13 times in 12 weeks, and he stole over a dozen cars, but was continually released.
[102] In one case, a man was released with zero bail after being charged with stealing a car, and then he skipped his court date and murdered a 61 -year -old woman and her dogs.
[103] Just awful and all apparently preventable.
[104] It does seem that way, and it's worth noting, we are starting to see some pushback, even from Democrats in California.
[105] The mayor of San Jose, who is considered pretty far left, was outraged after two murder suspects were released from jail in his city.
[106] He tweeted about the bail policy saying, quote, the pendulum has swung too far and it's our neighborhoods that endure the most crime that suffer as a result.
[107] So incidents like these have definitely appeared to turn a lot of Californians against the policies and even a lot of the politicians they voted for.
[108] Yeah, it appears.
[109] So Cabot, thanks for the reporting.
[110] Anytime.
[111] That's Daily Wires, Cabot Phillips.
[112] New York City will soon allow non -citizen voting in local elections.
[113] This comes after decades of progressive activism and efforts to expand voting to new groups.
[114] Here to tell us more is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
[115] So Charlotte, tell us about this new measure.
[116] Yeah, so New York City will soon be the largest city in the U .S. to allow non -citizens to register with a political party and vote in municipal or local elections.
[117] However, non -citizens will still be restricted from voting in state or federal elections.
[118] So basically this means they can vote for things like city council, but not for governor or president.
[119] The measure hasn't passed yet, but it's expected to be approved by a veto -proof majority on December 9th.
[120] So can any non -citizen vote?
[121] What kind of residency requirements are in place?
[122] Right.
[123] So the current language of the bill says that non -citizens can vote if they are current green card holders or have the right to work in the U .S. According to the New York Times, that applies to about 800 ,000 non -citizen residents.
[124] In terms of identification requirements, currently New York doesn't require ID to vote, but they do require ID for a first -time voter registration.
[125] Now, you mentioned that the council has a veto -proof majority in favor of this measure.
[126] Is this broadly popular with the Democratic Party in New York City?
[127] For example, where does Mayor de Blasio fall on this?
[128] Well, actually, Mayor de Blasio has opposed this measure, and he's even questioned whether the city council has the legal authority to make this move without state approval.
[129] He's indicated that allowing non -citizens to vote in municipal elections might undermine the, quote, value of citizenship and reduce the incentive for non -citizens to pursue full citizenship.
[130] This demonstrates an interesting split among left -wing progressives.
[131] Other progressives, though, say that non -citizens pay taxes and utilize public services, so they should have a stake in how those services are run.
[132] Newly elected Mayor Eric Adams, who is seen as a more conservative Democrat, is in favor of the idea, though.
[133] And I imagine there's been pushback from the other side of the aisle as well.
[134] Yes, definitely.
[135] The New York City GOP has fiercely opposed non -citizen voting.
[136] They claim it waters down the votes of legal citizens.
[137] They also warn that the trend toward non -citizen voting won't stop with New York City or with municipal elections.
[138] They also point out how local issues should not be left up to short -term residents.
[139] In a place like New York City, where people are moving in and out frequently, it's easy to see how this would be a main concern.
[140] Now, you mentioned that New York is the largest city to take this step.
[141] Which other cities or states have similar measures?
[142] Yeah, so areas of Maryland and Vermont have already allowed non -citizens some municipal voting rights.
[143] And in San Francisco, non -citizens are allowed to vote in school board elections.
[144] Communities in California, Maine, Illinois, and Massachusetts are all looking at similar measures.
[145] But some states are actually moving in the opposite direction, fortifying voting rights for citizens only.
[146] Last year, Alabama, Colorado, and Florida passed ballot legislation saying only U .S. citizens could vote in their elections.
[147] Arizona and North Dakota already had similar laws.
[148] Well, either way, this is a big step for New York City.
[149] Charlotte, thanks for reporting.
[150] That's Daily Wires, Charlotte Pence -Bond.
[151] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[152] Bob Dole, a former Republican senator in 1996 presidential candidate, died on Sunday.
[153] His family said in a statement that he passed away early this morning in his sleep.
[154] At his death at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years, the statement read.
[155] And the parents of the teen accused of going on a shooting rampage at Oxford High School were arrested in a Detroit warehouse Saturday morning hours after they failed to appear at an arraignment.
[156] The two have been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and both have pleaded not guilty.
[157] Their attorneys claim they fully intended to turn themselves in before police found them.
[158] 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.
[159] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[160] Thanks for waking up with us.
[161] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
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