Morning Wire XX
[0] After years of wall -to -wall coverage of Russia collusion, serious claims about the origins of that narrative have been met with relative silence from many news outlets.
[1] But are the American people interested in learning more at this point?
[2] A poll suggests both Republicans and Democrats want answers.
[3] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
[4] It's Friday, February 18th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] The Biden administration says the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is now very high, but that the U .S. is not giving up on a peaceful.
[6] resolution.
[7] If Russia doesn't invade Ukraine, then we will be relieved that Russia changed course and proved our predictions wrong.
[8] And as the CDC continues to recommend masks, the rest of the country appears to be ready for the old normal.
[9] From Fuller flights and packed stadiums, we're seeing signs that America is back.
[10] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
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[17] A new filing from special counsel John Durham includes some explosive claims.
[18] According to Durham, at least two named individuals linked to the Clinton campaign exploited access to internet traffic from several Trump properties, even to the executive office of the president.
[19] So where are the headlines?
[20] columnist David Marcus joins us from New York to talk about the media response and what we can learn from it.
[21] So first, David, how significant is this revelation from Durham?
[22] I mean, what do we know now that we did not know before?
[23] It's big.
[24] What we've learned through Durham was that Michael Sussman, an attorney for the campaign, was involved in gathering information surreptitiously, intended to firm up the thoroughly debunked claim that Trump was involved in Russian collusion.
[25] Democrats claim this does not amount to spying, but it sure looks like spying.
[26] You know, Russian collusion was the biggest story for more than two years, but we haven't seen many headlines about this unless to dismiss it.
[27] What do you make of the response from the big outlets?
[28] I mean, the short answer is that they were wrong about Trump and they look foolish now.
[29] That's a big part of why they've taken a wait and see attitude on this, whereas for three years the slightest rumor about Trump and Russia was a headline above the fold.
[30] It's kind of ironic.
[31] They wield this Russia narrative into existence, and now they're stuck with the result, which increasingly paints the Clinton campaign in an extremely negative light.
[32] Speaking of Clinton, she has now responded to the claims, and she just brushed it off his spin.
[33] Right.
[34] Will legacy media take her word for it?
[35] Can a story like this really be buried?
[36] Yes and no. Yes, the mainstream media still has large enough reach that can hide important stories from millions of Americans.
[37] And the stark partisanship in the country will aid them in that, since many people tend to trust news that aligns with their ideology.
[38] But, you know, also no, as Shakespeare said, the truth will out.
[39] But we're already five years beyond when most of these activities took place.
[40] Right.
[41] Do you think Americans have already settled into their opinions about Russian collusion?
[42] Do you think anything can come out now that would actually change minds?
[43] They might be pretty entrenched at this point.
[44] However, there's evidence that there's bipartisan interest in the story.
[45] For example, recent polls showed that 66 % of Democrats who have been following the story want to see further investigations, among all groups that number is about 75%.
[46] So it seems like Democrats who have been exposed to the story are interested.
[47] So there's clear interest among both parties?
[48] Appears so.
[49] Well, in terms of the role of the media, there's an obligation to demonstrate some amount of curiosity in any important story, right?
[50] Yeah, but that's the crossroads that legacy media.
[51] is at right now?
[52] Is there allegiance to informing the people or to protecting certain interests?
[53] We saw very clearly with the coordinated effort to bury the Hunter Biden story that many outlets are struggling with that balance.
[54] The big question for legacy media today is whether they can continue on the track they're on and still maintain the confidence of the American people.
[55] There's some evidence such as the floundering of CNN that the American people are getting tired of what they're from legacy outlets.
[56] But, you know, only time will tell.
[57] Well, David, thanks for keeping us honest.
[58] That's what I do.
[59] That was contributing reporter, David Marcus.
[60] Coming up, the U .S. warns of Russian false flag operations.
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[68] With tensions continuing to rise in Ukraine, the U .S. government is warning that Russia might be engaging in so -called false flag operations to find an excuse to invade.
[69] Here to tell us more is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
[70] So, Ian, we've heard some conflicting claims from Russia and the Biden administration.
[71] What's the latest?
[72] Well, the latest is that Russia claims that they've decrease their troop numbers along the Ukraine border, but the Biden administration says there's no evidence of that.
[73] Instead, the administration says it still believes that Russia could attack any day.
[74] How high is the threat of a Russian invasion right now?
[75] It's very high.
[76] It's very high because they have not moved any of their troops out.
[77] They've moved more troops in.
[78] Number one, number two, they have reason to believe that they are engaged in a false flag operation.
[79] They have an excuse to go in.
[80] And this concern led Anthony Blinken to address the United Nations.
[81] Yeah, the Secretary of State spoke to the UN Security Council on Thursday, where he called Russia's looming aggression against Ukraine the most immediate threat to peace and security.
[82] He said that groups like the UN must acknowledge the broad threat of Russian military aggression and address Russia's actions.
[83] He also said that Russia's claim that a drawdown in troops had occurred was probably false.
[84] Over the past months, without provocation or justification, Russia has amassed more than 150 50 ,000 troops around Ukraine's borders in Russia, Belarus, occupied Crimea.
[85] Russia says it's drawing down those forces.
[86] We do not see that happening on the ground.
[87] Our information indicates clearly that these forces, including ground troops, aircraft, ships, are preparing to launch an attack against Ukraine in the coming days.
[88] Blinken then openly discussed a subject, which has been thrown around a lot in recent days, which is that Russia is looking for an excuse to invade.
[89] We've just seen some examples of this, such as, One claimed by Russian media outlets that Ukrainian armed forces fired mortar shells on Russian -backed areas of Ukraine.
[90] Russia plans to manufacture a pretext for its attack.
[91] This could be a violent event that Russia will bring on Ukraine or an outrageous accusation that Russia will level against the Ukrainian government.
[92] We don't know exactly the form it will take.
[93] It could be a fabricated so -called terrorist bombing inside Russia.
[94] The invented discovery of a mass grave, a staged drone strike against civilians, or a fake, even a real, attack using chemical weapons.
[95] And a few days ago, Putin repeated a baseless claim that a genocide was being carried out in eastern Ukraine against ethnic Russians, a claim he's made before, and Blinken said that this could be another excuse to launch an attack.
[96] Russia may describe this event as ethnic cleansing or a genocide, making a mockery of a concept that we in this chamber do not take lightly, nor do I take lightly, based on my family history.
[97] Lincoln then described what a Russian invasion would look like.
[98] Russian missiles and bombs will drop across Ukraine.
[99] Communications will be jammed.
[100] Cyber attacks will shut down key Ukrainian institutions.
[101] After that, Russian tanks and soldiers will advance on key targets that have already been identified and mapped out in detailed plans.
[102] We believe these targets include Ukraine's capital, Kiev, a city of 2 .8 million people.
[103] One interesting moment from Blinken's speech was actually related to the ongoing criticism that U .S. intelligence has been foggy or inconsistent when it comes to Ukraine and Russia.
[104] Now, I'm mindful that some have called into question our information, recalling previous instances where intelligence ultimately did not bear out.
[105] But let me be clear, I am here today, not to start a war, but to prevent one.
[106] He even said that the Biden administration would be glad to be proven wrong if Russia didn't attack.
[107] And with Putin's government and the Russian media pushing the notion that this sort of messaging is just Western propaganda, we're seeing that information itself is going to be playing a forward -facing role in the tensions, regardless of whether they escalate or de -escalate in the coming days and weeks.
[108] All right.
[109] Well, Ian, thanks for keeping us up to date.
[110] You got it, Georgia.
[111] That's Daily Wires, Ian Howarth.
[112] A new study shows that only one -third of Americans have returned to the office, but a large majority are engaging in their favorite pastimes.
[113] Does this mean that the U .S. is well on its way back to normal?
[114] Here with the details is Charlotte Pence -Bond.
[115] So, Charlotte, what's the latest on this, are things finally getting back to normal?
[116] Hey, yeah, so it's starting to seem that way.
[117] Our recent report showed how lots of Americans aren't necessarily going back to the office, but they're definitely getting out to other areas.
[118] So what kind of data do we have?
[119] So we have some interesting data from Castle Systems, which keeps track of building access card swipes.
[120] According to Castle, an average of 33 % of the workforce went back to the office in the first week of February as compared to the beginning of 2020.
[121] One caveat, though, that data comes from 10 large cities, so it may not be capturing the work habits of Americans in smaller towns.
[122] Regardless, it's still a helpful trend to watch because it shows a full 10 -point jump from just the month before.
[123] The highest rate was in the first week of December, which reached 41%, but it dipped again during the Omicron surge.
[124] But despite the fact that office workers seem reluctant to go back to work, other data suggests Americans are ready to do most everything else.
[125] For example, in the first week of February, movie theater attendance was at 58 % of baseline pre -pandemic numbers per a castle analysis.
[126] And that's actually one of the lower numbers we've seen.
[127] Restaurants were almost three quarters of the way back to baseline.
[128] Air travel is almost at 80%.
[129] Attendance at NBA games is up to 93 % of what it was in February 2020.
[130] So Americans seem pretty ready to get back to normal.
[131] Yeah.
[132] Now, are local governments tracking with them in terms of updating their policies?
[133] Yes.
[134] So most cities and states are starting to loosen their restrictions, although some were much harsher than others to begin with.
[135] For example, L .A. County dropped its outdoor mask mandate this week, which most cities never imposed in the first place.
[136] Likewise, D .C., Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware loosened their COVID policies recently as well.
[137] On the other end of the spectrum, Texas has actually sued the CDC over its mask mandate for airports and airplanes.
[138] It's about the federal government's about the Biden administration creating law when really that's up to Congress and that's unconstitutional.
[139] They don't have this role.
[140] And that's what's where our problem is with the mask.
[141] The CDC does not have the authority granted by Congress to do what they've done with masks.
[142] And certainly they don't have the authority to make it criminal.
[143] Businesses seem to be following suit as well.
[144] Walt Disney World and Disneyland in Florida and California are mostly dropping their mask mandates for vaccinated visitors.
[145] They'll only have to wear them in certain areas.
[146] And as for capacity at the parks, on Disney's most recent earnings call, CEO Bob Chappick suggested the main reason Walt Disney World wasn't back to 100 % capacity was actually because of worker shortages.
[147] But despite the general move toward lifting restrictions on the local level, the federal government isn't quite ready to drop masks entirely.
[148] On Wednesday, CDC director, Rochelle Walensky had this to say at a press conference.
[149] We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing, when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again, should things worsen.
[150] If and when we update our guidance, we will communicate that clearly.
[151] So she wasn't specific, but it sounds like the CDC knows that it has to make a declaration on mask wearing in general pretty soon.
[152] Not only as these mandates are loosened around the country, but also as people take them less and less seriously.
[153] All right.
[154] Well, this is welcome news for a lot of people, I think.
[155] Charlotte, thanks for reporting.
[156] Thanks for having me. That's Daily Wires, Charlotte Pence -Bond.
[157] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[158] Police in Ottawa are reportedly distributing flyers to freedom convoy truckers, demanding they leave the area immediately.
[159] The flyers read, quote, You must leave the area now.
[160] Anyone blocking streets or assisting others in blocking streets are committing a criminal offense, and you may be arrested.
[161] You must immediately cease further unlawful activity, or you will face charges.
[162] The Louisville chapter of Black Lives Matter has reportedly paid the $100 ,000 bail for accused gunman Quintes Brown.
[163] Brown, a social justice activist, is accused of attempting to murder Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg.
[164] Brown reportedly shot multiple rounds in Greenberg's office, grazing the candidate's shoulder but causing no significant injuries.
[165] Both Brown and Greenberg have called for gun control measures in the past.
[166] And the Arizona State Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would ban abortions in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
[167] The bill now goes to the state's House of representatives.
[168] 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.
[169] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[170] Thanks for waking up with us.
[171] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
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