Morning Wire XX
[0] Governor Ron DeSantis suspended a progressive state attorney for failing to enforce certain laws.
[1] We are going to make sure that our laws are enforced and that no individual prosecutor puts himself above the law.
[2] But is the move legal and could other states follow suit?
[3] I'm Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howell.
[4] It's Friday, August 5th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] New York officials are raising the alarm about the state.
[6] city's bail reform laws.
[7] Our criminal justice system is insane.
[8] It is dangerous, it is harmful, and it's destroying the fabric of our city.
[9] And more than a million students have left the public school system since the COVID pandemic.
[10] We look at how this exodus is threatening America's cities.
[11] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
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[18] On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made waves after announcing that he'd suspended a state attorney who refused to enforce new laws regarding abortion and gender transition among children.
[19] Here with details on what led to the suspension is Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
[20] Cabot, this is not something you typically see.
[21] What more can you tell us about this?
[22] Yeah, Governor DeSantis held a press conference yesterday morning and said he was concerned by rising crime rates nationwide, specifically in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where state prosecutors were refusing to enforce certain laws based on their own discretion.
[23] And he announced that he'd ordered his staff to look into Florida prosecutors and find any who were, in his words, nullifying Florida laws by.
[24] picking and choosing which they would prosecute.
[25] And according to the governor, Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren fit the bill.
[26] Here he is at a news conference yesterday morning announcing the decision.
[27] When you flagrantly violate your oath of office, when you make yourself above the law, you have violated your duty, you have neglected your duty, and you are displaying a lack of competence to be able to reform those duties.
[28] And so today, we are suspending state attorney, Andrew.
[29] Warren, effective immediately.
[30] Now, under Florida's constitution, the governor does have the power to suspend state officials for any number of reasons, including malfeasance, drunkenness, or in this case, neglect of duty and incompetence.
[31] DeSantis also cited past legal precedent in which a governor suspended a state prosecutor for failing to charge people for certain gambling offenses.
[32] So there have been examples of this happening in the state of Florida before DeSantis is not the first governor to do this.
[33] On Thursday morning, Warren was at a certain governor.
[34] escorted out of his office, and DeSantis said he'd be replaced by Hillsborough County Judge Susan Lopez, who the governor touted as a strong prosecutor.
[35] Now, Warren can appeal the ruling, so we'll be keeping an eye on that, but the suspension is taking effect immediately.
[36] So what exactly did the governor cite as the reasons for the move?
[37] So there were a few areas where DeSantis alleged Warren was failing to follow the law.
[38] For example, he cited a 2021 joint statement in which Warren joined other progressive prosecutors around the country and promising that he'd refused to criminalize, quote, gender -affirming health care or transgender people.
[39] DeSantis also referenced Warren's stated intention to refrain from prosecuting certain criminal violations, including trespassing, disorderly conduct, and prostitution.
[40] And finally, and perhaps most importantly for DeSantis, Warren signed a letter saying that he'd refused to enforce any laws relating to abortion in the state of Florida.
[41] And in DeSantis' words, prosecutors like Warren make states more dangerous and can force residents out.
[42] You want to know why some people are moving to Florida?
[43] Because their communities are no longer safe thanks to prosecutors that think they know better than the people's representatives and they get to pick and choose which laws that they are enforcing.
[44] Now, you've noted some of the precedent on the state level.
[45] What kind of precedent is there nationwide for this sort of thing?
[46] Yeah, to get that answer, I talked to Zach Smith.
[47] He's a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation who supports the governor's decision.
[48] So in addition to Governor DeSantis, suspending Andrew Warren from office in Florida, we've also seen elected officials in other states exploring their options in ways to make sure that elected DAs are doing their jobs.
[49] So for instance, the Pennsylvania legislature there is exploring potential impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia's rogue DA, Larry Krasner.
[50] So I think as this trend continues to play out around the country as more and more of these rogue prosecutors attempt to get into office and implement these rogue radical policies, I do suspect, we'll start to see more and more pushback against those very bad, very radical policies.
[51] Now, what sort of reaction did we see to this news?
[52] Well, critics were quick to call this an example of executive overreach.
[53] They say that Warren was simply trying to reduce the number of people being locked up in his district and that he was only avoiding prosecuting more minor crimes.
[54] But obviously a lot of other people viewed it differently.
[55] Supporters of the move say it's well within the governor's power and that he should be removing prosecutors who won't enforce the state law.
[56] They also note how states that have prosecutors like Warren have oftentimes been flooded with more serious crimes down the road and they fear that that could have a sort of a trickle -down effect here in Florida.
[57] Kevin, thanks for reporting.
[58] Anytime.
[59] That's Daily Wire's Senior Editor, Cabot Phillips.
[60] Coming up, a new report shows that 10.
[61] New York criminals accounted for almost 500 crimes in the past 18 months.
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[65] A shocking report in the New York Post on Wednesday revealed that just 10 criminals in New York City have been arrested a whopping 485 times.
[66] That's since bail reform was enacted in the Empire State in 2020.
[67] Across the city, big cities are dealing with rising crime, and in many places, including New York, bail reform is being cited by critics as a major cause of the spike.
[68] Here to discuss is columnist David Marcus.
[69] So, David, even some Democrats have criticized bail reform.
[70] What is it and why is it being blamed for the high crime rates?
[71] Good morning.
[72] So bail reform has some different forms across the country, but essentially it's an effort to make sure that people who commit what these laws cite as minor crimes don't sit in jail while awaiting trial.
[73] The two big issues are, one, what constitutes a minor crime as opposed to a major one?
[74] And maybe more importantly, how do these laws deal with recidivism or people who just get arrested over and over?
[75] For 10 people to be arrested almost 500 times in two years in Gotham, I mean, That puts a pretty fine point on it.
[76] Now, frustration is mounting, though, even among Democrats.
[77] New York Mayor Eric Adams actually called the criminal justice system insane at a press conference on Wednesday.
[78] So who is supporting these bail reform laws?
[79] The support really comes from far -left progressives.
[80] And as you say, even more moderate Democrats are expressing outrage over the situation.
[81] But what's interesting is that the proponents of bail reform aren't very loud about it.
[82] Governor Kathy Hokel in New York, who's running against Lee Zeldin, who, by the way, was attacked with a weapon on the campaign trail and whose assailant was released without bail.
[83] She doesn't run ads saying bail reform is great.
[84] It's one of these things that's deeply unpopular, but the progressives quietly insist on anyway.
[85] And it's not just happening in New York, though.
[86] We've seen some similar laws in California, correct?
[87] Yes.
[88] And it happens different ways.
[89] Back in 2021, in California, it was the Supreme Court there that eliminated.
[90] cash bail for certain defendants who couldn't afford to pay it.
[91] Various states have some form of this.
[92] Many of these state actions took place in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd protest.
[93] And the intention is arguably a good one.
[94] The problem is that these laws are so broad that they not only affect, you know, a kid who made a stupid mistake.
[95] They also release these career criminals who get arrested like you or I go to the grocery store.
[96] And that's why critics say these laws need to be at least toughened up, if not eliminated.
[97] Now, a lot of this comes down to the district attorneys as well because they have a fair amount of discretion, but we've seen some cities recall their DAs over this.
[98] Absolutely.
[99] In San Francisco, the DHS of Boudim was recalled by citizens who were just fed up by the lack of prosecutions for minor offenses.
[100] We've all seen the videos of brazen shoplifters just taking whatever they want up to about $900 before it becomes a major crime.
[101] Stores are locking away even basic items like spam or just closing.
[102] as the Starbucks in Washington, D .C.'s Union Station did recently.
[103] And in Los Angeles, there's also an effort to oust the sitting DA, George Gascon.
[104] So, yeah, this is national, and people are very frustrated.
[105] Now, if there's growing frustration among both parties about crime, is there a chance we'll see some of these bail reform policies walked back?
[106] Maybe.
[107] Some of these states are just so blue that it really will take Democrats being aggressive, not just complaining, as Eric Adam has, but actively trying to oust state legislators who won't make changes.
[108] We haven't seen that yet.
[109] But the pressure is growing, so we'll see.
[110] All right.
[111] Well, David, thanks so much for coming on today.
[112] Thank you for having me. That was Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
[113] Enrollment in public school has plummeted since the pandemic, leaving cities in crisis as they scramble to keep students and funding.
[114] Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Allorty, is here to discuss where the kids are going and why.
[115] So, Mairead, how big is the exodus from public schools?
[116] Yeah, so this is a very serious situation for public schools, especially those in America's cities.
[117] New York City alone, for example, has lost 50 ,000 public school students since the beginning of COVID.
[118] Michigan has also lost 50 ,000 students since before the pandemic, and California has a pretty dire situation on their hands.
[119] More than a quarter million public school students have left public schools since 2019.
[120] Denver, Albuquerque, and Oakland especially have all lost significant numbers of students.
[121] Overall, the country's public schools have lost at least 1 .2 million students since 2020, according to a national survey.
[122] So these are sustained losses even after schools return to normal.
[123] Yeah, it looks that way.
[124] So why is this a crisis?
[125] Who is this a crisis for?
[126] So government funding is very often tied to enrollment numbers.
[127] Many schools get paid a certain amount per student.
[128] Already, some of the schools that have hemorrhaged students have had to shut their doors, and others are getting desperate.
[129] In some places, schools have put up yard signs all around the community, and have even had school bus drivers call families on the phone to see if they're still planning on enrolling.
[130] For now, pandemic relief money is still keeping many schools afloat, but some will have to close once that runs out unless their enrollment numbers rebound.
[131] In many rural areas, the public school is the main employer in town, so it can be a huge blow to entire communities when these schools close or close.
[132] consolidate.
[133] It can also be extremely expensive to stay open for some of these smaller schools.
[134] For example, one Chicago school has only 65 students, but still needs $40 ,000 per student just to offer the bare minimum.
[135] For that price, the community would expect that the kids would be getting an elite educational experience, but they're not.
[136] Like other small schools, this small Chicago school doesn't offer very many elective courses, sports, or extracurricular activities.
[137] So what's driving the public school exodus?
[138] Right.
[139] Well, lots of families switched to homeschooling, parochial schools, charter schools, or other private schools during the pandemic.
[140] In 18 states, homeschoolers increased by 63 % in the 2020 school year and then dropped by only 17 % during the 2021 school year, which just ended.
[141] Another notable shift is the increase in homeschooling among black families compared to other groups.
[142] In 2020, the number of black families who homeschooled increased from 3 % to 16%, a huge jump.
[143] Black families now outpace all other demographics in homeschooling.
[144] Some of the families who left public school did so because they were fed up with mask mandates and remote learning, and some were concerned that their children were being exposed to objectionable content.
[145] Other families suffered from job losses, homelessness, and school closures thanks to COVID restrictions, and their children just dropped out of school not to return.
[146] On a positive note, though, many families who left public school report higher satisfaction with their new schooling choice, whether that's homeschooling or charter.
[147] So this shift hasn't been a net negative for everyone.
[148] Well, it's a trend we're going to keep monitoring, especially as school starts up again.
[149] Marade, thanks for reporting.
[150] Thanks, Georgia.
[151] That was Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Allorty.
[152] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[153] WNBA star Brittany Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison after she was found guilty of cannabis possession and drug smuggling on Thursday.
[154] Federal prosecutors charged four Louisville officers for their roles in the 2020 raid that resulted in Brianna Taylor's death.
[155] The charges include lying to obtain a warrant and using excessive force.
[156] The U .S. government has declared monkeypox a public health emergency after outbreaks have infected nearly 7 ,000 Americans.
[157] Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
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