Morning Wire XX
[0] This episode is brought to you by Black Rifle Coffee.
[1] Start your morning with America's Coffee from black rifle coffee .com.
[2] President Biden gives a primetime foreign policy address while protests for and against Israel continue around the globe and here at home.
[3] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
[4] It's Friday, October 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] Are you pleading guilty today because you agree that there is a sufficient factual basis, that there are not facts that support this plea of guilty.
[6] I'm dead.
[7] Sidney Powell, the former Trump attorney, pleads guilty in the election interference case in Georgia.
[8] Will she flip on Trump?
[9] And after nearly two decades after Natalie Holloway went missing in Aruba, the longtime suspect has confessed.
[10] She's laying down unconscious, possibly even dead, but definitely unconscious.
[11] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[12] Stay tuned.
[13] We have the news you need to know.
[14] American Alliance is what keeps you.
[15] us, America, safe.
[16] To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, we turn our backs on Israel, it's just not worth it.
[17] That's why tomorrow I'm going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America's national security needs, to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine, is a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American security for generations.
[18] That was President Biden in a primetime address last night, in which he discussed the U .S. response to the Hamas terror attacks on Israel and called for more aid to be directed to the region.
[19] The president's comments come as the conflict continues to rage on and amid protests against both Israel and the U .S. at home and abroad.
[20] Here to discuss the latest on the war and some of the fallout here in the U .S. as Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo.
[21] Hey Amanda.
[22] So first, what are some of the key developments in the war over the last 24 hours?
[23] Well, there's been a lot.
[24] One of the priority issues has been more aid and supplies to Gaza, which President Biden has really focused on.
[25] We've also seen continued protests not just against Israel, but also America.
[26] These protests really ramped up after that explosion at a hospital in Gaza.
[27] Hamas tried to blame that on Israel, but the U .S. says they've confirmed this was not caused by an Israeli strike, but a Palestinian rocket misfired.
[28] We should note that some independent intelligence sources on the ground there say that the Hamas claim that 500 people were killed is not even close to accurate.
[29] They say the real number is a few dozen people.
[30] That's reported by the Jerusalem Post.
[31] Now, those numbers have not been confirmed, so we still don't know for sure.
[32] Right.
[33] Now, to this issue of protests, we've seen a lot of activity here in the U .S., particularly on college campuses, what's the latest on that front?
[34] Well, these protests that we've covered, they're not dying down.
[35] There was actually a die -in demonstration at Harvard on Wednesday to protest what students are calling Israel.
[36] Israeli genocide against Palestinians.
[37] Raphael Mark, an Israeli student at Harvard, who says his mother and sister are currently living in a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv, he spoke to Channel 5, Boston, about that protests.
[38] These demonstrations are not about peace.
[39] They're about erasing one people and replacing it with another.
[40] Mark said that when he heard about the demonstration, he went there and he held up in his rally flag.
[41] He says he was yelled at, insulted, and called a murderer.
[42] And we've also seen some backlash to this.
[43] Hamas support on campuses, correct?
[44] Yeah, that's right.
[45] And that's largely coming from outside employers and donors of these schools.
[46] A New York City law firm called Davis Polkin, Wardwell, has rescinded three job offers from students at Harvard and Columbia for statements that were supportive of Hamas.
[47] Student groups at Harvard, for example, said Israel was entirely responsible for Hamas's terror attacks.
[48] And some Columbia students called the attacks a counteroffensive against their settler colonial oppressor.
[49] What about outside of college campuses?
[50] Have we seen any fallout from the war reaction there?
[51] There have been.
[52] A good example of this is out of Starbucks, you know, the world's largest coffee house chain.
[53] The company sued Workers United in federal court this week over the union's social media posts related to the attacks.
[54] This group organizes Starbucks workers and refer to themselves as Starbucks Workers United.
[55] Starbucks is suing for trademark infringement.
[56] They don't want the union using Starbucks's name or their logo.
[57] And what posts prompted this, triggered this lawsuit from Starbucks?
[58] There seemed to be numerous posts.
[59] Just two days after the Hamas attack started, the union wrote on acts, quote, solidarity with Palestine.
[60] They later deleted that, but there are still other posts and retwees condemning Israel that are on the group's social media.
[61] Starbucks says it's received more than 1 ,000 complaints about the union's posts, and they've had to face hostile customers and threatening phone calls.
[62] The company also said Vandals spray -painted stars of David and a swastika on the windows of one Rhode Island store.
[63] Now, we've also seen reports of other fallout.
[64] A cancer doctor based in Atlanta, for example, has been placed on leave for writing a pro Hamas poem and then posting it to her social media.
[65] And on the other side of this, prominent voice actress Tara Strong, she was let go from an animated show for posts that she says are supportive of Israel.
[66] Well, no doubt we'll see more fallout in the days to come.
[67] Amanda, thanks for reporting.
[68] Sure thing.
[69] Coming up, former Trump attorney, Sidney Powell, pleads guilty in the Georgia election case.
[70] Sydney Powell, a former attorney for Donald Trump, pleaded guilty on Thursday to reduced charges in the Georgia election interference trial targeting the former president.
[71] This is the second guilty plea in the Fulton County RICO case, though Powell is a much bigger player than bail bondsman, Scott Hall, who has also admitted guilt.
[72] The move raises questions as to whether Powell could flip on Donald Trump.
[73] Here to discuss the development is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
[74] Hey, Dave, so what exactly did Powell cop to hear, and why is she such an important player in all this?
[75] Morning, John.
[76] Powell pleaded guilty to six minor counts in this overall RICO case that accuses defendants of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
[77] Specifically, she admitted involvement in a breach of election systems in coffee count.
[78] Georgia.
[79] She'll avoid a prison stint and instead receive six years probation and pay a fine.
[80] You may remember Powell is threatening to release, quote, the cracking of evidence that the election was stolen at the end of 2020.
[81] She was both forward -facing and close to the inner circle of Trump advisors along with Rudy Giuliani.
[82] It's the biggest figure to cop a plea in a Trump case maybe since his former associate Michael Colin.
[83] Yeah.
[84] Now, given her place in the inner circle, what key information could Powell provide, given that her testimony is part of this plea deal?
[85] A few things.
[86] One, because this is a RICO case, the prosecutor has to show a knowing conspiracy among a group of people to break a law.
[87] If there was such a conspiracy, and it is only an allegation at this point, she could describe it.
[88] The other key issue that Powell may be able to help prosecutors with regards Trump's intent or state of mind.
[89] Key to this case, as was true with the Congressional January 6th Committee, is whether Trump knew he had lost or if he honestly believed that he had won.
[90] Conceivably, Powell could offer testimony that Trump knew he lost, but if so, it would be the first time.
[91] Nobody has testified that Trump ever admitted to them that he thought he hadn't won.
[92] Right.
[93] So backing up a bit here, who is Sidney Powell?
[94] She seemed to sort of jump into the scene towards the end of the Trump presidency.
[95] What did she bring to Trump's legal team?
[96] Powell is a former U .S. state's attorney and somebody who enjoyed a fairly good reputation, at least in conservative circles, for her legal acumen.
[97] She wound up in Trump world in 2019 when she defended Michael Flynn.
[98] But much like her co -defendant in this case, John Eastman, Powell is known for some novel legal theories.
[99] And that's a very important part of this case.
[100] Is there a point where a legal theory, in this case, the overturning of the Georgia election, is so off the wall that it becomes criminal?
[101] Put another way, was Trump just exhausting all legal options, or did he and his team cross a line?
[102] Right, a key question driving this case.
[103] Do we know what comes next now in this case?
[104] When could this go to trial?
[105] We still have defendants, including Trump, making motions to dismiss or delay the trial.
[106] It's a very complicated case that started with 19 people being indicted.
[107] Prosecutors want a trial started as soon as possible.
[108] You might remember back in August, District Attorney Fannie Willis asked for October 23rd, 23, which that's obviously not going to happen.
[109] Trump would certainly like to see the trial delayed until after the 2024 election.
[110] And with this, of all three of his criminal cases, it's so vast.
[111] And there's going to be a lot of ways to delay in the legal weeds.
[112] Yeah, the weeds are getting very thick at this point with all these cases piling up.
[113] Dave, thanks for joining us.
[114] Thanks for having me. The man long suspected in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalie Holloway in Aruba gave a bombshell confession in court on Wednesday.
[115] 36 -year -old Yorin van der Sloot appeared in a U .S. court this week where he pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud.
[116] Here to discuss his Daily Wire Senior Editor, Ash Short.
[117] So, Ash, first off, can you give us a little background on this case?
[118] Sure.
[119] In 2005, Natalie Holloway had just graduated from high school with honors and went on an unofficial graduation trip with 124 other graduates to Aruba.
[120] There were chaperones on the trip, but the graduates weren't watching.
[121] 24 -7, with the drinking age being 18 in Aruba, most graduates drink and partied nightly.
[122] Early in the morning on May 30, 2005, some of Holloway's classmates said they saw her being escorted out of a nightclub and into a car with three men who weren't part of the trip.
[123] Those men turned out to be Yorne Vanderslu and his two friends, brothers Deepak and Satish Calpo.
[124] Once arrested, the three said they left Natalie at a different hotel, but Van der Slute would again change his story to say the Calpo brothers dropped him off and drove away with Natalie.
[125] Over the years, Vander Slute has made many claims about Natalie, including telling former Fox News host Brett of Ancestrian that he had sold Natalie into sexual slavery.
[126] He later told a Dutch crime reporter that he was on the beach with Natalie and she started convulsing.
[127] He claimed he tried to save her but failed and then called a friend to dispose of her body.
[128] So Vandersloot has been a crime suspect for decades.
[129] Why was he never charged with her murder?
[130] Well, a large part of the problem is that her body has never been found.
[131] Investigators have always been pretty confident that Vanders Sloot was the last person to see her alive, but his story has changed over the years.
[132] The crime he just pleaded guilty to is actually extortion of Natalie's mother.
[133] In March 2010, Vandersloot told Natalie's mom, Beth, that he would tell her where Natalie's body was located if she paid him $25 ,000 up front and an additional $225 ,000 later.
[134] Beth's legal representative went to Aruba and gave Van der Slute $100 and then reported the encounter to the FBI.
[135] A sting operation was set up to catch van der Sloot, but even after he was given $25 ,000, the FBI didn't immediately arrest him.
[136] And did he tell Beth where Natalie's body was?
[137] He told Beth that his father, a prominent judge, buried Holloway's body and the foundation of a house.
[138] When authorities checked his story, they learned the house hadn't even been built when Holloway disappeared.
[139] He later admitted he lied.
[140] So if this extortion incident happened in 2010, why is it just getting settled now?
[141] Because two months after Vandersloot extorted the money, he killed 21 -year -old Stephanie Flores in Peru.
[142] He was sentenced to 28 years in prison for her death, and it wasn't until 2014 that Peruvian authorities said they would extradite Vanderslute to the U .S. to face extortion charges.
[143] in 2023.
[144] So he finally arrived in the U .S. and pleaded guilty this week.
[145] What did the plea agreement include?
[146] In exchange for no additional prison time, Vanders Sloot agreed to tell the full story of what happened to Natalie back in 2005.
[147] Here's part of that confession.
[148] And just a warning to listeners, the following clip is disturbing.
[149] I'm actually with Natalie walking along the beach.
[150] We lay down together in the sand.
[151] And I start fielding her up again.
[152] And she tells me, I insist, I keep feeling her up either way, and she ends up kneeing me in the crotch.
[153] And I kick her extremely hard in the face.
[154] Right next to her, there's a huge cinder block laying on the beach.
[155] I take this and I smash her head in with it completely.
[156] I'm scared, I don't know what to do, and I decide to take her and to put her into the ocean.
[157] I grab her and I walk up up to about my knees into the ocean and I push her off into the sea.
[158] Now, after so many years of lies, it's hard to know if this is finally the truth.
[159] But this is the first time he has testified under penalty of perjury.
[160] Either way, hopefully this will finally bring the Holloway family some closure.
[161] Absolutely.
[162] Ash, thanks for joining us.
[163] You're welcome.
[164] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[165] Thanks for waking up with us.
[166] We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.