Morning Wire XX
[0] More details emerge on the Travis Scott concert that turned fatal over the weekend.
[1] How did eight fans die at the event?
[2] And are the rumors true about security guards being stuck with needles?
[3] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[4] It's Tuesday, November 9th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] Week 2 of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial started Monday.
[6] A Daily Wire reporter who spent last week on the ground in Kenosha joins us with the details.
[7] And the state of Texas continues to fight against restrictive COVID policies.
[8] In a statewide election, the Lone Star State went so far as to change its constitution to protect religious services and access to nursing homes.
[9] How popular are the new laws and how will they impact policy going forward?
[10] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[11] Stay tuned.
[12] We have the news you need to know.
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[19] Tragedy struck a music festival in Houston this past Friday.
[20] Travis Scott fans were crushed as the crowd surged toward the stage, leaving eight people dead and dozens more injured.
[21] Daily Wire Entertainment reporter Megan Basham is here now to walk us through the event and the fallout.
[22] So, Megan, how did this happen?
[23] Well, you know, Georgia, I think you first have to understand just how huge this event was.
[24] We're talking about 50 ,000 people attending what was supposed to be a two -day event.
[25] Now, rapper Travis Scott is one of the biggest names in music, and he's also one of the biggest concert draws out there, and he's put this festival on for three years now.
[26] Earlier in the day, thousands of fans stormed the gates.
[27] They blew by security, by metal detectors.
[28] So the crowd was already feeling pretty aggressive.
[29] And Scott's fans are known for being rowdy.
[30] Scott himself calls them ragers.
[31] So Scott took the stage at about 9 p .m. At that point, fans surged toward the front.
[32] People were crushed, couldn't breathe.
[33] A local fire chief has said that sparked panic and security personnel were just overwhelmed.
[34] People started falling down.
[35] crowd kept trampling those underfoot as some people were screaming for help.
[36] They couldn't unfortunately be heard over the music.
[37] Oh my gosh.
[38] I mean, this is a, this is a nightmare.
[39] Yeah, it really is.
[40] And to make it even more nightmarish, there have been reports that someone was injecting people with drugs without their knowledge.
[41] And that actually has been confirmed by police.
[42] A security officer was injected in the neck with something, but thankfully medical responders were able to revive him with Narcan.
[43] Wow.
[44] And why did they not stop the concert once it became clear that people were being injured?
[45] Well, to be fair, when you watch the footage, you can see Scott stopped the show a couple of times when he notices emergency crews or moving to attend to those hurt fans.
[46] And it's not unusual for people to pass out from exhaustion or overdose at concerts.
[47] So Scott says he just didn't realize how bad the situation was.
[48] As a matter of fact, the timeline, it's still somewhat murky at this point, but it seems rapper Drake joined Scott on stage after the emergency had already begun.
[49] Well, that amped the crowd up even more, and there was another big surge toward the front, and that lasted until nearly 9 .40 p .m. Again, this all started at about 9.
[50] Right.
[51] So that's when more than 50 Houston fire departments arrived and started to administer CPR.
[52] Here's an account from one person describing what he saw.
[53] It felt like we was in a concert in hell.
[54] You couldn't breathe.
[55] You couldn't see, like, just imagine all the people they're going to find tonight who was in that crowd, who nobody could see, who nobody could hear, who passed out.
[56] So, as you said, before the night was over, eight people died.
[57] The youngest was 14, the oldest 27.
[58] Over a dozen are still hospitalized.
[59] So what happens from here?
[60] I mean, I imagine there's going to be some lawsuits.
[61] Yeah, yeah, there definitely are.
[62] The Houston police are investigating, but at this point, no one has been charged with anything.
[63] And for a little bit of context, this isn't the first type of mass casualty event at a concert or festival.
[64] There have been over 10.
[65] For example, there was a stampede inside a tunnel at a techno music festival in Germany in 2010.
[66] That resulted in 21 deaths.
[67] In 1979, 11 people died when they were crushed against the doors before a Who concert.
[68] So lawsuits resulted in both of those cases and you're certainly seeing that here as well.
[69] Already, two suits were filed over the weekend against both Scott and Drake.
[70] Another one has been filed against promoter Live Nation and the venue, for the event, Energy Park.
[71] So one concert goer who filed a suit said, quoting here, people begged security guards hired by Live Nation entertainment for help, but were ignored.
[72] Another suit is pointing to the fact that Scott was arrested after a 2015 Lollapalooza performance for telling fans to jump barricades.
[73] He was arrested again in 2017 in Arkansas for encouraging people to rush the stage.
[74] So that history is certainly not going to help him.
[75] Right.
[76] Has Travis Scott responded publicly to this yet?
[77] He has, and I do think we should point out that Scott actually started the Astro World Festival in part as a charity endeavor.
[78] A significant portion of the revenues go to organizations that help fund education programs for underprivileged kids.
[79] So there's kind of a terrible irony there.
[80] And he said he's devastated by what took place and that Houston PD has his total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.
[81] Just a really sad story all around.
[82] Megan, thanks for the update.
[83] Yeah, of course.
[84] That's Daily Wire Entertainment reporter, Megan Basham.
[85] Coming up, the latest developments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.
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[89] The second week of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial started Monday with the 18 -year -old arguing that he shot three men in self -defense during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year.
[90] Last week, prosecutors and the defense offered starkly different characterizations of Rittenhouse and his actions.
[91] Daily Wire investigative reporter Marade Allorty was at the trial in Kenosha last week, and she's here today with the details.
[92] So, Mairead, the first week at the trial was pretty informative.
[93] Yeah, it was.
[94] Last week we saw the prosecution make their case, calling a slew of witnesses, and the jury got to watch more than a dozen videos of the shootings and what happened before and after the shootings.
[95] So a pretty busy first week, can you just remind us quickly of the facts of the case for people who haven't been following?
[96] Of course.
[97] So Rittenhouse is an 18 -year -old from Antioch, a northern suburb of Chicago about 15 miles from Kenosha, where his father lived.
[98] On August 25th of last year, when he was 17, Rittenhouse went to Kenosha with the intention of guarding businesses from looting and vandalism.
[99] Rioting had broken out in Kenosha over the police wounding of Jacob Blake, a black man by a white Kenosha police officer.
[100] Rittenhouse armed himself with a Smith -and -Weston M &P 15, which is an AR -15 -style rifle, as well as a medical kid.
[101] Police did say that a friend of Rittenhouse purchased the rifle for him illegally.
[102] So while Rittenhouse was patrolling the downtown Kenosha area, he was attacked and chased by protesters and ended up fatally shooting two people and injuring a third person.
[103] Rittenhouse and the three men he shot are all white.
[104] Now, Rittenhouse is charged with several counts of homicide and attempted homicide as well as unlawful possession of a firearm.
[105] One thing that's been reported inaccurately is whether Rittenhouse crossed state lines with his gun.
[106] Even prosecutors acknowledged during the trial that Rittenhouse never possessed the gun in Illinois.
[107] The gun was stored in a safe at his friend's stepfather's house in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
[108] Okay, so now let's talk about what's come out of this trial so far.
[109] Sure, so there's a lot to digest here.
[110] The prosecution called several witnesses who gave testimony that appeared to actually bolster the defense's case.
[111] One of those was Richie McGinnis, a video editor at the Daily Caller.
[112] McGinnis said that Joseph Rosenbaum, the first man, Rittenhouse shot, lunged for Rittenhouse's rifle.
[113] When prosecutor Thomas Binger suggested it was impossible for McGinnis to know Rosenbaum's intentions, here's how McGinnis responded.
[114] So your interpretation of what he was trying to do or what he was intending to do or anything along those lines is complete guesswork, isn't it?
[115] Well, he said, fuck you, and then he reached for the weapon.
[116] Another witness testified that Gage Groskroyce, the man Rittenhouse shot and injured, was holding a gun that was loaded.
[117] On Monday, Grosskroats himself testified and admitted during cross -examination by the defense team that Rittenhouse only fired at him after he pointed his gun at Ridenhouse.
[118] When you were standing three to five feet from him with your arms up in the air, he never fired, right?
[119] Correct.
[120] It wasn't until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun, now your hands down, pointed at him.
[121] Then he fired, right?
[122] Correct.
[123] So overall, the defense is probably pretty happy with how things are going.
[124] So what was it like in Kenosha?
[125] Well, it was a very tense atmosphere.
[126] I talked to a few people, including the media liaison for the Rittenhouse family and also one of the people who witnessed the shootings.
[127] Rittenhouse's defense team is playing their cards close to their chest at this point.
[128] The lead defense attorney Mark Richards told me he doesn't talk to the media while things are still going on, so it looks like we'll have to wait for a verdict to get the defense team's take.
[129] But Dave Hancock, a spokesman for the Rittenhouse family, said that while it's been stressful, the family is, quote, staying upbeat.
[130] And from what I could tell, Rittenhouse himself looked like he was in good spirits, even relaxed, and at times relieved.
[131] Hancock also said that since the trial started, quote, a lot of truths are coming out right now.
[132] The shooting witness I talked to said the second and third shootings happened about 100 feet in front of him.
[133] He described how dangerous situation became and said no one involved made a good decision that day, quote, not the law enforcement, not Rittenhouse, not the armed citizens, not the protesters.
[134] Well, the prosecution is expected to wrap up this week, and we look forward to hearing the defense.
[135] Mairee, thanks for reporting.
[136] Of course.
[137] That's Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Allorty.
[138] Throughout the COVID -19 pandemic, Texas has been one of the states directly countering lockdowns by the federal government when it comes to various mandates and COVID policies.
[139] On Election Day, the people of Texas cemented some protections for citizens into their state constitution.
[140] Here to tell us more as Daily Wire.
[141] is Ian Howarth.
[142] Ian, tell us about what happened last week in Texas.
[143] Last Tuesday, Texans voted to pass eight proposed amendments to the state constitution, and two were designed to directly counter COVID -related mandates.
[144] And you know, it's hard to argue against the fact that COVID policy has become a divisive issue nationwide.
[145] Right.
[146] And this has been kicked into overdrive with Biden's effort to impose vaccination mandates from the federal government down.
[147] But on the flip side, there are several states which are pushing back and pretty hard.
[148] Now, we've all heard about the opposition from politicians like Florida's Ronda Santis and Greg Abbott in Texas, but then there are also less well -known stories of citizens getting involved.
[149] And the story in Texas is one that really exemplifies this, even though it got buried under what was a very eventful election night last week.
[150] Right, it was.
[151] And what did these amendments propose?
[152] Well, there are a few which are unrelated to this national debate over COVID and government control.
[153] But two are closely tied to the sort of COVID policies we're seeing across the country.
[154] First, there was Proposition 3, which prohibits Texas or a political subdivision of Texas from prohibiting or limiting religious services of religious organizations.
[155] In other words, it would make it unconstitutional to use COVID -19 as an excuse to shut down religious services.
[156] This passed by over 63%.
[157] So a solid majority.
[158] Yeah, and then there's Proposition 6, which establishes a right for residents of certain facilities to designate an essential caregiver for in -person visitation.
[159] This passed by a huge majority of over 87%.
[160] And allows residents of places like nursing homes and other long -term care facilities to designate one person who, under most circumstances, could not be stopped from visiting in person.
[161] And in other words, this would directly fight back against the terrible isolation many nursing home patients endured during 2020 and 2021.
[162] How does this compare to other states?
[163] Well, there have been multiple states which have been exploring this idea in various ways.
[164] There have been bills which look to protect houses of worship from stricter regulations and essential businesses, and also bills that limit the power of state officials when it comes to religious gatherings.
[165] But adding protections to the state constitution is a really significant step, and one that we might see from other states moving forward.
[166] You know, watching how various political leaders and now voters have responded to the kinds of mandates we've seen during the pandemic has been telling.
[167] Yeah, it really has.
[168] Ian, thanks for walking us through all that.
[169] Thanks for having me, John.
[170] DailyWires, Ian Howers.
[171] Another story we're tracking this week, NASCAR President Steve Phelps is distancing the NASCAR franchise from the phrase Let's Go Brandon and has threatened to sue those who use the slogan on merchandise that also features NASCAR's trademarks.
[172] Phelps stated that the NASCAR franchise does not want to be associated with politics, quote, regardless of whether we agree with what the position is.
[173] 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.
[174] that's all the time we've got this morning.
[175] Thanks for waking up with us.
[176] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
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