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[0] The Galane Maxwell trial was expected to last up to six weeks, but on Friday, the defense rested its case, ending all testimony after just 12 trial days.
[1] With closing arguments beginning today, we could know the outcome to the explosive case soon.
[2] We'll talk to a reporter who's covering the case for us from the courthouse.
[3] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howell.
[4] It's Monday, December 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] Democrat Senator Joe Manchin delivered a fatal blow to President Biden's agenda on Sunday, announcing that he is officially rejecting the president's build -back Better Bill.
[6] We'll hear what Manchin had to say about his decision and how the White House has lashed out at the Democrat in response.
[7] And Google, which employs more than 140 ,000 people, has announced that any employee who is not fully vaccinated will be terminated.
[8] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[9] Stay tuned.
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[17] The Lane Maxwell's defense team rested its case after just two days, setting up closing arguments to begin today.
[18] Maxwell is accused of trafficking underage girls across state lines for deceased businessman Jeffrey Epstein.
[19] In a dramatic moment on Friday, Maxwell declined to testify on her own behalf.
[20] David Marcus has been in the courthouse all week reporting on the trial for the Daily Wire as it moved to its surprisingly rapid conclusion.
[21] He joins us now from New York City.
[22] So, David, where do things stand as we begin what may prove to be the final week?
[23] Both sides presented much shorter cases than had been expected.
[24] The prosecution just under two weeks and the defense a mere two days.
[25] This could mean both sides feel confident, but it could also mean the trial did not go the way either side expected it to.
[26] It's a close case, and closing arguments are likely to be consequential for both sides.
[27] Why are closing arguments going to be so key in this particular trial?
[28] Both sides introduced a slew of documentary.
[29] evidence, flight logs, school records, photos, emails, but didn't really explain why many of these elements had been introduced.
[30] Witness testimony didn't present a clear narrative, so it'll be up to the attorneys in closing to tie up all these loose ends.
[31] It was noteworthy that Maxwell herself chose not to testify.
[32] We just saw a very successful testimony from Kyle Rittenhouse in his recent trial.
[33] Did she say why she declined?
[34] No, she did.
[35] The judge asked her explaining that it was her choice.
[36] And she said that since the prosecution had not proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt, there was no reason for her to testify.
[37] That having been said, there was a lot of potential danger in letting her take the stand, whether she's guilty of trafficking specifically or not.
[38] A lot of the accusations against her regarding knowing about abuse, it looked pretty bad.
[39] Given that it only took the defense two days to present its case, who did they bring up to testify in her defense?
[40] The fact that the defense only presented a handful of witnesses likely says they agree with Maxwell.
[41] The prosecutors didn't prove their case.
[42] The defense called an ex -girlfriend of Epstein's who was friendly with him and Maxwell for decades, a former employee who praised Maxwell as a boss.
[43] Both women say that they never saw or participated in any inappropriate behavior.
[44] Beyond that, there was an expert and some technical testimony which, again, will possibly be fleshed out in the closing arguments.
[45] What about the atmosphere?
[46] What's what's been like in the courtroom and around the courthouse?
[47] The Friday morning was a little chippy.
[48] There was a defense witness who wouldn't respond to their subpoena.
[49] So they wanted to send the marshals after them.
[50] Another witness was this 81 -year -old British barkeep who couldn't make it.
[51] And even a potential witness named Alexander Hamilton, who apparently came down with COVID.
[52] But during a very long lunch break, which sent journalists into a lot of confusion, both sides agreed to stipulate to a bunch of stuff those witnesses would have said and just read that to the jury.
[53] All right.
[54] So final question, any predictions on the outcome or how long the closing arguments will last?
[55] I am well known for making truly horrible predictions, so I won't hazard a guess.
[56] But I will say it looks like it could go either way.
[57] Fair enough.
[58] David, thanks for the reporting, and good to have you on again.
[59] Thanks, John.
[60] That was journalist David Marcus, reporting from Manhattan for The Daily Wire.
[61] Coming up, a single Democratic senator kills the president's signature Build Back Better Act.
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[67] On Sunday, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced on Fox News that he will vote no on the Build Back Better Act.
[68] By defecting from his own party on the bill, Manchin has effectively ended negotiations on the current version of the Democrats' expansive social spending bill.
[69] And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.
[70] I just can't.
[71] I've tried everything humanly possible.
[72] I can't get there.
[73] You're done.
[74] This is a no. This is a no on this legislation.
[75] I have tried everything I know to do.
[76] And the president has worked diligently.
[77] He's been wonderful to work with.
[78] He knows I've had concerns and the problems I've had.
[79] And, you know, the thing that we should all be is directing our attention towards the variant of COVID that we have coming back at us in so many different aspects in different ways.
[80] It's affecting our lives again.
[81] Here to tell us more is Daily Wire editor and media reporter Virginia Kruta.
[82] First, Virginia, welcome to the show.
[83] Hey, it's good to be here.
[84] So was this announcement by Manchin a surprise?
[85] Well, yes and no. Reportedly President Biden told AIDS earlier this week that Manchin might be leaning toward voting against the bill.
[86] But it did still come as a surprise when he announced it on Fox News Sunday.
[87] Technically, Manchin reached out to the White House about half an hour before he went on Fox, so they weren't completely blindsided.
[88] but still one senior aide described it as, quote, a total surprise.
[89] Apparently, there was a feeling in the White House that Manchin was still much more on the fence at this stage.
[90] And how did the White House respond to the news?
[91] Well, Jen Saki responded by putting out a written statement shortly after the announcement that really attempted to shame Manchin.
[92] She characterized his announcement as a, quote, sudden and inexplicable reversal and a breach of his commitments.
[93] Saki also said that the White House will, quote, continue to press Manchin to honor his, prior commitments and be true to his word.
[94] So really suggesting he's betrayed the president.
[95] Right.
[96] And she even suggests he's being dishonest about his reasons for rejecting it.
[97] What reasons did Manchin give for shutting down the bill?
[98] The main sticking point for a while has been the price tag of the bill.
[99] Mansion is concerned about inflation and this bill would introduce trillions of dollars into the economy.
[100] The official price tag is $1 .9 trillion, but experts say it would likely end up being two or three times that.
[101] Manchin is also hesitant to sign a large and complex bill that isn't clear and transparent to his constituents.
[102] In his statement, Manchin said, if I can't go back home and explain it, I can't vote for it.
[103] So what does this mean for the Build Back Better Act?
[104] Are we going to see another round of revisions?
[105] Well, at this point, we don't know.
[106] But it seems increasingly unlikely.
[107] Mansion has been pretty firm about not wanting to exacerbate inflation.
[108] And if inflation continues to rise, as is expected, he may become even more resolute.
[109] We're also heading into an election year.
[110] So as always, that complicates things even further.
[111] Right.
[112] And with progressives and moderate Democrats at odds, it's likely to be even harder to move something forward.
[113] So there's no way around it.
[114] This is a major blow to the president's agenda.
[115] Yep.
[116] Virginia, thanks for reporting.
[117] That's Daily Wire editor and media reporter, Virginia Cruta.
[118] Following the push to mandate COVID vaccines at a federal level, several large corporations have moved to mandate vaccinations for their employees.
[119] The latest company to announce that they would be forcing their employees to get vaccinated is from the world of big tech.
[120] Here to tell us what this means for their employees and the industry in general is DailyWire's Ian Howarth.
[121] First off, Ian, what was this announcement?
[122] Well, last week, Google told its U .S.-based staff that they must get the COVID -19 vaccine by the middle of January of next year or face repercussions such as pay cuts or being fired.
[123] This is all according to internal documents uncovered by CNBC.
[124] A company -wide memo said that employees have until December 3rd to provide proof of their vaccination status or apply for a religious or medical exemption.
[125] And employees who fail to follow these instructions or whose exemption requests are denied would be reviewed after that date.
[126] In terms of consequences, what are we talking about specifically?
[127] According to these documents, employees who haven't complied with Google's vaccine rules by January 18th will be placed on administrative leave for 30 days.
[128] that's paid leave.
[129] After that, presumably, if they have still refused to get vaccinated, they'll be put on unpaid personal leave for up to six months, and after that, they'll be fired.
[130] CNBC reported that a Google spokesperson said in a statement that their, quote, vaccination requirements are one of the most important ways we can keep our workforce safe and keep our services running, and added that the company stands behind the vaccination policy.
[131] Is this extreme compared to the rest of big tech?
[132] Yeah, surprisingly it is.
[133] sets Google aside from pretty much the rest of big tech is that Google is pushing to get their workforce back into the office as soon as possible.
[134] And as a result, they're not showing much patience for their unvaccinated employees.
[135] At some point in 2022, Google is going to require its workforce to come into the office three days a week.
[136] Meanwhile, other tech companies are pushing back their plans when it comes to in -office work.
[137] Facebook, for example, is looking to reopen their U .S. offices by the end of January, but they're giving their employees the option to delay returning until the summer.
[138] And how does this all relate to Biden's executive order mandating vaccines for private companies?
[139] Well, what's interesting here that Google did reference the executive order in the memo, even though a federal court issued a stay on the order back in November.
[140] And here's a quote from the Google memo about it.
[141] We expect that almost all roles at Google in the U .S. will fall within the scope of the executive order.
[142] Anyone entering a Google building must be fully vaccinated or have an approved accommodation that allows them to work or come on site.
[143] They also added that, quote, frequent testing is not a valid alternative to vaccination.
[144] So regardless of whether Biden's executive order or anything similar is defeated, it does look like Google is forging ahead with mandated vaccines anyway.
[145] So not much flexibility on this at all at Google.
[146] Ian, thanks for the reporting.
[147] Absolutely.
[148] Thanks, John.
[149] Daily Wires, Ian Howarth.
[150] Other stories were tracking this week, former Covington Catholic high school student Nicholas Sandman announced over the weekend that he has reached a confidential settlement agreement with NBC news over his $275 million defamation lawsuit against the network.
[151] Sandman has also reached confidential settlements with CNN and The Washington Post, which he likewise sued for defaming him over a viral video from January 2019.
[152] Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested in an interview with ABC on Sunday that mask mandates on planes should continue indefinitely, despite evidence that plane filtration systems are effective at preventing spread.
[153] Are we going to get to the point where we won't have to wear masks on airplanes?
[154] I don't think so.
[155] I think when you're dealing with a closed space, even though the filtration is good, that you want to go that extra step.
[156] And multiple high -profile retail CEOs signed a letter asking Congress for support in the wake of a string of smash -and -grab robberies affecting their stores.
[157] CEOs of Target, Nordstrom, Levi Strauss, Alta, and Home Depot are urging Congress to craft, legislation that will make it more difficult for thieves to sell large volumes of illicitly obtained merchandise online.
[158] And San Francisco's Board of Education was forced to cut $90 million from the district's budget.
[159] The move came just hours ahead of a deadline imposed by the state, which threatened to strip the board of its authority over a projected $125 million budget shortfall for next year.
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