Morning Wire XX
[0] American teens are in crisis, with rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide soaring over the past two years.
[1] We've just come through a crisis where we had kids out of school for a while, only in the home, and that's a big stressor.
[2] What's at the root of the crisis, and what can parents and health professionals do to turn the trend around?
[3] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
[4] It's Friday, May 13th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] ESG has taken the investment world by storm, with investment firms leveraging their financial might to persuade big companies to take on political positions.
[6] We speak to an expert about the growing backlash.
[7] And the prison escape that gripped the nation has come to a tragic end.
[8] New details emerge about the prison romance that turned deadly.
[9] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[10] Stay tuned.
[11] We have the news you need to know.
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[20] American children are suffering from a severe mental health crisis that has been building for over a decade, but the pandemic has made it impossible to ignore.
[21] These kids are digital natives, and they've never known a world before, social networking and social media, and it's hard to navigate that when you're a 13 -year -old or 14 -year -old kid.
[22] That was Dr. Michael Mitchell, medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Brenner Children's Hospital, discussing the sharp rise in teen suicides.
[23] Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Allorty, joins us to discuss the disturbing trend.
[24] So, Marade, what exactly does this crisis look like?
[25] Yeah.
[26] So this is a very alarming problem that began before COVID, but it appears the pandemic exacerbated it.
[27] In summer 2020, there was a 22 % jump in emergency room trips for potential suicides by 12 to 17 -year -olds compared to summer 2019.
[28] The majority of those teens were girls.
[29] Right at the beginning of the pandemic, from February to March 2020, emergency room visits for potential suicide attempts among girls spiked by about 50 % compared to the same time in 2019.
[30] But you said this trend started before COVID.
[31] That's right.
[32] When did the trend start?
[33] So according to CDC numbers, there was an incredibly sharp increase in hospitalizations for self -harm among teens starting in 2009, with the sharpest increases among teenage girls.
[34] Between 2009 and 2019, the number of teens who reported having made a suicide plan within the past year increased by 44%.
[35] By 2019, that number was one in six.
[36] So in 2019, one in six teens reported that they had actually made a suicide plan within the past year.
[37] Yes, and there's reason to believe that number is even higher today.
[38] One study showed a 60 % increase in major depressive episodes among teens between 2007 and 2019.
[39] In that same period, emergency room visits for mental health issues rose sharply.
[40] Another striking figure from the CDC shows that suicide rates for people ages 10 to 24 were basically stable.
[41] between 2000 and 2007, but leapt almost 60 % by 2018.
[42] So something changed about 15 years ago.
[43] My first thought there is social media.
[44] Right, and a lot of doctors are pointing to that as a cause as well, because the timing is very hard to ignore.
[45] In addition to the commonly discussed issues with social media like bullying and low self -esteem, access to smartphones and screens may also contribute to declines in sleep and exercise among teens, which are known to be protective factors against depressive.
[46] In 2011, about 28 % of teens were physically active for at least an hour per day, but by 2019, that number was 22%.
[47] Similarly, in 2013, about 32 % of students reported getting 8 or more hours of sleep per night, but by 2019, that number was just 22%.
[48] That obviously coincides with the documented increase in screen time among kids.
[49] And this was all prior to COVID.
[50] When COVID hit, kids were also dealing with remote learning, restrictions on extracurricular activities and being cooped up in the house.
[51] Now, are there any other trends geographically or demographically?
[52] Well, during the pandemic, the Las Vegas area had a spate of child suicides that actually prompted schools to open up for in -person learning sooner than expected.
[53] But really, the issue is extremely widespread, affecting kids of all ethnic backgrounds and income levels.
[54] So what are some of the proposed solutions?
[55] Some parents are taking it upon themselves to limit their kids' screen time, but on a policy level, more mental health care for teens and younger kids is certainly part of the solution, as well as more and better screening tools.
[56] Unfortunately, the existing supply of child mental health specialists are often booked months out and can be quite expensive.
[57] Right, and that doesn't even necessarily address the problem at its root.
[58] Right.
[59] It's a real challenge figuring out how to help kids navigate the realities of the modern world, but hopefully these numbers will at least spur a conversation.
[60] Absolutely.
[61] All right, well, Marade, thanks so much for reporting.
[62] Thanks, Georgia.
[63] That was Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Allorty.
[64] Coming up, entrepreneur Vivek Ramoswamy launches an investment firm with the goal of depoliticizing corporate America.
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[69] takes you.
[70] On the heels of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, another high -profile businessman has announced the launch of a new investment firm called Strive that aims to depoliticize investing.
[71] Joining us to discuss is Strive founder Vivek Ramoswamy.
[72] Now, Vivek, before I ask you about Strive, can you explain what the ESG movement is?
[73] You know, it's very difficult to explain what ESG is because the definition keeps changing week to week.
[74] And I say that, you know, partly jokingly, but at a high level, it refers to environmental, social, and governance factors that inform the allocation of capital, both by investors and by companies.
[75] What does that mean in practice?
[76] Nobody really knows, but part of the problem is that a concentrated group of asset managers and leaders, like BlackRock and Vanguard and State Street, wield disproportionate power in defining what those terms mean on a given day.
[77] And then they use their clients.
[78] capital to force these agendas, often political agendas on companies, even when most of their clients, the everyday citizens, would disagree with those agendas.
[79] Now, you've recently made a big announcement that you're going to start an investment managing fund specifically to act as a counterbalance to BlackRock and some of these others.
[80] Tell us about that project.
[81] Sure.
[82] So it's a new company I had found called Strive.
[83] Strive will compete directly against companies like Black Rock and Vanguard.
[84] And Strive's mission is to restore the voice of the everyday citizen in corporate America by advocating for the pursuit of excellence exclusively focusing on excellent products and services rather than on social or political agendas in the corporate boardroom.
[85] That is a different voice.
[86] And for listeners who aren't active investors, can you briefly explain how companies like BlackRock work and how they're able to influence companies using everyday investors money?
[87] Sure.
[88] So they're the world's largest asset manager.
[89] Vanguard is the second largest asset manager in the U .S., for example.
[90] What they do is they aggregate dollars, savings, assets from 401K accounts, from pension funds, from retirement accounts, from states, from all kinds of institutions, foundations, universities.
[91] And then they invest that money generally in the stock market, in broad index funds, actually.
[92] So much of what these firms do is to say that we don't pick stocks, rather many of their products just track the market index like the S &P 500 or the technology sector or the energy sector or the health care sector or whatever.
[93] The interesting thing is the very people who have claimed that they're not smart enough in many cases to pick individual stocks are somehow the people who also believe they're smart enough to design the entire social universe.
[94] That's a bit of a disconnect to me. And today they're pushing agendas that I believe most of their clients don't want them to actually be pushing.
[95] Now, to be really clear, would Strive be pushing an opposite political goal, or would it be completely politically neutral?
[96] Strive's goal is to depoliticize corporate America, full stop.
[97] I think that capitalism and politics make for a toxic brew.
[98] And look, I think that one of the roles of a private sector in a healthy functioning society is actually bring us together across divisions of identity politics or partisan politics to say that we can work together, we can invest together, we can transact together in the market, whether we're black or white, whether we're gay or straight, whether we are man or woman, whether we're Democrat or Republican, the role of a private sector is to bind together an otherwise divided polity.
[99] That's one of its roles, certainly.
[100] And I think we lose that when we politicize the private sector.
[101] And I also think it happens to alienate many of the most valuable customers of these businesses.
[102] I think it's also not what everyday shareholders want from these businesses.
[103] All right.
[104] Well, Vivek, thank you so much for coming on and chatting with us today.
[105] My pleasure.
[106] Thanks a lot.
[107] That was entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramoswamy.
[108] The 11 -day multi -state manhunt for escaped convict Casey White and his jail guard lover, Vicky White, ended tragically on Monday, after Vicki White allegedly took her own life in the final moments as cops were closing in on the pair.
[109] Since then, new details have emerged about the pair and their infamous escape.
[110] Here to break down the story is Daily Wire Senior Editor Ash Short.
[111] So Ash, this saga has been making headlines for almost two weeks now.
[112] Can you break down the details for people who haven't been following?
[113] Sure.
[114] Well, up until about two weeks ago, 56 -year -old Vicki White was considered an exemplary employee at the Alabama prison where she has worked as a guard for 17 years.
[115] On April 29th, she turned in her retirement papers on what was supposed to be her last day.
[116] As one of her last tasks on the job, she told co -workers that she would transport 38 -year -old convicted criminal and murder suspect Casey White, no relation, to a mental health evaluation off -site.
[117] She also told colleagues that she wasn't feeling well and was planning to visit the doctor herself after the drop -off.
[118] Hours later, colleagues became concerned that Vicky never returned.
[119] At first, authorities were concerned that Casey White may have overpowered Vicky and possibly taken her life, but pretty quickly there were clues that Vicky.
[120] Vicky may have been in on the escape.
[121] She sold her home just weeks before for about $95 ,000, even though it had a market value of about $235 ,000.
[122] She also withdrew $90 ,000 from various banks.
[123] At least one witness reported seeing Vicky in an adult store in the days prior, which led to suspicions about the relationship between the pair.
[124] Other records show Vicky purchased multiple used cars, firearms, wigs, and men's clothing.
[125] Thanks to Vicky's preparation, the pair were on the run for 11 days before police caught up to them.
[126] And how did the police discover where they were?
[127] While police were already tracking an orange Ford edge that Vicki purchased prior to their escape, that vehicle was found in Williamson County, Tennessee.
[128] From there, the pair apparently drove a Ford F -150 to a car wash in Evansville, Indiana, where they abandoned it.
[129] It was surveillance video at that car wash that ultimately caught the eye of the first witness.
[130] Casey White is six foot nine, so he really stood out when he was seen walking outside of the car.
[131] That surveillance tape then showed the suspects leaving the car wash in a Cadillac.
[132] An Indiana police officer spotted that Cadillac outside of a nearby motel and police began surveilling the vehicle.
[133] When Vicki and Casey returned to the car, police pursued, eventually running the vehicle off the road and flipping it into a ditch.
[134] Audio from the encounter revealed Vicky yelling at Casey to return to the motel, followed by a gunshot.
[135] Officials have confirmed that Vicky White fired a single shot to the head before police reached the car.
[136] She died shortly after in a local hospital.
[137] Now, there were also some questions about whether Vicky actually pulled the trigger.
[138] Have police discovered anything to shine light on that or their relationship or what their plan was?
[139] Well, we do know from witnesses in the jail that despite their age difference, Vicki and Casey had a, quote, special relationship starting in about 2020 when he was transferred to the Lauderdale.
[140] County Detention Center in Alabama.
[141] Officials are now claiming that there's evidence the pair intended to have a shootout with police.
[142] So essentially their plan was suicide by cop.
[143] As for Vicky's suicide, police report that the gun was found in Vicki's hand and her finger was still on the trigger.
[144] So what happens now for Casey White?
[145] Well, initially he was apprehended by Evansville, Indiana Police, and he has reportedly been transported back to Alabama.
[146] He was already serving a 75 -year sentence, so it's likely that's the end.
[147] to the road for him.
[148] As for Vicky, her funeral will be held at Center Hill Cemetery in Lexington, Alabama on Saturday.
[149] Well, I think a lot of people were hoping Vicky would make it out alive.
[150] Ash, thanks so much for reporting.
[151] You're welcome.
[152] That's Daily Wire's senior editor, Ash Short.
[153] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[154] The House passed a spending bill close to $40 billion to assist Ukraine above President Biden's original ask of $33 billion.
[155] And on Tuesday, Apple said it will stop production of the iPod.
[156] The company said people can keep buying iPod touches while supplies last.
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