Morning Wire XX
[0] New information is coming out about the law enforcement response to the horrific mass shooting in Uvaldi, Texas.
[1] As the nation mourns the loss of life, can Democrats and Republicans come together to find a way to prevent future tragedies?
[2] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howell.
[3] It's Friday, May 27th, and this is Morning Wire.
[4] Twitter is now demanding that Elon Musk move forward with his purchase.
[5] Where does the deal stand now, and why is Twitter pushing Musk to follow through with the takeover?
[6] And a majority of investors are now saying they prefer a bottom -line investing strategy over prioritizing ESG.
[7] We have the details from an exclusive new poll.
[8] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[9] Stay tuned.
[10] We have the news you need to know.
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[18] Days after a gunman killed 21 people, including 19 children, parents are now raising concerns about the response of law enforcement on the scene.
[19] Here are the latest updates on the tragedy and how lawmakers are responding as Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
[20] Now, Cabot, we're starting to get a clearer picture of the timeline from the shooting.
[21] What more have we found out?
[22] Well, it's important to remember that after incidents like this, it can often take a few days for the facts become more clear.
[23] Yesterday, we talked on the show about a lone border patrol agent who'd reportedly rushed in without backup to stop the shooter.
[24] But authorities now say it was actually an elite team of border patrol agents who breached the fourth grade classroom where the shooter had barricaded himself.
[25] And we also learned that the initial reports from law enforcement that an officer with the school had, engaged the shooter before he entered were also in true.
[26] Officials confirmed yesterday at a press conference that the shooter was not confronted and actually appears to have walked into the school through an unlocked door.
[27] And one final heartbreaking update, we learned that Joe Garcia, the husband of Irma Garcia, one of the teachers killed in the shooting, died yesterday of a heart attack.
[28] So just even more tragic news coming out of the story.
[29] Yeah, it is.
[30] Now, there's a lot of concern this week over the response of local law enforcement.
[31] What can you tell us there?
[32] Yeah, we're still waiting again for all the details.
[33] But there were a number of videos that showed parents in a state of panic outside the school as the shooting unfolded.
[34] Many pleaded with the officers they encountered, seemingly frustrated at what they perceived as a lack of urgency from the officers they saw.
[35] Some even asked the officers to let them enter the school on their own.
[36] All the parents are going to go in, day, day.
[37] Like our kids are there, man. My son right here.
[38] Do when the parents are going to go in there?
[39] I'm ready.
[40] I have to.
[41] So, again, we're still waiting on final deep.
[42] But there's definitely mounting pressure on local law enforcement for an explanation as to why it took so long for them to breach that class.
[43] Shifting gears to the political side of things, what can you tell us about what each side is calling for at this point?
[44] Right now, there's not a lot of consensus on what should be done.
[45] Democrats in Congress have quickly adopted the message that guns are the problem and that the main reason America experiences mass shootings is because of the access to firearms.
[46] They've called for a variety of gun control measures like universal background checks, raising the age of.
[47] for buying a rifle from 18 to 21, outlawing what they call assault weapons, regulating high -capacity magazines, and implementing red flag laws, which would allow authorities to confiscate weapons without a court order many times if someone is deemed a risk themselves or others.
[48] Okay, so that's what Democrats are really pushing for.
[49] What about Republicans?
[50] Yeah, as you can imagine, they view it differently.
[51] Republicans in Congress have proposed measures like protecting schools with more armed security.
[52] On that front, they've pointed out that we guard politicians, museums, and banks with armed guards, and that schools should be no different.
[53] They've also called for schools to begin implementing systems that require just one entrance to protect against intruders.
[54] But overall, they've argued that mass shootings are more about deteriorating mental health in America than just access to guns.
[55] One main argument we've heard from Republicans is that more Americans owned guns in the mid to late 90s than own guns now and that mass shootings, especially at schools, were nearly non -existent up until the turn of the century.
[56] They say shootings are taking place now because mentally ill people see a means of gaining attention in the media and can often become radicalized on social media in ways that weren't available in years past.
[57] Now, we've seen some comments from President Biden that seem to indicate he actually might take action independently.
[58] Yeah, on Wednesday, the president offered his second public address on the shooting and again called for gun control.
[59] Second name is not absolute.
[60] And keep in mind, regardless of what Congress does, there is also a possibility that the president could passed some kind of executive order on guns.
[61] He's expressed a willingness to do so in the past, and we've seen similar measures in recent years.
[62] Remember, President Trump signed in order to ban bump stocks after the Vegas shooting.
[63] Right.
[64] So there is some kind of president there.
[65] It definitely sounds like there's going to be looming legislative battles here coming soon.
[66] Cabot, thanks for the reporting.
[67] That's Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
[68] Coming up, despite doubts on Wall Street, Twitter says the deal with Elon Musk is still on.
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[72] A couple of weeks after Elon Musk said his deal to buy Twitter is on hold, there's new progress in his bid to buy the platform.
[73] The Tesla CEO has shifted his funding strategy and new filing show he's now committing $33 billion of his own money for the purchase.
[74] That's a $6 billion increase.
[75] Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham joins us now to bring us up to date on this pending Twitter sale.
[76] So, Megan, I think after some delays, the investment world was starting to guess that maybe Musk's purchase of Twitter might not happen after all.
[77] Yeah, you know, it's understandable that the sale has become somewhat doubtful as Musk has directed.
[78] some pretty sharp criticism at the company lately.
[79] In particular, he called its own internal assessment of how many bots are on the platform, very suspicious.
[80] More clarifying, he said, and I'm quoting here, Twitter has a disincentive to reduce spam as it reduces perceived daily users.
[81] So based on that, he has indicated that he wants to lower his offer price.
[82] But in the meantime, Twitter executives have been telling employees internally that the deal is proceeding as originally.
[83] As originally, originally planned and is not on hold.
[84] Chief Legal Counsel Vijaya Gaddi said in an all -hands meeting last week that contrary to those Musk tweets, the sale is going forward at the originally agreed -upon price of just over $54 per share.
[85] Twitter's dilemma, however, is that Musk is truly the company's only suitor right now.
[86] No one else has shown an interest in buying it.
[87] And that's not likely to change given that interest rates are soaring and stock prices are crashing.
[88] across the tech sector.
[89] So in kind of an interesting role reversal from when Twitter was adopting that poison pill to try to keep Musk from buying the company, it's now saying that it's going to force Musk to comply with the agreed upon deal if it has to.
[90] Now, what is Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's stance on this?
[91] I know he just left Twitter's board.
[92] Yeah, so Dorsey and Musk are reportedly very friendly and Dorsey has signaled his support for Musk's purchase on a couple of occasions.
[93] He's also been publicly critical of the rest of Twitter's board.
[94] So he's been expected to exit the board of directors at this time since he stepped down from being CEO late last year.
[95] But as he exits, he's being accused of stabbing the company in the back by co -founder Goldman because he encouraged Musk to buy the company and take it private in the first place.
[96] So Goldman is openly saying that a deal to give Musk a seat on the board in exchange for limiting the amount of stock he could buy was settled until Dorsey used his friendship with Musk to encourage him to back out and buy the company outright instead.
[97] So here's what Goldman said to Bloomberg News on Tuesday.
[98] What I'm saying is that we need to look at the comments that Jack has made here previously.
[99] He's always been committed to this notion of Twitter should exist as a protocol and not a platform or a company and that he's also said later that the board is the greatest dysfunction in the history of the company and that there shouldn't be a CEO.
[100] But somehow he convinced himself that he's going to turn over this company to the world's richest man as a way of achieving this glorious, decentralized transition to a protocol.
[101] Sounds like if Musk does take over Twitter, it's going to be a very challenging environment for him to walk into.
[102] Megan, thanks so much for reporting.
[103] Of course.
[104] That was Daily Wire Culture reporter, Megan Basham.
[105] A new poll by the Daily Wire and Echelon found that American investors by a two -to -one ratio want companies they invest in to stop promoting political agendas and, instead of instead to focus on pursuing profits.
[106] The poll asked investors if they think it's a good idea or a bad idea for companies to use their financial influence to advance a political or social agenda supported by their executives.
[107] 58 % of investors said it was a bad idea, while 29 % said it's a good idea.
[108] The poll also found that 50 % felt that powerful ESG investment firms like BlackRock and Vanguard are pushing more liberal positions than conservative ones.
[109] and just 21 % believe ESG investing is politically neutral.
[110] Joining us to discuss is entrepreneur and best -selling author Vivek Ramoswamy.
[111] So Vivek, this poll's findings suggest that American investors don't like the idea of companies being pushed into politics.
[112] What do you think is going on there?
[113] Look, I think what's going on is that when you ask the end holders of capital, the actual investors, as opposed to investment institutions, and there's a distinction between the two, what you find is that most citizens do not want, want corporations tilting the scales of public debate.
[114] And this is not a right or left -wing issues.
[115] So that's why you see a two -to -one ratio here.
[116] This is not a 50 -50 kind of issue because it has nothing to do with partisan politics.
[117] It has to do with the fact that let's say you even wanted to advance a progressive agenda as an investor.
[118] The way you'd want to do it is to generate wealth for yourself that you can donate philanthropically.
[119] And the way you'd generate wealth for yourself is through a capital market that most effectively enhances return.
[120] But what you're doing through a politicized economy is effectively handing that power over instead to a small group of investment institutions, to the corporate boardrooms of this country, that aren't even effective, the most effective ways of advancing your political agenda, even if you wanted to, say, from the progressive side or from the left wing side.
[121] Now, those who defend the ESG movement would say this is actually capitalism working as it's supposed to work and that it actually represents investors' interests.
[122] What's the counter?
[123] How is this not?
[124] not just capitalism at work?
[125] It's a good question, right?
[126] So there's a principal agent conflict that is the person who speaks on behalf of the client is saying things to corporate America that the client himself would not want to say.
[127] Your survey proved this today.
[128] Actually, the Delaware survey proved this today, where you have companies that are told by BlackRock and States Street in Vanguard to take steps to fight climate change, to adopt racial or gender -based quota systems or diversity, equity, inclusion programs that involve political content that everyday investors say they don't want these companies to be engaging in.
[129] So you might then ask the question of why it is that those large firms are doing what they do.
[130] And this is really just a form of crony capitalism.
[131] So what they get in return is government favors.
[132] I mean, if you look at who got to administer the COVID -19 stimulus packages, it was not other than BlackRock.
[133] Perhaps a pretty profitable business to be in.
[134] If you look at who staffs the Biden administration, including in the Treasury Department, including in the Council of Economic Advisers, including in the Vice President's staff, a lot of BlackRock alumni.
[135] They are doing what the party in power wants them to do in return for favors in return that allow them to aggregate greater, not only profit, but greater power.
[136] Last question.
[137] The poll asked investors if they think they should have a right to opt out of ESG -style investments.
[138] Is that realistic?
[139] Well, I think the realistic way to get there is through market competition.
[140] That's a big part of why I founded Strive, to say that, you know what, we need true diversity in the marketplace of ideas, including an asset management, that at least matches the true diversity of perspectives in the American economy that everyday citizens and everyday consumers share as well.
[141] That doesn't exist today.
[142] And so, you know, Strive is bringing a pro -excellance vision to corporate America.
[143] BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard, and everyone else is bringing a different voice.
[144] This is this pro -ESG voice.
[145] You know what?
[146] Someone else might bring a pro something else voice.
[147] And I think that's okay.
[148] I think it's great, actually.
[149] I think that we need more competition in the marketplace of ideas.
[150] But the problem right now is we have this ideological cartel that advances just one philosophy that betrays the true diversity of underlying views of citizens.
[151] And so do I think that citizens should be able to have their capital invested in ways that take their voice and their preferred advocacy behavior into account by their asset managers?
[152] Absolutely.
[153] I think that that reform is coming, but it's only going to come because of actual market competition, not because we wish it into existence.
[154] Well, Vivek, thank you so much for joining us.
[155] That was entrepreneur and best -selling author Vivek Ramoswamy.
[156] Another story we're tracking this week.
[157] President Biden signed an executive order Wednesday, reforming federal police practices and creating a national database for police misconduct.
[158] The order requires federal law enforcement agencies to implement dozens of reforms, including restricting chokeholds and no -knock entries.
[159] The president signed the order on the anniversary of George Floyd's death and after the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act stalled in the Democrat -led Senate last year.
[160] Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
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[163] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[164] Thanks for waking up with us.
[165] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.