Morning Wire XX
[0] A Marine veteran is charged in Manhattan for the death of a homeless man threatening passengers on the subway, and supporters have banded together to raise money for the veteran's defense.
[1] The case will now go to court, and the process will unfold from there.
[2] What sentence could the veteran face if convicted?
[3] And how much money has been raised in his support?
[4] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Vickley with Georgia Howe.
[5] It's Monday, May 15th, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] We have communicated very clearly a vitally important message to the individuals who are thinking of arriving at our southern border.
[7] After an overwhelming surge at the southern border, agents are reporting an unexpected lull over the weekend.
[8] What's the latest on the border?
[9] And how will the crisis play into the 2024 election?
[10] We've got a state of emergency declared in El Paso.
[11] State of emergency declared in Brownsville.
[12] State of emergency declared in Laredo.
[13] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[14] Stay tuned.
[15] We have the news you need to know.
[16] Daniel Penny, a 24 -year -old U .S. Marine veteran is facing 15 years behind bars for the death of Jordan Neely, a man Penny restrained on a New York City subway train after nearly threatened passengers.
[17] Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo.
[18] Hey Amanda, so a polarizing case that has the whole nation's attention.
[19] First, tell us about the charges the Manhattan DA has decided to bring against Penny.
[20] So as we reported at the end of last week, Penny has been charged with second -degree manslaughter.
[21] That was brought by Manhattan DA Elvin Bragg, the same man who has charged Donald Trump.
[22] The decorated Marine veteran turned himself into authorities in New York City on Friday morning, and he was released on a $100 ,000 bond after his arraignment later that afternoon.
[23] He now awaits trial.
[24] Just a quick refresher here, Penny restrained Neely in a chokehold or its submission hold for several minutes, at times with the assistance of two others, on a subway train on May 1st.
[25] At some point, Neely became unconscious and died.
[26] The city medical examiner determined that Neely died by strangulation and deemed the death a homicide.
[27] Now, New York's Penal Code defines manslaughter in the second degree, which is what Penny has been charged with, as when someone, quote, recklessly causes the death of another person.
[28] This differs from the more serious first -degree charge because with that, prosecution would have to prove Penny's intent to cause serious physical injury to another person, leading to that person's death, in this case, Neely.
[29] Have we heard from Penny or Neely's family since the charge was announced?
[30] Yeah, let's start with Penny.
[31] We've heard from an attorney representing Penny Thomas Kinniff.
[32] He said that Penny surrendered with, quote, the sort of dignity and integrity that is characteristic of Penny's history of service to this grateful nation.
[33] So really underscoring Penny as a man of service.
[34] His attorneys maintained that Neely was quoting, aggressively threatening Penny and other passengers, and that Penny acted to protect himself and others until help arrived.
[35] They say Penny never intended to harm Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.
[36] Penny's attorneys have also highlighted Neely's documented history of violent and erratic behavior, specifically calling that pattern a result of, quote, untreated mental illness.
[37] That seems to be something this defense team will lean into during trial.
[38] Homelessness, untreated mental illness and crime are all huge problems in New York City.
[39] That's really not debatable.
[40] Also not debatable is Neely's criminal record.
[41] He was wanted on assault charges and has a rap sheet of 42 prior arrests.
[42] So basically, Penny was put in this position because of the city allowing Neely to roam free, but so was Neely because he remained untreated.
[43] That would be a potential argument.
[44] And what about the Neely family?
[45] Have we heard from them.
[46] Neely's aunt and father were present at a press conference on Friday shortly after Penny's arrest.
[47] They didn't speak themselves, but attorneys representing the family told reporters that Penny should have been arrested sooner.
[48] So should Daniel Penny be charged with manslaughter?
[49] Absolutely.
[50] Because he acted with indifference.
[51] He didn't care about George.
[52] He cared about himself.
[53] And we can't let that stand.
[54] The attorney also addressed the New York City crime and mental health issue that Penny's team is raised.
[55] So for everybody saying, I've been on the train and I've been afraid before, and I can't tell you what I would have done in that situation, I'm going to tell you, ask how you can help.
[56] Please, don't attack.
[57] Don't choke.
[58] As we covered last week, protesters in New York City and even some sitting members of Congress have called Penny a murderer and demanded justice for Neely.
[59] But on the other side of that, Penny has received a lot of support.
[60] Tell us about that.
[61] That's right.
[62] An account on crowdfunding service GIFS and Go has raised nearly $2 million for Penny's defense.
[63] The account says that any donations exceeding what's needed to cover Penny's defense will be given to a mental health advocacy program in New York City.
[64] Notably, that Gifts & Go Fund has been promoted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
[65] He captioned that post, quote, we must defeat the Soros -funded DAs, stop the left's pro -criminal agenda, and take back the streets for law -abiding citizens.
[66] We must stand with good Samaritans like Daniel Penny.
[67] Let's show this Marine, America's got his back.
[68] A lot of support out there for the veteran, but also a lot of political pressure in New York.
[69] Amanda, thanks for reporting.
[70] Thanks for having me. That was Daily Wire reporter, Amanda Press de Jocamo.
[71] Coming up, the latest from the southern border.
[72] Illegal immigration into the U .S. dramatically slowed over the weekend.
[73] The unexpected lull came at the end of a historic week in which tens of thousands of illegal migrants were set free in the U .S. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to discuss.
[74] So, Tim, why were official predictions of this flood of migrants so far off?
[75] Hey, Georgia, it's not clear yet why the 13 ,000 -a -day flood worn about by DHS didn't materialize.
[76] Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas didn't waste any time declaring victory on the Sunday shows, though.
[77] Over the past two days, the United States Border Patrol has experienced a 50 % drop in the number of encounters.
[78] versus what we were experiencing earlier in the week before Title 42 ended at midnight on Thursday.
[79] It is still early.
[80] We are in day three.
[81] But, you know, we've been planning for this transition for months and months, and we've been executing on our plan, and we will continue to do so.
[82] Now, Border Patrol officials who spoke to Fox News's Bill Malugian believe that this is a temporary lull, and illegal immigration will surge again soon.
[83] And what Mayorka said there doesn't take into a account a couple other factors at play.
[84] Border officials received a lot of help from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who authorized the Texas National Guard to lock down main thoroughfares for illegal migrants, forcing them towards ports of entry.
[85] And on the other side of the border, Mexico tightened down on immigration enforcement on its southern border ahead of Title 42's end.
[86] Now, when you say, lull, what were the actual numbers?
[87] Well, earlier last week, Border Patrol was reporting 10 to 11 ,000 illegal crossings a day, but that number plunged to about 6 ,300 on Friday and then down again to 4200 on Saturday.
[88] Now, that's a relatively low number for this administration, but still historically high.
[89] It's about as high as the surge in 2019 that hit 4 ,300 a day throughout the month of May. A year later in May 2020, apprehensions averaged about 700 a day all month long.
[90] That said, May of 2020 was the beginning of the pandemic, which may have affected people's decision to attempt to cross the border.
[91] Right.
[92] Makes sense.
[93] Now, there was a lot of concern about manpower at the border stations.
[94] How is it on the ground at the ports of entry right now?
[95] Long lines and overcrowding at border facilities were still major issues on Friday.
[96] Earlier in the week, Border Patrol all along the southern border was on average three times over capacity.
[97] The Border Patrol reported on Friday that in the week before, at least 83 ,000 people entered the U .S. illegally, and at least 15 ,000 of those were godaways that won't face processing, at least not immediately.
[98] Of course, the Lull does nothing for the backlog in immigration courts.
[99] Many of the migrants being processed now are receiving court dates in 2026, 27, and beyond.
[100] Now, what's the Biden administration's message on the border now?
[101] Have they put out any statements?
[102] The president hasn't commented much on the crisis since Title 42 expired, but Mayorkas has been taking interviews.
[103] Up to now, Mayorkas has largely blamed Congress for the immigration crisis.
[104] But now that we're seeing a lull, he is taking some credit.
[105] But it's worth pointing out that the Biden administration's focus has never been really to restrict migration.
[106] Mayorkas typically talks about the laws as being the problem.
[107] Well, as we're about to discuss, this all has some very serious political ramifications.
[108] Tim, thanks for joining us.
[109] Anytime.
[110] That was Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
[111] With the border overwhelmed in recent months and cities around the country feeling the effects, President Biden is facing what many analysts believe will be one of the defining issues of the 2024 election.
[112] Here to discuss the political implications of the border crisis and particularly the potential fallout for the president is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
[113] Hey, Dave, how powerful an issue could the border be in 2024?
[114] Good morning.
[115] It's shaping up to be a huge issue, in part because it's really many issues rolled into one.
[116] The dynamic that has fundamentally changed here is that the border crisis or border challenge, as the Biden administration puts it, is no longer confined to the border.
[117] There's an overflowing arena in Portland, Maine, housing migrants.
[118] You can't actually get much farther from the Mexican border.
[119] In Denver, Colorado, officials expect to spend $20 million dealing with the influx, rinse and repeat in almost every part of the country.
[120] And you have a very visceral political issue that Biden is going to have to deal with.
[121] So we've seen now that officials in New York City who are running out of space for the migrants are busing them to suburbs and even planning a potential tent city in Central Park.
[122] Critics' claims of hypocrisy aside, are these just the best options that officials have at this point?
[123] Yes, pretty much.
[124] I've used the term Bidenvilles, hearkening back to the Great Depression era of Hoovervilles of the 1930s, and we're seeing them.
[125] I mean, in El Paso, just terrible scenes of people camped on the street by rows of porta potties, right?
[126] We've seen New York use hotels, ferry terminals, and now, as you say, there's plans for Central Park, because Mayor Adams has made clear the city doesn't have the wherewithal to care for all these people.
[127] Local officials, including many Democrats, are begging, the Biden administration to get a hold of the situation.
[128] But with Title 42 ending, the flow is only going to increase.
[129] Yeah.
[130] Now, Biden has consistently blamed Congress for its inaction on the border, but in fact, the House did pass a potentially significant border bill last week.
[131] Does it have any hope of becoming law?
[132] It has absolutely zero hope of becoming law.
[133] And it's really quite telling, right?
[134] HR2 is a bill that would beef up border security in myriad ways, but the White House has promised to veto.
[135] There's been other tribal balloons floated by moderate figures like Arizona Senator Kirsten Cinema.
[136] But Joe Biden doesn't seem terribly interested in any of it, leading his critics to suggest he actually just supports the status quo.
[137] Republicans are well known in news media circles for their pouncing.
[138] Is this an issue that will be front and center next year?
[139] Yes, absolutely.
[140] Regardless of who the nominee is, I mean, Trump is synonymous with Build the Wall.
[141] DeSantis is the guy who trolled the NPR v. Balvo set in Martha's Vineyard by sending migrants there.
[142] And frankly, there are bacterial infections with better poll numbers than Biden has on the border issue.
[143] Only 35 % approved.
[144] So, yeah, there will be pouncing a plenty, specifically in ways that hit home beyond the border.
[145] Fentanyl in your kids' school, dwindling social services owing to budget constraints, tent cities.
[146] Whoever the GOP nominee is will lay all of this at Biden's doorstep.
[147] The administration in the Biden campaign must be aware that this issue is a weakness.
[148] What measures have we seen to dampen the crisis?
[149] Biden said the coming weeks will be chaotic.
[150] Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called it a challenge.
[151] We've seen the administration move National Guard down to the border, and the administration is trying to keep all of this orderly.
[152] But there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency, and there isn't much reason to think the crisis will abate before voters choose.
[153] a president.
[154] This, as Georgia mentioned, will likely be one of the deciding issues of the election if this chaos continues.
[155] Yeah, it's certainly shaping up that way.
[156] Dave, thanks for joining us.
[157] Thanks for having me. That was Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
[158] Another story we're tracking this week.
[159] Over the weekend, North Carolina's Democratic governor vetoed legislation passed by the state's GOP -controlled Congress that would have restricted most abortions after 12 weeks.
[160] Republicans recently gained veto -proof majorities in both chambers, so they could potentially override Democratic governor Roy Cooper's move to thwart the pro -life legislation.
[161] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[162] Thanks for waking up with us.
[163] We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.