Morning Wire XX
[0] Sparks flew on Capitol Hill yesterday as lawmakers questioned FBI director Christopher Ray regarding alleged partiality in a number of the Bureau's investigations.
[1] Here's what the American people know and believe about the FBI today, sir.
[2] If you are a Trump, you'll be prosecuted.
[3] If you are a Biden, you'll be protected.
[4] We break down the critical moments from the testimony.
[5] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[6] It's Thursday, July 13th, and this is Morning Wire.
[7] In an address to NATO on Wednesday, President Biden reaffirmed support for Ukraine as members weigh the war -torn country's future with the alliance.
[8] What did NATO decide, and how has Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy responded?
[9] And the Sound of Freedom continues to defy box office expectations despite criticism from legacy press.
[10] We discuss the praise and critiques the film is receiving from the media.
[11] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[12] Stay tuned.
[13] We have the news you need to know.
[14] House Republicans grilled FBI director Christopher Ray on Wednesday, in the first of its kind public hearing since Republicans took control of the House.
[15] Members of the GOP unleashed months of pent -up frustration with Ray and his agency, but got few answers.
[16] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to recap Ray's testimony for us.
[17] Hey, Tim.
[18] How did Ray's testimony go?
[19] Let's hear from someone who is in the room.
[20] Morning Wire caught up with Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee.
[21] Here's how he graded Ray.
[22] I would give him a grade of a D -minus.
[23] I think he was evasive.
[24] I think the people that we all represent are demanding answers.
[25] They're demanding accountability.
[26] And the leader of the most powerful law enforcement agency in America came to us unprepared or unwilling today to answer those important questions.
[27] Ray punted on most of the topics that Republicans wanted answers to, from pipe bombs outside the National Party's headquarters.
[28] to FBI assets at J6, to accountability over crossfire hurricane.
[29] He said he couldn't comment on specific personnel matters or ongoing investigations or ongoing litigation.
[30] And on the subject of FBI data collection, which didn't have any immediate extraneous conflict, Ray refused to answer because the topic was too sensitive and complicated.
[31] Here's Democratic Congresswoman Pramilla Gaiapal questioning Ray about FBI purchases of Americans' data from private companies.
[32] I'm not trying to be obtuse or difficult here.
[33] I just know, experience that the more you drill into this whole issue of commercial data, geolocation data, et cetera, that it gets very involved, in some cases involves pilot projects that are in the past, in some cases it involves national security information, etc. So I just want to make sure that we get you the information you need.
[34] Okay, that's great.
[35] I will take that, but I do want to say that this is just an extremely important issue for the American people to understand how their data is being used.
[36] And while I understand that that's complicated, that is the reason that you come before us.
[37] It's worth pointing out that for some of these issues, these investigations are lasting much longer than many lawmakers think is necessary.
[38] For example, pipe bombs were found outside the RNC and DNC two and a half years ago and authorities have yet to make an arrest.
[39] And the FBI has still not determined what to do with analyst Brian Otten.
[40] His controversies date back to 2016.
[41] He helped spread Trump -Russia collusion conspiracies within the FBI and later allegedly discredited true tips about Hunter Biden coming into the bureau.
[42] Reauthorization of the FBI's controversial FISA authority is coming up at the end of the year.
[43] First, remind us of the significance of these warrants.
[44] Yeah, so American citizens have basic rights of privacy that stop federal authorities from spying on their communications without cause.
[45] However, foreigners don't have that protection.
[46] FISA authorizes the FBI to surveil foreigners almost at will.
[47] Now, this can be abused and was abused many times when the FBI, scoured a vast repository of foreign data for information on January 6th and Black Lives Matter protests.
[48] That's upset lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
[49] Here's Florida Republican Matt Gates confronting Gray over the FBI's data collection.
[50] How many illegal FISA queries have occurred under your leadership of the FBI?
[51] Well, there are reports that have come out with different numbers about compliance incidents.
[52] More than a million illegal ones?
[53] Because that's what the Inspector General said that in the 3 .4 million of these queries, more than a million were in error.
[54] Do you have any basis to disagree with that assessment by the Inspector General?
[55] I'm not sure, actually, that's a correct characterization of the Inspector General's findings on that.
[56] The court said it was over 200 ,000 that have occurred on your watch.
[57] Do you have any basis to disagree with that assessment?
[58] Again, I don't have the numbers I sit here right now.
[59] What I can't say...
[60] Seems like a number you should know.
[61] How many times the FBI is breaking the law under your watch?
[62] there's actually a lot of room on FISA and privacy issues for some bipartisan reforms.
[63] Here's Congressman Johnson again.
[64] One glimmer of hope that comes out of all this is that that's where the right and the left agree, we've got to protect the privacy of American people.
[65] All right, so a lot of questions for the FBI, but not many answers from Ray.
[66] Tim, thanks for reporting.
[67] Thanks for having me. On Wednesday, President Biden addressed the NATO summit, reaffirming Western support for Ukraine, even as member states denied the embattled nation, NATO member.
[68] membership.
[69] Here with more on the address and the debate over Ukraine's place in the all -important alliance is Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
[70] Kabbat, you've been following the story all week.
[71] What's the latest here?
[72] So this week, leaders from NATO's 31 member states convened in Lithuania for a crucial summit where talks were dominated by the war in Ukraine.
[73] On Wednesday, President Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before addressing the summit, urging them to double down on their efforts to support Ukraine as the war enters its 18th month.
[74] We will not waver.
[75] We'll stand for liberty and freedom today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes.
[76] The big question coming into the summit was whether Ukraine would be allowed to join NATO.
[77] Tell us about that debate.
[78] Yeah, throughout the last year and a half, Zelensky has been adamant that if the West was serious about defeating Putin, they must allow his country into the alliance.
[79] But with the exception of a few Eastern European countries and Turkey, there's been little support for admitting Ukraine more broadly.
[80] As we've discussed, the main reason for keeping them out is the very real fear of World War III.
[81] Under NATO rules and attack on any member state triggers an automatic military response from every other country in the alliance, meaning the U .S. and the majority of Europe would be at war with Russia, essentially overnight.
[82] With that in mind, NATO members issued a declaration Tuesday saying that while, quote, Ukraine's future is in NATO, they will not be welcomed until, quote, all allies agree and conditions are met.
[83] Yeah, about that.
[84] How did Zelensky respond to that decision?
[85] Well, he was livid over that declaration.
[86] On Tuesday, he called it, quote, unprecedented and absurd, and a sign of, quote, weakness.
[87] Now, that stands appeared to frustrate White House officials.
[88] For example, on Wednesday, Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told the Ukrainian activists that, quote, the American people deserve a degree of gratitude for their enormous financial and military support.
[89] On Wednesday, Zelensky did tone down his rhetoric a bit, saying he understands that fears of a world war are, quote, logical and understandable.
[90] And most importantly, hours before Biden's address, Zolensky said that he, quote, understands that Ukraine cannot be a member nation of NATO as long as the war continues on our territory.
[91] So that messaging shift appears to be a tacit admission that he's aware it's not going to happen.
[92] And now he wants to carry favor with member states to ensure support on other fronts, which he did get.
[93] Yeah, so no to membership, but yes, to continue to support.
[94] Exactly.
[95] Leaders also announced the formation of the inaugural NATO Ukraine Council, which gives Zelensky a direct platform to address the members.
[96] The council will also allow him to convene, quote, crisis meetings at any time in the future.
[97] So he's going to get more access.
[98] And finally, NATO leaders also agreed to expedite Ukraine's eventual entrance to the alliance by removing the requirement for a membership action plan, which is typically a key step in a country joining NATO.
[99] So while Zelensky didn't secure a firm commitment or timeline on membership, he's hardly leaving the summit empty -handed.
[100] Right, it seems like some compromises were met here.
[101] Kappa, thanks for reporting.
[102] Anytime.
[103] The new film Sound of Freedom has been dominating at the box office surprising even the film's producers with its massive success.
[104] But some legacy media outlets have attempted to tie the film to conspiracy theories.
[105] Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham joins us now to tell us more about the Sound of Freedom controversy.
[106] So, Megan, there's a lot of news about the film scoring big at the box office.
[107] I just saw the film myself.
[108] It was excellent.
[109] How successful has it been so far?
[110] Pretty darn successful full.
[111] On about a $14 million budget, it earned $18 million on just its opening weekend last week.
[112] And on July 4th, it actually beat the new Indiana Jones film to take number one at the box office.
[113] It's total earning so far, stand at more than $40 million.
[114] And that's before it expands to international markets, then that will be sometime in August.
[115] So early audiences gave it an A -plus cinema score.
[116] And it's the only movie in theaters right now, ranking that high.
[117] So for all of those reasons, you have the Hollywood trades like Variety calling it, and I'm quoting here, this summer's unlikely box office hit.
[118] So audiences love it.
[119] It's earning big money.
[120] Why are some left -leaning critics accusing it of inciting a moral panic?
[121] Well, the film is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, and he's a former Homeland Security agent who quit his job to rescue children being trafficked for sex.
[122] Working with the Colombian government, he and his team set up an operation that rescued 120 young victims.
[123] And the film did end up showing some of that real footage from the sting operation on which the story is based.
[124] Now, some major media outlets are saying that this particular storyline caters to Q &on conspiracy theorists.
[125] The UK Guardian called it, quote, paranoid.
[126] Rolling Stone called it a Q &on -tinged thriller that is, quoting again, designed to appeal to the conscience of a conspiracy addled boomer.
[127] And that was particularly interesting since Rolling Stone had offered very high praise to the Netflix film Cuties a couple of years ago.
[128] And if you don't remember, that was a film that sparked major controversy for depicting 11 and 12 -year -old girls performing sexualized dance moves and watching pornography.
[129] And then here was what Mike Rothschild, an independent journalist who writes about conspiracy theories, had to say on CNN.
[130] We know trafficking is real.
[131] We know it has real victims.
[132] No one is denying that.
[133] But these films are created out of moral panics.
[134] They're created out of bogus statistics.
[135] They're created out of fear.
[136] And with something like Sound of Freedom, it specifically is looking acute on concepts of these child trafficking rings that are run by the high -level elites and only people like Tim Ballard and only people like Jim Caviesel.
[137] And by extension, only people like the ticket buyer can help bring these trafficking rings down.
[138] Now, when I looked into those complaints about the movie itself, it really amounted to standard accusations of Hollywood exaggerations.
[139] So Ballard didn't actually pledge to rescue specific kids, and he didn't kill any traffickers, as his character does in the film.
[140] The critics say that the movies claim that 10 ,000 children are smuggled into the U .S. every year for trafficking purposes is inflated, but that is a matter of some debate.
[141] So the Washington Post noted in its fact check that the Sound of Freedom, quote, doesn't depict anything close to Q &on conspiracy fantasies.
[142] And I'll note that it doesn't even remotely suggest that a cabal of government and Hollywood elites are involved in pedophile rings.
[143] It simply shows criminals attempting to buy children for sex, which almost everyone acknowledges is a real and horrific problem.
[144] Now, have the filmmakers responded to all of this?
[145] Well, Ballard's organization Operation Underground Railroad has been denouncing conspiracy theories for a few years now.
[146] In 2020, they acknowledged that some conspiracy groups had, quote, latched on to child exploitation and human trafficking as a vehicle to deceptively bolster their causes.
[147] But they stress that Operation Underground Railroad does not condone conspiracy theories and is not affiliated with any conspiracy theory group in any way, shape, or form.
[148] That's using their description.
[149] And their mission is to partner with law enforcement and other NGOs to eradicate child sex trafficking.
[150] Well, Megan, thanks for reporting.
[151] Any time.
[152] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[153] An attorney for Ray Epps says that his client has been informed by federal officials that they intend to charge Epps in connection with the events of January 6.
[154] The claim was made in a lawsuit Epps filed Wednesday against Fox News that accuses the network and Tucker Carlson of defaming him.
[155] Many have alleged that Epps was an undercover federal agent who instigated some of the events of the J6 riot, an allegation he is strongly denied.
[156] Epps lawsuit says the, quote, relentless attacks by Fox and Mr. Carlson and the resulting political pressure likely resulted in the criminal charges.
[157] The rate of inflation dropped to 3 % in July, the lowest number in two years.
[158] But food, energy, and gasoline prices remained high.
[159] For more on Wednesday's numbers, we spoke to Kenny Polkari, managing partner at Case Capital Advisors.
[160] The numbers are moving in the right direction.
[161] The top line rate come in at 3%, the core rate, is still at 4 .8%, which is lower than the expectation that we're looking for 5%, but it still means that prices are rising year over year at a 4 .8 % rate.
[162] Paul Corey went on to say he expects the Fed to raise rates next week.
[163] Thanks for waking up with us.
[164] We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.