Morning Wire XX
[0] Three FBI whistleblowers appeared before Congress on Thursday, accusing the Bureau of harsh retaliation when each questioned the handling of the J6 investigations.
[1] The FBI will crush you.
[2] This government will crush you and your family if you try to expose the truth about things that they are doing that are wrong.
[3] What was their evidence and how were they punished?
[4] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Bickley, with Georgia Howe.
[5] It's Friday, May 19th, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] Chicago's new progressive mayor took office this week, inheriting a number of issues with crime topping the list.
[7] The more we invest in young people, in the immediate, the more we're going to see a reduction in crime.
[8] I mean, it's been proven over and over again.
[9] How bad is crime in the windy city?
[10] And what is the new mayor proposed to do about it?
[11] And amid a push towards plant -based diets, a large number of scientists and academics are pushing back.
[12] We break down the debate surrounding meat.
[13] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[14] Stay tuned.
[15] We have the news you need to know.
[16] Three current and former FBI agents testified on Capitol Hill Thursday on the retaliation they say they faced at the Bureau for blowing the whistle on politicized actions at the FBI.
[17] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to go through this week's hearing with us.
[18] Hey Tim.
[19] So first, introduce us to these witnesses.
[20] Sure, Marcus Allen and Garrido Boyle are still employed by the FBI, but each has been on unpaid suspension for months.
[21] Both men say they were retaliated against.
[22] after they questioned the prevailing narrative around January 6th and voiced concerns about the way the FBI was handling those investigations.
[23] Alan said he was suspended essentially for doing his job.
[24] He sent news articles and videos he found to his colleagues and superiors that cut against the idea that the Capitol Riot was mainly a result of domestic extremism.
[25] As a result, I was accused of promoting conspiratorial views and unreliable information.
[26] Because I did this, the FBI questioned my allegiance to the United States.
[27] Alan said he's been on unpaid suspension for over a year and living off his and his wife's retirement accounts to make ends meet.
[28] O 'Boyle has been in a similar situation for over half that time, and he's had to rely on charity from his family, friends, and his church.
[29] O 'Boyle spoke up saying the FBI was inflating the scope of domestic extremism cases by manipulating its case data around January 6th.
[30] For that, he said he was suspended and left homeless after being transferred across the country.
[31] The FBI stopped paying me and there's no other way for me to make a living.
[32] I know from other whistleblowers that the FBI routinely denies them the ability to get outside employment.
[33] And then as a special agent, you can only make $7 ,500 a year outside of your government salary.
[34] So on one hand, we want to try to get our jobs back because we are trying to do our patriotic duty.
[35] But on the other hand, we still have families to take care for it.
[36] The third witness, Stephen Friend, is a former FBI special agent who retired from the agency after something similar happened to him.
[37] Friend accused the Bureau of leading a campaign of humiliation and intimidation against him by leaking his medical records to the New York Times and withholding records he needs to be a private investigator and apply for a gun license.
[38] And Republicans are presenting this as a systemic issue within the FBI, political targeting.
[39] What is the Bureau saying?
[40] Well, the Bureau says that its disciplinary actions were justified.
[41] A senior FBI official sent a letter on Wednesday to Congressman Jim Jordan.
[42] He's the chair of the House Subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government.
[43] And the letter said that the men were suspended in part, for expressing views that put into question their allegiance to the United States.
[44] It also makes other specific claims.
[45] For example, the letter said Allen sent a link to colleagues saying federal law enforcement had some degree of infiltration among the crowds gathered at the Capitol.
[46] We should note when FBI director Christopher Ray was asked about the presence of federal agents back in November, he danced around the question.
[47] I had to be very careful about what I can say about when we are.
[48] Even now, because that's what you told us two years ago.
[49] Math finish.
[50] about when we do and do not and where we have and have not used confidential human sources.
[51] But to the extent that there's a suggestion, for example, that the FBI's confidential human sources or FBI employees in some way instigated or orchestrated January 6th, that's categorically false.
[52] Now, other testimony from former FBI agent George Hill raised a similar point, and Congressman Matt Gates brought up that in the hearing.
[53] Here's a bit of Hill's testimony that was played on Thursday.
[54] Why can't you just send us, give us access to the 11 ,000 hours of video of this example that's a bailer?
[55] Because there may be, maybe UC's undercover officers or CHS's confidential human sources on those videos whose identity we need to protect.
[56] Well, certainly troubling claims out at the FBI, especially in light of the Durham report.
[57] Tim, thanks for reporting.
[58] Sure, any time.
[59] That was Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
[60] Coming up, Chicago's new mayor enters office with a lot of issues to address.
[61] Chicago's new progressive mayor took office on Monday.
[62] Mayor Brandon Johnson won with an Uber progressive campaign platform that he hopes will solve Chicago's biggest problems, but some aren't so sure.
[63] Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade, Alorty, is here with the details for us.
[64] So, Marade, tell us about Chicago's new mayor.
[65] Hi, Georgia.
[66] Mayor Brandon Johnson took office on Monday.
[67] He ousted Chicago's old mayor, Lori Lightfoot.
[68] and won a tough runoff election last month against another opponent.
[69] Johnson is a 47 -year -old former union organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union.
[70] He's progressive through and through.
[71] He wasn't well known when he began his run for mayor, but with the powerful Chicago Teachers Union supporting him, he eventually became the favorite candidate.
[72] He even got endorsements from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
[73] Here's Johnson reflecting on his successful campaign.
[74] When the city of Chicago heard my truth, they heard their truth as well.
[75] Johnson certainly has a lot of supporters, but some voters say they don't think his policies are the answer.
[76] Here's one Chicago resident.
[77] I don't think he's going to do any better than Glory Lightfoot.
[78] I have no confidence in him.
[79] He's already coming in the gate saying the wrong thing.
[80] So I don't see anything turning better for Brandon Johnson, with him being in the office.
[81] Johnson immediately has several emergencies he has to deal with as mayor of the nation's third largest city.
[82] The biggest one is crime.
[83] Right.
[84] So tell us about that.
[85] What's crime looking like in Chicago now and what are Johnson's proposals to fix it?
[86] Crime is the top concern for Chicago residents right now.
[87] Chicago has a higher per capita murder rate than both New York and Los Angeles.
[88] In 2021, Chicago had the most murders in a quarter of a century with 804 murders.
[89] Murders have come down slightly since then, but other violent crime has increased, like robberies and carjackings.
[90] Mayor Johnson has promised to build a city that works for everyone.
[91] What he's suggesting is more mental health treatment, more police detectives, and more year -round jobs for youth.
[92] What he doesn't want is a bigger police presence.
[93] Johnson thinks a police -first approach has not worked, and he promised not to rely on the, quote, failed approaches that have brought trauma to communities across the city.
[94] Now, does Johnson support the defund the police movement?
[95] Well, in 2020, Johnson called the defund the police movement a, quote, real political goal, but he later walked that back saying it was not his political goal.
[96] That said, he definitely didn't run on a pro -cop platform.
[97] One concern is that an anti -cop mayor will cause low morale in the already struggling Chicago Police Department.
[98] The president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, John Kedanzara, previously warned that if Johnson becomes mayor, up to 1 ,000 cops will leave the force.
[99] In April, when crowds of teenagers got violent in downtown Chicago, Johnson seemingly defended the teens, calling on citizens to not, quote, demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.
[100] Meanwhile, summer in Chicago always brings an uptick in crime.
[101] Most of Chicago's business leaders ended up endorsing Johnson's opponent, Paul Valles, who promised to beef up the city's policing.
[102] Business leaders have also expressed concern about Johnson's plans for progressive tax proposals.
[103] What are Johnson's proposals for taxes and just the economy in general?
[104] Well, he plans to raise taxes on large companies and the wealthy to pay for his campaign promises, including the police alternatives like more mental health treatment.
[105] One thing Johnson wants to do is hike taxes on the sale of properties over $1 million to pay for more affordable housing.
[106] Another specific thing he wants to do is tax financial transactions, but lawmakers would need to approve that, and it's not very popular.
[107] Even Democratic Illinois Governor J .B. Pritzker was not on board with that idea.
[108] Well, Marade, thanks for reporting.
[109] Thanks, Georgia.
[110] That was Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Allorty.
[111] Last month, over a thousand scientists and academics from around the world signed a declaration affirming the health benefits of meat and pushing back on so -called zealots in the scientific community who've led the push for plant -based diets.
[112] Here with more on the declaration and with the latest data says about the health impact of meat is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
[113] So Cabot, you've reported before about the war on meat.
[114] Now it sounds like there's some pushback.
[115] Yeah, that is quite the understatement.
[116] Late last month, over 1 ,000 scientists from every continent co -signed a declaration affirming the health benefits of meat and dairy products.
[117] As part of that declaration, the group published nine peer -reviewed papers in the scientific journal Animal Frontiers.
[118] Those papers offer new evidence into the nutritional benefits of pork, chicken, and beef, and reaffirmed that, quote, regular consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs as part of a well -balanced diet is advantageous for human beings.
[119] Those papers expand on the benefits of such foods, noting their nutrient density compared to plant -based alternatives, and touting the benefits of low -cost, high -protein foods offered by livestock.
[120] And perhaps most notably, these scientists took aim at plant -based diets.
[121] Right.
[122] So that part really stuck out.
[123] What did they have to say on that front?
[124] Well, it's important to note their grievances weren't with all plant -based diets, but more so with scientists who claim plant -based diets are a health.
[125] healthier or the healthiest alternative for everyone.
[126] The declaration notes that, quote, well -resourced individuals may be able to achieve adequate diets while heavily restricting meat, dairy, and eggs.
[127] The approach should not be recommended for general populations, though.
[128] They say animal food products are essentially the best bang for your buck when it comes to nutrition and point out that plant -based meat is twice as expensive per pound as beef and four times the price of chicken.
[129] Other studies indicate that among low -income populations globally, children with less access to animal protein are more likely to suffer from stunted growth and wasting.
[130] The researchers here also note a variety of studies showing how difficult it is for the average person to get all the nutrients they need through plants alone, and note that such diets are especially dangerous for children, the elderly, and women, particularly those of childbearing age.
[131] Now, the Declaration also criticized a recent and very widely circulated study about meat.
[132] Yes, they did.
[133] The studying question is the most recent global burden of disease report.
[134] The GBD is essentially the authoritative paper on overall worldwide health trends, and countries often use it to help craft their health care decisions and dietary guidelines.
[135] In 2017, the study said that diets high in red meat pose almost no threat to worldwide health.
[136] But in their most recent published report back in 2020, the study attributed 896 ,000 deaths globally to meat consumption.
[137] That study made waves in the health community and prompted a number of governments to begin encouraging people to shy away from meat and their diets.
[138] But according to these scientists, that study was, quote, fatally and scientifically flawed.
[139] They now call on that portion of the GBD to be retracted, and for future additions of the study to include more accurate figures and improved methodology.
[140] Now, this declaration comes amid a broader push for plant -based diets.
[141] If the health data just isn't there to support them, where is the anti -meat sentiment coming from?
[142] Yeah, that's the interesting part here.
[143] Growing number of scientists have begun pushing for the wide -scale eradication of meat, not necessarily for health.
[144] purposes, because like you mentioned, the data is not always there, but for environmental purposes, they say that livestock contribute to global warming.
[145] For example, Bill Gates, who actually donated a quarter billion dollars towards funding the global burden of disease study that we mentioned earlier, wrote recently that cows, quote, give off methane when they belt and pass gas and should be phased out to combat climate change.
[146] Critics, however, note that beef cattle accounts for just two percent of America's emissions and say that scientists and climate activists are using climate change as an excuse to malign them.
[147] According to Dr. Pierre Ederrier, one of the co -authors of the Dublin Declaration, the GBD and other studies pushing for plant -based diets also benefit from favorable media coverage.
[148] In his words, quote, only a small minority of scientists present vegan diets as superior, but they are, quote, highly vocal and are preferably quoted by mainstream media, giving the appearance that science has gone vegan, but that is surely not the case.
[149] Well, I've thus far resisted the urge to extol my steak -based diet, but I had to bring it up.
[150] Cabot, thanks for reporting.
[151] Anytime.
[152] That was Daily Wire Senior Editor, Cabot Phillips.
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[157] Thanks for waking up with us.
[158] We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.