Morning Wire XX
[0] Polls in battleground states are tightening as the White House drops its economic message and goes on the attack.
[1] We've seen some signs of improvement in terms of the favorability rating, how folks are thinking about the economy.
[2] But in a number of these states, he's still trailing President Trump.
[3] We break down the latest from the campaign trail.
[4] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire, Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[5] It's Thursday, March 28, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] NBC dumps Ronna McDaniel after several hosts launch an on -air mutiny.
[7] You wouldn't hire a made man like a mobster to work at a DA's office, right?
[8] You wouldn't hire a pickpocket to work as a TSA screener.
[9] And two shocking murders in New York City forced Mayor Adams to confront the issue of crime and public safety.
[10] It is the good guys against the bad guys.
[11] And these bad guys are violent.
[12] They carry guns.
[13] and the symbol of our public safety, which is that police uniform, they have a total disregard for.
[14] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[15] Stay tuned.
[16] We have the news you need to know.
[17] Hey guys, producer Brandon here.
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[25] With Election Day fast approaching, Donald Trump continues to lead Joe Biden and head -to -head polls, but the White House claims they're gaining ground.
[26] Here with the latest from the campaign trail is Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
[27] So, Cabot, you've been keeping a very close eye on the race for the White House.
[28] Get us up to speed a bit.
[29] Well, the big story throughout the winter was the resilience of Donald Trump.
[30] Despite those highly publicized court cases, the former president went on a historic romp to the primary, and from December to January, really pulled ahead of Biden in the vast majority of polls.
[31] But as we head into the spring, the White House is claiming their campaign is showing signs of momentum.
[32] First, there was the state of the union address, which, while certainly polarizing was received positively by the majority of Americans.
[33] numerous polls showed around 60 % of voters giving a thumbs up on that address.
[34] That speech was followed by a string of campaign appearances in battleground states where President Biden went after Trump even more directly than he had in months past.
[35] And then this week came a new batch of polling from Bloomberg that showed Biden gaining ground on Trump in key battleground states like Nevada, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
[36] The White House was quick to tout those numbers as proof that Biden is riding a wave of momentum.
[37] But it is worth noting that same poll still showed Trump.
[38] Trump leading nationally by four points.
[39] And on average, he is still ahead of Biden in all seven swing states.
[40] Now, we've seen a bit of a shift in campaign strategy from the president.
[41] Unpack that a little bit.
[42] So throughout the fall and winter, Biden was really focusing his message largely on the economy, touting his so -called inflation reduction act and what he called Bidenomics.
[43] But that message simply fell flat as voters clearly disagreed with his rosy outlook on the economy.
[44] Remember, poll after poll has shown the vast majority of Americans disapprove of his performance on the economy.
[45] And the White House seems to have taken note.
[46] You can tell by the president's use of the phrase Bidenomics.
[47] From June to November, he used the phrase more than 100 times in public appearances.
[48] But last month, he did not say it once.
[49] Instead of trying to convince an electorate that inflation isn't that bad and that the economy is strong, it seems he's turning his focus more on Trump, trying to make the race a choice between stability or chaos.
[50] But regardless, it's clear they are trying a new strategy.
[51] Now we'll have to wait and see if polling reflects a shift one way or the other.
[52] Sounds like 2020 again.
[53] So turning to Trump, there's been a growing buzz lately about a potential running mate announcement.
[54] What are we hearing?
[55] Well, we all know Trump is a wild card and could pick someone totally unexpected, but we are starting to get a better idea of his short list.
[56] Last month, he mentioned two names as potential picks, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and South Dakota Governor Kristy Noem.
[57] Since dropping out of the primary, Scott has stumped.
[58] for Trump at numerous events and has shown the ability in the past to win over establishment donors and more moderate portions of the GOP base that Trump has struggled at times to win over.
[59] For her part, Noam has been a longtime Trump loyalist and earned praise from Republicans for her refusal to implement lockdowns in her state during COVID.
[60] Noem could help Trump with suburban women, a voter block he's been open about targeting this year.
[61] Other women whose names continue to pop up are Trump's former press secretary and current governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and even former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.
[62] Trump says he has made his mind up, but we'll have to wait and hear from him what that pick is.
[63] Now, speaking of vice president picks, independent candidate RFK Jr. announced his pick this week.
[64] Who did he pick?
[65] Yeah, on Tuesday, Kennedy tapped 38 -year -old political newcomer Nicole Shanahan to be his running mate.
[66] Shanahan is a successful attorney and tech entrepreneur, but is probably best known for being the ex -wife of Google co -founder, Sergey Brint.
[67] Now, typically, major party nominees wait until the summer to announce their picks, but there's a reason Kennedy announced his choice sooner.
[68] First, Shanahan is very wealthy and will provide a cash infusion for the campaign.
[69] To that point, she was the lead donor behind Kennedy's $7 million Super Bowl ad.
[70] But more importantly, is her role in RFK getting on the ballot in all 50 states, nearly half of which require a VP selection to move forward with the process.
[71] So the timing here gives the Kennedy campaign a longer runway to secure the necessary signatures nationwide.
[72] Right, and he's going to be a major wildcard this cycle.
[73] It looks like.
[74] Kavit, thanks for reporting.
[75] Anytime.
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[83] NBC News is facing backlash for terminating its contract with former R &C chair Rana McDaniel.
[84] The company reversed course on adding McDaniel to its roster following a revolt from its on -air hosts.
[85] Here with more is Daily Wire Culture reporter, Megan Basham.
[86] So, Megan, this story developed pretty quickly.
[87] Last Friday, NBC announced it was hiring McDaniel.
[88] Then NBC and MSNBC talent pretty vociferously criticized that decision over the weekend.
[89] Then NBC announced the deal was canceled by Tuesday.
[90] So first off, why were NBC employees so up in arms about hiring McDaniel?
[91] She was the RNC chairwoman that seems like it would be a pretty solid resume for a job as a panelist, no?
[92] Yeah, it does seem like that, but NBC and MSNBC employees insisted that it wasn't about her being a Republican or a conservative.
[93] They really focused their comments on the 2020 election, and they framed McDaniel as part of an election denial effort.
[94] So Chuck Todd, for instance, said, and I'm quoting here, the issue isn't about ideology, it's about basic truth, those trying to make this a left.
[95] right issue are being intentionally dishonest.
[96] He then claimed that McDaniel tried to ruin the credibility of honest journalists like him when she spoke about the election results.
[97] He then went on meet the press and suggested that by the same reasoning, no one who has worked for the RNC in a high -profile role in recent years should be a welcome voice on NBC or MSNBC.
[98] Many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination.
[99] Now MSNBC's top pundit Rachel Maddow said basically the same thing.
[100] Elections are fraudulent here anyway.
[101] Who cares if we give them up?
[102] Ronna McDaniel has been pitching in on that too, continuing to say since 2020 that that election wasn't right, that the American public should know that that vote wasn't real.
[103] So it's pretty amazing that these complaints were not happening behind the scenes, but right out there on the open airwaves.
[104] And that has opened up NBC and MSNBC to an avalanche of criticism because the company has had no problem welcoming people like Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and Stacey Abrams, all of whom have also claimed that some elections were fraudulent.
[105] So because of that seeming contradiction, some conservative pundits associated with NBC are crying foul.
[106] To give you one example, Hugh Hewitt, who moderated NBC's GOP primary debate just last year, said that he's never seen anything this brutal since he got started in media in 1990.
[107] That's a direct quote.
[108] And he pointed out that the 74 million people were really about half the country who voted for Donald Trump are now very unlikely to trust or watch NBC News.
[109] Now, did the higher -ups at NBC explain their decision to drop McDaniel?
[110] Well, they've kept their comments pretty broad.
[111] NBC News Group chair, Cesar Condé, said in a memo to staff that it was about having a cohesive and aligned newsroom.
[112] So he didn't say, specifically address the election denier angle, and NBC hasn't put out any sort of formal statement.
[113] What about McDaniel?
[114] Has she said anything?
[115] So she hasn't commented on the revolt at NBC, but she is reportedly looking at her legal options, and media analysts are saying that it's pretty likely that she's going to get a major payday from NBC out of this.
[116] But I think it's likely to worsen an already incredibly siloed media landscape because McDaniel didn't just lose out on her NBC deal.
[117] A major talent agency, Creative Artists Agency, also dropped her as a client.
[118] That's significant because it's not as if anything had changed for McDaniel.
[119] And you have to remember that multiple networks had reportedly tried to secure a deal with her when she became available.
[120] NBC won out.
[121] So CAA now dropping her suggests that they don't think they're going to be able to land her lucrative deals with those other legacy outlets now.
[122] Well, just goes to show how strong the legacy media infrastructure is.
[123] Megan, thanks for reporting.
[124] Anytime.
[125] A pair of shocking crimes rocked New York City this week, once again, raising concerns about the safety of America's largest metropolis.
[126] In addition to the brutal murder of an NYPD police officer during a traffic stop, a New Yorker was also thrown in front of a moving subway car and died from his injuries.
[127] Here to discuss the troubling incidents in the city's response to them as Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
[128] Hey, Dave, so let's start with this tragic death of the police officer, a 31 -year -old father of a one -year -old.
[129] What were the circumstances there?
[130] Morning, John.
[131] It was a terrible incident that really underscores the dangers that law enforcement face in New York and around the nation.
[132] Officer Jonathan Diller and his partner saw a car parked in a bus zone.
[133] They approached it, told the two occupants to step out, at which point one of them shot Officer Diller, who fought back but later died of his wounds.
[134] Both men in the car were career criminals with lengthy rap sheets, and rather than be arrested again with an illegal gun, one of them decided to murder a cop.
[135] That suspect was himself shot by police, but is expected to recover.
[136] Really a tragic situation there.
[137] Now, the other incident saw yet another New Yorker pushed into the path of a subway car.
[138] or something we've seen before and is truly a terrifying prospect.
[139] What happened there?
[140] Pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
[141] Jason Volz, a 54 -year -old man, was apparently intentionally shoved into the path of a train by a mentally disturbed suspect who once again had a recent history of arrests and was, in fact, out on bond pending a trial that had been set for July when this killing took place.
[142] He's now been charged with murder and is being held.
[143] violent crime on the subway was up 53 % last year compared to pre -pandemic levels.
[144] And even with increased policing, including now some national guardsmen, the problem clearly has not abated and another New Yorker has lost their life.
[145] Now, the New York Times has referred to some of this violence as random, quote -unquote, as opposed to systemic.
[146] Is the mayor taking this problem seriously enough for New Yorkers' liking?
[147] Both the media and the mayor's office, as well as nationally the Biden campaign, have already.
[148] argued that some overall violent crime numbers have come down, albeit from lofty heights.
[149] But it's not clear that New Yorkers or Americans in general feel that in their gut yet.
[150] Mayor Adams has cited recidivism as a major contributing factor here, as he did at a press conference this week.
[151] April, 2023, less than a year, gun charge.
[152] He's back on the streets.
[153] This is what you call not a crime problem, a recidivist problem.
[154] Same bad people, doing bad things to good people.
[155] And he's right that a small percentage of New Yorkers commit the vast majority of these crimes, but the city struggles to either keep them locked up or to rehabilitate them when they are released.
[156] And as to the mental health crisis, the real problem is that there is no clarity as to when authorities can compel a dangerous, mentally ill person to get treatment before they commit a potentially deadly crime.
[157] Yeah, that's the key there.
[158] Finally, is there any evidence that the persistent migrant crisis in New York is contributing to this overall issue of crime?
[159] I mean, look, this is notoriously difficult to answer, John, largely because most municipalities, including New York, don't keep track of the immigration status at criminal suspects.
[160] But look, Donald Trump is clearly trying to tie these issues together, referring to a migrant crime crisis.
[161] So Republicans are banking on the migrant and crime issues commingling in the minds of voters, and thus far, it looks like a pretty decent bet.
[162] Yeah, especially with both issues ranking so high among voters' prices.
[163] Dave, thanks for joining us.
[164] Thanks for having me. Thanks for waking up with us.
[165] We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.