Morning Wire: Jack Smith Report Blocked & Congestion Toll Avoidance | January 7, 2025

Presented by The Daily Wire, Hosted by John Bickley and Georgia Howe

1. Jack Smith Report Blocked

Georgia Howe begins the afternoon update by discussing a significant legal development involving Special Counsel Jack Smith's final report on former President Donald Trump.

• Court Decision: A federal judge, Judge Eileen Cannon, has blocked the release of Jack Smith's report until a court of appeals can review an emergency motion filed by Trump's co-defendants. This decision delays the planned publication, which was initially scheduled for Friday.

• Legal Arguments: The motion argues that the report might introduce "unfair bias against some of the defendants" (00:21).

• Trump's Response: During a press conference, Donald Trump labeled the investigation a "fake witch hunt," attributing the DOJ's actions to political motivations:

  "Started by the DOJ having to do with books and records and Biden had many more and he wasn't protected by the Presidential Records Act. I was. But all of that fake stuff, stuff that took the lives of people, I mean literally destroyed people. People are destroyed because of what they did." (00:53)

2. Meta's Content Moderation Overhaul

John Bickley introduces the next topic on Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) and the impending changes to its content moderation policies.

• Policy Shifts: Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced that the company will:

  • End partnerships with independent fact-checkers.
  • Loosen restrictions on controversial topics such as gender and immigration.
  • Scale back filters that previously censored innocuous posts.

• Reasoning: Zuckerberg cited bias among fact-checkers, stating they had "done more harm than good, especially in the US." He emphasized that Meta will now implement Community Notes, mirroring a similar initiative by Twitter's parent company, X (01:19).

• Kevin O'Leary's Commentary: Kevin O'Leary, a shark from Shark Tank, expressed skepticism about fact-checkers:

  "After Trump first got elected in 2016, the legacy media wrote non-stop about how misinformation was a threat to democracy. We tried in good faith to address those concerns without becoming the arbiters of truth, but the fact checkers have just been too polite, politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially." (01:50)

3. Kevin O'Leary's Move to Acquire TikTok's U.S. Assets

In a significant business maneuver, Kevin O'Leary announces his intention to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations amidst looming federal restrictions.

• Deal Details: O'Leary is nearing a deal to purchase TikTok's U.S. assets alongside former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. The acquisition aims to secure ownership before the January 19 deadline, which threatens TikTok's removal from U.S. app stores (02:11).

• Motivation: The federal government has flagged concerns over TikTok's ownership by the Chinese tech firm ByteDance, citing potential surveillance risks:

  "This company is living in a dreamland thinking the Supreme Court of the United States is going to uphold spyware against its American people. Ain't going to happen." – Kevin O'Leary (03:01)

• Further Commentary by O'Leary:

  "TikTok down it just has to change ownership to abide by American laws as deemed by the order of Congress." (02:41)

4. Proposed Legislation to Bar Men from Women's Sports

John Bickley transitions to discussing legislative efforts aimed at defining gender in sports.

• Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act: Reported by Amanda Prestigiacomo, this bill seeks to:

  • Define gender under Title IX based on reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
  • Block federal funding for athletic programs that allow biological males to compete in female sports categories (03:42).

• Sponsorship and Support: The bill is spearheaded by Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama with 23 Republican co-sponsors, including notable figures like Senators Ted Budd, Marsha Blackburn, and John Kennedy.

• Debate:

  • Supporters: Argue the measure protects opportunities and safety for women and girls.
  • Critics: Claim it discriminates against transgender athletes.

• Vote Timing: The Senate is expected to hold a floor vote as early as the week of the episode's release (03:52).

5. Washington Post Workforce Reductions

Georgia Howe reports on significant layoffs at The Washington Post as the publication navigates financial challenges.

• Layoffs Details: Approximately 4% of the workforce is being cut, primarily affecting employees in advertising, marketing, and IT sectors. Notably, newsroom positions remain secure for the time being.

• Financial Struggles: The Post reported a loss of $77 million last year, driven by declining digital subscriptions and print revenue. The layoffs aim to adapt to industry changes and foster a more sustainable future (04:29).

6. Massachusetts Governor's Response to Migrant Shelter Incident

John Bickley covers an incident involving criminal activity at a state-run migrant shelter in Massachusetts.

• Incident Overview: An illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic was apprehended at a shelter with:

  • $750,000 worth of fentanyl and cocaine.
  • An AR-15 rifle.

• Governor Maura Healey's Reaction: Frustrated by the misuse of state resources, Healey has:

  • Ordered inspections of all state shelters.
  • Called for comprehensive federal immigration reform.

• Governor's Statement: In response to the incident, Maura Healey emphasized the need to "protect our citizens, to protect our residents and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle." (05:10)

7. New York City's $9 Congestion Toll and Public Backlash

Georgia Howe highlights the recent implementation of a new congestion toll in New York City and the public's reaction.

• Toll Implementation: A $9 congestion toll was introduced in midtown Manhattan, sparking various methods by drivers to evade the fee.

• Evasion Tactics: Drivers have resorted to:

  • Scratching out digits on license plates.
  • Coating plates with translucent substances to confuse toll cameras (05:48).

• Public Response:

  • Kevin O'Leary: Expressed personal inconvenience:

    "I'm going to have to just take a different way. You know, it affects everyone's lifestyle. Like I work right on 60th street, so now I have to park a couple blocks up and walk." (06:11)

  • NYC Driver: Criticized the toll for its impact on working-class commuters:

    "It's terrible for everybody. If you can't make your subway or bus budget, figure out, you know, a budgetary way to do it. But don't charge people congestion tax. It just doesn't work for working class folks that are coming into the et cetera, et cetera. So it's terrible." (06:22)

  • Kevin O'Leary: Added further dissatisfaction:

    "Not thrilled. I drive to work a couple days a week and you know it's gonna get expensive or I'm just gonna have to find the other way." (06:38)

• Government Response:

  • Governor Kathy Hochul stated that the state will analyze toll data in the coming days to evaluate the system's effectiveness (06:45).

Conclusion

John Bickley wraps up the update, encouraging listeners to visit dailywire.com for more information and to tune into the full episode of Morning Wire for in-depth reporting on the day's biggest stories.

Notable Quotes Recap:

• Donald Trump (00:53):

  "Started by the DOJ having to do with books and records... I was. But all of that fake stuff... literally destroyed people."

• Mark Zuckerberg (01:19):

  "Fact checkers have just been too polite, politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created."

• Kevin O'Leary (02:41):

  "TikTok down it just has to change ownership to abide by American laws as deemed by the order of Congress."

• Kevin O'Leary (06:11):

  "I'm going to have to just take a different way... you know, it affects everyone's lifestyle."

This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the key discussions and insights from the January 7, 2025, episode of Morning Wire. For detailed coverage and further analysis, listen to the full episode or visit dailywire.com.