← Morning Wire
Morning Wire
Tesla Attacks Investigated & Trump Battles Legal Injunctions | 3.20.25
00:14:58
Musk sits in the spotlight as he and Tesla weather attacks, a Daily Wire investigation takes you inside the now-shuttered Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and Trump is challenging the authority of judges standing between him and his agenda. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Balance of Nature: Go to https://balanceofnature.com and use promo code WIRE for 35% off your first order as a preferred customer PLUS get a free bottle of Fiber and Spice. Beam: Head to https://shopbeam.com/WIRE and use code WIRE at checkout for up to 40% off.
Loading summary
Transcript64 lines
- [00:03]
Georgia Howe
Once the darling of the left, Elon Musk and Tesla are now under attack by Democrats.
- [00:09]
John Bickley
They basically want to kill me because I'm stopping their fraud. And they want to hurt Tesla because we're stopping this terrible waste and corruption in the government.
- [00:18]
Georgia Howe
I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, March 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
- [00:29]
John Bickley
A new Daily Wire exclusive investigation reveals just how deep the corruption went at a now shuttered federal agency.
- [00:37]
Georgia Howe
And a handful of judges are halting a number of Trump's executive actions, setting up numerous legal showdowns.
- [00:44]
Caroline Levitt
We have judges who are acting as.
- [00:47]
Daniel Huff
Partisan activists from the bench.
- [00:49]
Georgia Howe
Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
- [00:58]
Brandon
Hey, guys, Producer Brandon here. Balance of Nature fruits and veggies provide a convenient way to get your daily whole fruits and vegetables. Using a special freeze drying process, they transform fresh produce into easy to take capsules that you can bring anywhere. While not replacing a healthy diet, Balance of Nature works alongside your other healthy habits to support your wellness journey. I take these capsules whenever I'm traveling to ensure I get my daily fruits and veggies. Head to balanceofnature.com and use promo code WIRE for 35% off your first order as a preferred customer. Plus get a free bottle of fiber and Spice. That's balanceofnature.com, promo code wire.
- [01:33]
John Bickley
Elon Musk remains in the spotlight this week with attacks on Tesla facilities continuing nationwide and the tech mogul working to bring home stranded astronauts.
- [01:44]
Georgia Howe
Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the details. So, Cabot, let's first start with the disturbing and growing trend of Tesla facilities being targeted. What's happening there?
- [01:54]
Cabot Phillips
Yeah, this week alone, we saw a Tesla facility attacked with Molotov cocktails and firearms in Las Vegas. In that incident, the perpetrator spray painted the word resist across walls and doors. The day before, we saw a similar case at a dealership in Kansas City with multiple cars being set ablaze. There were separate attacks at dealerships and charging stations across Massachusetts, South Carolina, Washington. The list goes on and on. And it's not just Tesla dealerships being hit. Dozens, if not hundreds of individual owners have also been targeted. Social media has been flooded in recent days with security footage of Tesla owners finding their cars keyed, spray painted or with busted out windows. And Musk himself has received numerous credible death threats as well in recent weeks. In one case, an Indiana man was arrested after threatening to kill him. Police found multiple guns and ballistic vests in his House. Here's Musk talking with Sean Hannity about those attacks earlier this week.
- [02:47]
John Bickley
Tesla is a peaceful company. We've never done anything harmful. I've never done anything harmful. I've only done productive things. So there's some kind of mental illness thing going on here because this doesn't make any sense.
- [02:57]
Cabot Phillips
This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement saying the DOJ is treating attacks on Tesla dealerships and owners as domestic terrorism because of their political nature. Bondi says perpetrators will be hit with 5 year mandatory minimum sentences and there will be severe consequences for, quote, those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes. Here she is on FOX Tuesday.
- [03:18]
Daniel Huff
If you're going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we're coming after you.
- [03:23]
Georgia Howe
Now, all of this comes as Tesla stock prices have taken a major hit. Walk us through the details on that front.
- [03:29]
Daniel Huff
Yeah.
- [03:29]
Cabot Phillips
Since Musk took on a more prominent role in the Trump administration, Tesla has been just hammered on Wall street with nine straight weeks of losses. They're now down 53% from their all time high back in December. Many on the left have celebrated that news, saying not only should folks stop driving Teslas, but they should sell their stock in the company as well at that point. Here's former VP candidate Tim Walz yesterday.
- [03:53]
Brandon
Saying on my phone, I know some of you know this on the iPhone.
- [03:55]
Daniel Huff
They'Ve got that little stock app.
- [03:57]
Georgia Howe
I added Tesla to it to give.
- [03:58]
Brandon
Me a little boost during the day 225 and dropping.
- [04:03]
Cabot Phillips
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt had this to say about walls celebrating Tesla stock fall.
- [04:09]
Caroline Levitt
I think that's quite sad.
- [04:11]
Daniel Huff
But I think Governor Walz unfortunately is living a sad existence after his devastating defeat on November 5th.
- [04:17]
Cabot Phillips
And it's worth noting Fox reported that at latest count, Minnesota, where Walz is governor, held more than 1.6 million shares of Tesla stock in its state retirement fund.
- [04:27]
Georgia Howe
Well, we did have some good news for Musk this week though. Tell us about his role bringing home the astronauts stranded on the iss.
- [04:34]
Cabot Phillips
Definitely a wild story here. SUNY Williams and Butch Wilmore were originally supposed to spend just eight days aboard the iss, but they spent nine months trapped in space after their Boeing Starliner ship malfunctioned. Musk says that he immediately offered to rescue them with one of his SpaceX craft, but was rebuffed by the Biden administration. However, he says Trump gave him the green light to bring them home and NASA partnered with SpaceX to go get them. The pair, along with two other astronauts on the rescue mission splashed down safely on Tuesday. Ahead of their return, one of those stranded astronauts, Butch Wilmore, had a message of thanks from Musk and President Trump.
- [05:10]
Daniel Huff
All of us have the utMost respect.
- [05:12]
Caroline Levitt
For Mr. Musk and obviously respect and.
- [05:15]
Daniel Huff
Admiration for our President of the United States, Donald Trump. We appreciate them. We appreciate all that they do for us of our human spaceflight, for our nation.
- [05:24]
Cabot Phillips
Now, beyond the joy in bringing those two home safely, the saga marked a major victory for Musk, as again it reaffirmed SpaceX's dominance in the field.
- [05:32]
Georgia Howe
Well, and just a significant accomplishment by itself. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
- [05:37]
Cabot Phillips
Anytime.
- [05:41]
Brandon
If you're waking up exhausted, that's no way to start your day. You need Beam's Dream Powder, a science backed healthy hot cocoa for sleep. Other sleep aids can cause next day grogginess, but Dream contains a powerful all natural blend of Reishi, magnesium, L theanine, apigenin and melatonin to help you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up refreshed. If you want to try Beam's best selling Dream Powder, get up to 40% off for a limited time when you go to shop beam.com wire and use code wire at checkout. That's shop b a m.com wire and use code wire for up to 40% off.
- [06:16]
Georgia Howe
On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order eliminating or drastically shrinking seven small agencies and boards.
- [06:24]
John Bickley
The agencies include the United States Agency for Global Media, which funds state media like Voice of America, the Minority Business Development Agency and four smaller boards. The Daily Wire's government efficiency reporter, Luke Rosiak, spent a year investigating the final target, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and uncovered some remarkable things. Hey Luke. So first tell us what this FMCS is.
- [06:51]
Daniel Huff
Hey John. So the first thing to understand is that these are all quote independent agencies, which just means that their top person nominally reports directly to the President. But you got to keep in mind they're so tiny that nobody, including the President, ever looks at them. I don't know that I've ever seen a more wild example of out of control on accountability than FMCs. This is an agency that prior to the Pandemic had a nine story office tower in K Street for only 60 employees. Its hallways were lined with oil paintings of those employees and other artwork purchased from the boss's wife with government funds.
- [07:26]
John Bickley
So a nine story building for 60 people with their portraits on the wall. What did they use all that space for?
- [07:32]
Daniel Huff
Good times I guess. They built an in house gym. They had a smoking lounge, showers in their office. This was an agency that was created to offer voluntary mediation between businesses and unions. But plenty of private arbitrators already do that. So the main purpose of FMCs kind of became, as far as I could tell, just a slush fund for its employees. They had an office in Honolulu and basically they would just commit what seemed like fraud in a way that was shocking. I mean, they listed the boss, Scott Beckenbaugh, as being on a six year long business trip to D.C. so that his rent and all of his meals would be paid for by the government, just for showing up for work every day. He wouldn't have to dip into his 174, $4,000 salary. They put relatives on the payroll. They steered $1,500 a day contracts to friends.
- [08:23]
John Bickley
Well, a lot of this sounds pretty clearly like fraud. Have there been any complaints to that effect?
- [08:28]
Daniel Huff
Yes. And anytime a whistleblower or auditor, one of which actually I think wanted to make an FBI referral, raised issues, they would fire that person. One time they escorted a lady out of the building with armed guards for calling attention to the way they were using these purchase cards. One accountant wrote an email to the General Services Administration warning about how they were abusing those cards. And then Director George Cohen forced her to write an email rescinding it. Now, FMCS employees actually did something called unblocking their government purchase cards, which removed restrictions against abuse and then used them to buy whatever they wanted. One leased a BMW. Another paid for his wife's cell phone and cable TV at his vacation home, including an extra package for the Golf Channel. They had a recreation fund, they called it, that they used buy champagne and $200 coasters for that.
- [09:16]
John Bickley
Champagne sound like a good time? I have to read this quote from your story because it seems like employees were actually pretty open that this agency just existed for the benefit of its employees. One told you. And here's the quote. Let me give you the honest truth. A lot of FMCs employees don't do a hell of a lot, including myself personally. The reason that I've stayed is that I just don't feel like working that hard. Plus, the location on K Street is great. Plus we all have these oversized offices with windows. Plus management doesn't seem to care if we stay out at lunch a long time. Can you blame me? This is the kind of thing you heard from the employees.
- [09:52]
Daniel Huff
Yeah. And you know, listeners might be wondering, how did you spend a year investigating this agency? It was just abolished. Well, I made these findings a decade ago and nothing was done. This is stuff that's kind of been out there. And what's thrilling to me is that finally people care. Things that kind of have been an open secret in Washington for a long time. Now that Doge is in town, it looks like some of those things are finally changing. And the documented behavior of this agency makes it a lot harder to argue with Doge when it says that this kind of thing does occur in government.
- [10:22]
John Bickley
The examples in this story just go on and on. 18,000 at a jewelry store, a storage facility for pictures of a former employee's dog. Most people didn't even know this agency existed. Certainly makes you wonder how many more there are like this.
- [10:36]
Daniel Huff
Yeah, I don't know if people are really going to want to know that answer.
- [10:39]
John Bickley
Probably true. Luke, thanks so much for reporting.
- [10:41]
Daniel Huff
Thank you, John.
- [10:45]
Caroline Levitt
We will continue to comply with these court orders. We will continue to fight these battles in courts. But it's incredibly apparent that there is.
- [10:52]
Daniel Huff
A concerted effort by the far left.
- [10:54]
Caroline Levitt
To judge shop, to pick judges who.
- [10:57]
Daniel Huff
Are clearly acting as partisan activists from the bench in an attempt to derail this president's agenda.
- [11:04]
Georgia Howe
That was Press Secretary Caroline Levitt addressing what she calls activist judges.
- [11:09]
John Bickley
Here to help us make sense of recent judicial actions is Daniel Huff, senior legal fellow at the American Path Initiative and former Trump White House attorney. Hey, Dan. So you say these judges who have placed broad freezes on the Trump administration's actions, they're ignoring a key rule, the injunction bond requirement, and that effectively invalidates their orders. The Trump administration's making the same argument now. So first, what is that requirement?
- [11:36]
Caroline Levitt
So what's important to understand here is that these are preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders. These are pretrial orders. Now, because you're getting relief up front and they're blocking the government from acting up front, there are certain safeguards, and one in particular is 65, which governs how courts operate. And what it says is that a judge may issue an injunction or temporary restraining order only if only if the party seeking that restraining order posts bond to compensate the party that's being restrained from any damages or cost that it may incur, should it later turn out that the injunction was invalid and that it had a right to do what it wanted.
- [12:21]
John Bickley
So how does that work practically, such as with the USAID cases?
- [12:25]
Caroline Levitt
The short answer is in none of these cases, including the one you just mentioned, have the judges ordered a bond in an amount that is proper. The rule says that you have to post a bond and the judges have discretion to determine the appropriate amount. But that discretion is limited because the amount still under the rule must be an amount that is adequate to compensate the enjoined party here, the government, from the costs and damages that occur. So it can't be zero and it can't be de minimis. And the case you just referenced, I believe that the bond was set at $100. Now, I don't know all the costs of bringing people back to work and giving them their laptops and so on and so forth, but I'm pretty sure at the level we're talking about, you know, thousands or at least hundreds of workers, it's a lot more than $100. So that one was improper.
- [13:12]
John Bickley
Now, do you think most of these cases will escalate to the Supreme Court?
- [13:16]
Caroline Levitt
Yes, I do. And I think that that's probably part of the calculation of the department, the Justice Department, in terms of how they handle it. They think, well, we'll get this sort of fixed at the Supreme Court level. But, you know, there's a danger there, right. One is that the Supreme Court conservative majority is not always been reliable. And number two, these things take time. And in the meantime, momentum is lost. I mean, think about the travel ban that President Trump put into place in his first term early on in the first few days, that was ultimately upheld on the Supreme Court. I think it was a year later. And that makes a very big difference in terms of the energy of an administration and the morale. So there's real damage to waiting.
- [13:53]
John Bickley
Final question. In the end, do you think the Trump administration will succeed in most of these efforts to cut costs and waste?
- [14:00]
Caroline Levitt
I think that ultimately they will be successful more often than not, specifically because the conservative majority, which I mentioned before, is not always reliable. They are pretty reliable on executive power and sort of proper use of government funds. So I think they can ultimately prevail. But again, much time can be lost in the interim. So I hope that they take stronger action up front. And one way to do that is the injunction bonds. And President Trump has issued a memorandum ordering the agencies to do this. And Senator Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, recently wrote a letter to Attorney General Pambani urging her to push this point. So I do hope that this is something that they pay more attention to because I think it can help them much more quickly than waiting for a Supreme Court decision.
- [14:42]
John Bickley
Fascinating legal duels going on here. Dan, thanks so much for joining us.
- [14:46]
Caroline Levitt
Great to be here. Thanks for having me.
- [14:50]
Georgia Howe
Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.