Morning Wire - Assad Regime Falls & Trump’s World Stage Strength | 12.9.24

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

Trump projects strength among world leaders in France, Syria’s Assad regime collapses, and the Daniel Penny trial enters a fifth day of deliberations following a surprise decision from the judge. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Black Rifle Coffee: Drink America's coffee at https://www.blackriflecoffee.com ZBiotics: The drink before drinking with ZBiotics. Get 15% off your order with promo code WIRE at https://www.ZBiotics.com/Wire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump travels to France and projects strength on the world stage as yet more chaos rages abroad. We had a lot of success working together on defense and offense too. And it certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now. And we'll be talking about that. How was the former president received by world leaders? And is he already making progress on his priorities? I'm Daily Wire, editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia How. It's Monday, December 9th, and this is Morning Wire.

The regime of Bashar al-Assad collapses as the Syrian dictator flees to Russia, who's poised to take control of the war-torn country. It's a turkey-backed jihadist group that used to be part of Al-Qaeda. And the jury in the Daniel Penny trial enters its fifth day of deliberations, following the judge's stunning dismissal of the case's top charge. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Hey, guys, producer Brandon here.

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Head over to their site now for 20% off your purchase with Code Daily Wire. Six weeks out from inauguration and with yet more instability abroad, President Donald Trump returned to the world stage this weekend, meeting with world leaders in France for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Here with more details on the visit in a high-profile interview Trump just gave as Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips A Cabot. So we'll start in France where Donald Trump met with world leaders. What did we see there?

Yeah, Joe Biden might be the sitting president, but it was Donald Trump who represented the U.S. in Paris this weekend, where the Notre Dame Cathedral reopened five years after suffering severe fire damage. Foreign leaders from around the world descended on France to celebrate, but really all eyes were on Donald Trump, who first met one-on-one with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two had a, we'll call it, combative relationship during Trump's first term. Macron blasted his leadership as, quote, brain dead, while Trump called him, quote, nasty and said

France would be speaking German today, if not for the U.S. But amid rising anti-liberal sentiment in France and Trump's threats to implement tariffs on French goods, Macron adopted a much more gracious deferential tone this go-round. Have a listen. It's a great honor for French people to welcome you. Five years later, welcome back again. Thank you very much.

We are very happy to have you here. Now, that warm message is indicative of what we've seen for weeks now, foreign leaders, many of whom spent the last few years mocking Trump, now rushing to curry favor with him after his return to power. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, made a public about-face, flying to Mar-a-Lago for a friendly dinner with Trump after he threatened new tariffs.

And then there was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who famously has criticized Trump for the last year, but met with him in Paris this weekend for a friendly face-to-face. Right, a potentially very significant meeting there. What came of that? Well, first, remember, Zelensky has, for the last few years said he would not accept any peace deal with Putin and would continue fighting until Russian forces had been expelled from Ukraine entirely.

That message was backed by President Biden, who vowed to provide weapons and financial aid for as long as necessary to aid the war effort. Trump had a very different approach, saying he would force both sides to negotiating table, and within just a few days of our elections, Zelensky changed his tune. He agreed to work with Trump to find a diplomatic solution that would end the war. And on Saturday, the two reportedly discussed what the end to that war would look like. Afterwards, Linsky said, quote, President Trump is as always resolute. We all want this board to end as soon as possible and in a just way.

Peace through strength is possible. So perhaps some progress there between the two leaders. Coming back stateside, President Trump also sat for a high-profile interview on Meet the Press. What did we hear there? Yeah, this was Trump's first sit-down interview since winning a second term. and it offered insights into his day one priorities. He reiterated his intent to impose tariffs on countries that he says have been taking advantage of the U.S.

He said he would implement border policies that Biden White House rescinded and clean out those in the federal government who've weaponized the justice system for political gains. He also vowed to end birthright citizenship, either through executive action or other means. You know, if somebody sets a foot, just a foot, one foot, you don't need to on our land. Congratulations, you are now a citizen. of the United States of America. Yes, we're going to end that because it's ridiculous. Later on, Trump again stated his intention to pardon thousands of Americans convicted and imprisoned on charges related to January 6th. I'm going to be acting very quickly. Within your first 100 days,

first day? First day. First day. Yeah, I'm looking first day. You can issue these pardons. These people have been there. How long is it? Three or four years. You know, by the way, they've been in there for years, and they're in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn't even be allowed to be open. And also, as we've noted, President Biden is reportedly considering issuing pardons for people Democrats and the media have said the new administration could target for prosecution when Trump is back in office, including Anthony Fauci, Adam Schiff, and Liz Cheney, among others. But when Trump was asked whether he would seek retribution on his political enemies, he signaled that he's not looking to get even in that way.

Retribution will be through success. If we can make this country successful, that would be my greatest. That would be such a great achievement. Bring it back. So six weeks to go before inauguration, Donald Trump promising success will be his retribution. A theme we heard in the closing days of his successful campaign. Kappa, thanks for reporting. Anytime.

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the U.S. and its allies in the region wondering, what's next? Here to talk about Assad's ouster and what could happen next is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. So Tim, Syria is changing leadership now for the first time since 2000. First off, where exactly is Assad now? He's an exile in Moscow. The Russians have granted asylum to him and his family. As far as his regime in Syria, it looks like it's done. Militants led by the terror group Hayat Terrier al-Sham or HTS took over Syria's capital Damascus over the weekend. Assad's forces barely put up a fight. In the past, Assad has been able to rely on heavy assistance from his allies in Russia and Iran, but the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have depleted tons of military resources. And for its part, HTS has said it has

prepared for this moment for years and taken the time to build up a disciplined fighting force. So who's in charge in Syria now? And then also what does that mean for the country? That's the big question now. HTS is led by a man known as Abu Muhammad al-Galani. In recent years, he has tried to sell himself as a freedom fighter and a moderate dedicated to protecting minority rights. Here's Ghalani in a recent interview on CNN. People who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly. We are talking about something that aligns. with the traditions and nature of the region. The most important thing is to build institutions. We are not talking about rule by individuals or personal whims. It's about institutional governance.

Now, there's good reason to doubt Golani's intentions. His group, HTS, evolved from the terror group Newsrefron, that was the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda. Before Golani was head of HTS, he was working for the late terrorist leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, who was killed by the Trump administration in 2019. Golani later broke from al-Qaeda and Baghdaddy, but the Trump administration declared HTS a terror group in 2018,

and the U.S. has placed a $10 million bounty on Golani's head. It's also worth noting that Galani and his forces have been backed by Turkey, so Turkish President Erdogan will likely have sway in what happens next in Syria. So how's the West reacting to this? Yeah, Western leaders were generally glad to see Assad go. Assad's regime was notorious for gassing and torturing its own people, but many are also apprehensive about what comes next. Israel, especially since it shares a border with Syria.

The Israeli military took up positions in the buffer zone along the Syrian border for the first time since 1974. Netanyahu said it's a temporary move to protect Israel and contain any threats that may develop in Syria. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump said over the weekend that whatever happens in Syria, the U.S. should stay out of it. He also suggested that Syria's fall as a sign of Russia's weakness and that President Putin should start peace talks.

But however Trump wants to approach the conflict, he's not president yet. President Biden spoke yesterday from the White House and said his primary goals would be supporting U.S. allies near Syria, such as Israel and Jordan, as well as working with groups within Syria to construct a new government. To that end, Biden said the U.S. is committed to not letting ISIS into power. Here's that. We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability and to create a safe haven. we will not let that happen. In fact, just today, U.S. forces conduct a dozen of precision strikes, air strikes, within Syria, targeting ISIS camps and ISIS operatives. And with that, it looks like the U.S. will play some role in shaping what happens next in Syria.

Well, that explains why millions have tried to flee the country. Tim, thanks for reporting. Glad to be on. A Manhattan judge has dismissed the more serious charge in the case of Marine veteran Daniel Penny. Penny, who's been charged in the death of Jordan Neely, still faces the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide as the jury returns to deliberations today. Here to discuss is Daily Wire Reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo. Hey, Amanda. So a lot went down in this case on Friday during a fourth day of deliberations. Catch us up to speed as we head into day. Hey, John. Yeah, there was a lot of drama that went down. So early in the day, this jury, which is made up of seven women and five men, told Judge Maxwell Wiley that they were having a lot of. hard time reaching a consensus on the first charge, which is second-degree manslaughter, and it brings up to

15 years behind bars. In response, the judge issued an Allen charge, which basically encourages the jury to keep deliberating to find a verdict. Then, in a move that really shocked a lot of people, the assistant district attorney, Daphne Yorin, asked the judge to dismiss the top charge so the jury could focus only on the lesser second count criminally negligent homicide. That holds up to four years in prison. Judge Wiley quickly agreed to that. He told the judge. jury that manslaughter to was dismissed and that they would be back on Monday to deliberate only the second count against Penny. And there's been a lot of reaction to this move by the judge. What's Penny's side saying? Yeah, they argue that dismissing a harder charge in the middle of

jury deliberations sets a dangerous precedent for prosecutors in the future. This means they can overcharge defendants knowing that they can still maneuver at the last minute if deliberations don't seem to be going their way. Penny's team also said that this was effectively coercing the jury or illegally pressuring them for a guilty verdict. Now, according to jury instructions, if the jury finds Penny not guilty of manslaughter because the state was unable to prove that his actions weren't justified, they also have to find Penny not guilty on count two,

rendering a full acquittal. Now, some legal commentators view the dismissal request as an attempt by the state to put this case on life support, to try to squeeze out a conviction on the lesser charge instead of ending up with a full acquittal or possibly a hung jury. So if the jury does end up, coming back with a guilty verdict on that lower charge, you can bet the defense will be firing off an appeal very quickly.

So even more controversy around this case now. And as we've reported, it's already become a political lightning rod for a host of reasons, even sparked protests outside the courthouse during the trial. What's the mood about this case in New York City? Well, there have been a dozen or so racial activist protesters who've screamed things like murderer and guilty at Penny as he's walked into court. We saw a push early on in the media, and then by the prosecution during the trial to make this case about race since Penny is white and Neely Black,

though we should underscore that there's no evidence of that at all. But there are supporters of pennies outside the courthouse too. Increasing crime from repeat offenders, especially on the subway, and the mental health crisis have become unavoidable and overwhelming for a lot of New Yorkers.

And it seems to be a big reason for why the city shifted to the right in the last election. In fact, here's Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a recent interview praising Penny for protecting other passengers. Now, we're on the subway where we're hearing someone talking about hurting people, killing people. You have someone on that subway who was responding, doing what we should have done as a city and the state.

Those passengers were afraid. It's also noteworthy that the state has conceded that Penny was right to step in and try to protect fellow passengers from Neely initially. They really couldn't get around that. Instead, they're arguing that Penny went too far and was reckless about restraining Neely, ultimately resulting in his death. Okay, so the jury will be back at it today and only deliberating on that lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. That's right. We'll see if today brings any new twist. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

You're welcome. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.