Morning Wire - DuckDuckGo Antitrust Case & US Obesity Deaths | Friday Afternoon | 9.22.23

Episode Date: September 22, 2023

Developing stories you need to know just in time for your drive home. Get the facts first on Morning Wire.Genucel: Exclusive discount for our listeners! https://genucel.com/WIRE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Friday, September 22nd, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. In what could be the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter of a century, founder of Duck Duck Go, Gabriel Weinberg, testified Thursday that it was hard for his small search engine company to compete with Google. Weinberg brought up the deals made by the powerhouse company with phone companies and equipment manufacturers to make Google the default search option on so many devices. The DOJ argues that Google has pulled far ahead of competition by paying companies such as Apple and Verizon to make their search engine the default.

Google argues that the reason for their internet domination is that their product is simply better. New York Republicans are suing Democrat Governor Kathy Hokel and the state of New York over a new law that expands early mail-in voting ahead of the 2024 election. House GOP chair Elise Stefonic and a handful of others, including some from the state's congressional delegation, sued Hokel and the state of New York Wednesday over the recently signed early mail voter act. The Republican coalition says the bill removes basic safeguards on absentee voting and allows unregulated mass mail ballots violating the state constitution. The law is part of a new legislative package that Hockel billed as working to, quote, strengthen democracy and protect voting rights in New York State.

Here's Hockel talking about the bill. Because voting to me and to the state is precious. It is sacred. And every one of us has a responsibility to expand it, to make it more available. So if you don't want to expand the right to vote, here's where you fall. You can either be on the side of democracy or against democracy. This week, Disney announced plans to spend $60 billion on parks and cruise lines over the next few years. The announcement comes after a string of box office flops.

The company's entertainment and streaming services have reportedly lost billions over the past few years. years. Texas Governor Greg Abbott this week accused the Biden administration of cutting razor wire that the Lone Star State had installed an Eagle Pass. The comments were made as Texas officials continued to spar with the White House over the migrant crisis at the southern border. Abbot said he immediately deployed more Texas National Guard to repel illegal crossings and install more razor wire. In July, the Department of Justice sued Texas for installing a buoy barrier, which was designed to curb illegal immigration on the Rio Grande. The barrier was developed as part of Abbott's Operation Lone Star.

The number of Americans killed by obesity-related heart disease has tripled over the last few decades. That's according to the American Heart Association. In 1999, obesity-related heart disease killed 2.2 people per 100,000 each year. By 2020, that figure has risen to 6.6. More than 115 Americans are obese, including 42. percent of adults and 20 percent of children. A Colorado woman walking her dog on a rocky mountain trail was head-butted and stomped on by a moose this week after spooking the animal. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the woman was hospitalized, but no other information on the woman's injuries or condition has been given.

The attack happened just west of Boulder and was the third such incident in the county this year. Kara Von Hoos, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, tells Fox 31, that, that the public needs to stay vigilant when hiking. Boulder County is definitely a good moose habitat. You've got all of those streams and low-lying waterways. You have willow trees that moose love to eat. So whenever you're hiking in these beautiful areas, you may not be alone.

There may be a moose just around the corner. Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.