Morning Wire - Government Shutdown Battle & FTC Sues Amazon | Afternoon Update | 9.26.23

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

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I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Tuesday, September 26th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. As the potential government shutdown looms over Congress, lawmakers are scrambling to keep things up and running. The House is expected to vote this evening on a package of bills that fund parts of the government, but it remains unclear if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has the support needed to get it passed. Several House Republicans are threatening to remove McCarthy from his post if he opts for across-the-isle support to pass. a stopgap measure or continuing resolution to keep the government open. They want instead a more long-term option. Meanwhile, the Senate is working to create its own bipartisan stopgap resolution,

but have had trouble agreeing on some clauses that would recommend more funding for Ukraine. Republican Congressman Mark Molinaro of New York tells CNN he's optimistic about negotiations. I think we're moving the needle. The goal here has been to try to move a package of appropriations bills that show that we respect taxpayers that we can't continue to spend dollars we don't have, borrow away future generations, and at the same time confront our border security. Meanwhile, President Biden blames Republicans for the delay. Funding the government is one of those basic responsibilities of Congress. And it's time for the Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do. Let's get this done.

Former President Donald Trump, who is currently leading the GOP primary, is calling for House Republicans to let the government shut down. The FTC, along with 17 state attorneys general, are suing Amazon. They're accusing the global marketplace of overinflating prices on other platforms and overcharging sellers and competition. Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips, says more. The suit was filed today following a year's long investigation into Amazon's business affiliates. It's one of the biggest legal challenges the company has faced in its history. According to a news release, the FTC in participating states that joined the lawsuit, are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction. That move would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its alleged unlawful conduct and loosen the company's grip

on the market, which they say would allow other companies to compete. Legal experts had wondered if the FTC would seek a forced breakup of Amazon, which is dominant across many sectors and growing in others. Former FTC Commissioner Moselle Thompson told CNBC the argument against Amazon may be more difficult than officials think. I think they're going to have to say that because Amazon has such a dominant presence in the marketplace that consumers don't actually get to see any competition or any alternatives. And I think that that's going to be the real challenge to say that there's a potential benefit that consumers aren't getting versus the actual benefit consumers are getting. Hunter Biden is suing Rudy Giuliani and his former attorney Robert Costello,

alleging that the two wrongly accessed and shared data from his laptop after they obtained it from an owner of a Delaware computer repair shop. The lawsuit, which was filed today, accuses Giuliani and Costello of spending years tampering with and manipulating data, leading to the total annihilation of Biden's digital privacy. The suit also suggests Biden's data was manipulated, altered, and damaged before it was sent to Giuliani and Costello

and has been further altered since then. In an apparently historic move, President Joe Biden traveled to Michigan today where he joined United Auto Workers' Strikers on their picket line as their strike hit day 12. The pro-union president encouraged them to continue fighting for better wages despite concerns that a prolonged strike could damage the economy, telling them stick with it.

UAW, you saved the automobile industry back in 2008 and before. Made a lot of sacrifices. Gave up a lot, and the companies were in trouble. Now they're doing incredibly well. And guess what? You should be doing incredibly well, too. Stick with it because you deserve the significant raise you need and other benefits. Labor historians believe there are no other instances when a sitting president has joined an ongoing strike,

even during the tenures of more pro-union presidents like FDR and Harry Truman. Biden arrived one day before former President Donald Trump is expected to hold his own event with the union workers. J.P. Morgan Chase has agreed to pay $75 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle close. claims that the bank helped financier Jeffrey Epstein commit sex trafficking acts. Daily Wire's senior editor, Joel Needler, has more. J.P. Morgan said today that $55 million of the settlement will go to local charities that provide assistance to domestic abuse and trafficking victims. The bank also said that some of that money will go towards local law enforcement in hopes of upping their capabilities, as well as mental

health services for Epstein survivors. The Virgin Islands has also argued that J.P. Morgan had been complicit in Epstein's behavior and did not raise any red flags to law enforcement or bank regulators. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill yesterday to ban school boards from rejecting textbooks based on their teachings. This includes and mainly pertains to subjects of race,

sexual orientation, and gender. Newsom called the measure long overdue. The bill takes effect immediately. And following the dating rumors of Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelsey, jersey sales for the tight end have jumped nearly 400%. All right, 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 our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.