Morning Wire - Manhattan DA Under Fire & Griner Pleads Guilty | 7.9.22

Episode Date: July 9, 2022

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg criticized for prosecuting grocery clerk, WNBA player Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug possession, and new ESG reporting could adversely affect credit unions. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Increased violence and soft-on-crime policies are fueling outrage at Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. Now Bragg is facing calls to resign over his decision to bring murder charges against a convenience store clerk who says he stabbed his attacker in self-defense. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's July 9th, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire. WNBA player Brittany Greiner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court this week. We have the latest on her case and her letter to President Biden. And credit unions are a staple of small town USA, but now Congress is imposing new ESG rules that may cripple their industry. Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.

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Just go to Indeed.com slash wire. Indeed.com slash wire, terms and conditions apply. Need to hire, you need Indeed. Manhattan, DA, Alvin Bragg came under fire this week after his decision to charge a bodega clerk with murder. After the clerk fended off an attacker with a box cutter. Despite significant outcry from the community, the clerk was held at Riker's prison for a week before his family was able to postpone. Jose Alba had reportedly worked in bodegas for more than 30 years in his Harlem neighborhood and became a U.S. citizen 14 years ago. Here to discuss the case is Daily Wire Senior Editor Ash Short.

So, Ash, first off, what exactly happened here? So 62-year-old Jose Alba was working his bodega on July 1 when a woman came in and tried to buy a bag of chips for her, 10-year-old daughter. The woman's EBT card was declined, and the woman claimed Alba snatched the chips from her daughter. To retaliate, she knocked over items on the counter and went to get her boyfriend, 34-year-old Austin Simon. Simon returned to the store with her, stormed behind the counter, and shoved Alba. Surveillance footage shows Simon berating Alba, shoving him into a wall. Alba falls backwards and lands in a chair. Throughout most of the encounter, Simon is standing over Alba, who remains passive in that chair. All of this is happening in a very small space behind the

counter. When Alba stands up and attempts to walk past Simon to exit the space, Simon grabs him from behind. Alba then swings an arm around and manages to slash at Simon's neck with a box cutter in his hand. The two men struggle out of frame. At some point during the fight, Simon's girlfriend also allegedly stabbed Alba in the shoulder. However, unlike Alba, she has not been charged. Simon died later of his injuries at the hospital. Alba reportedly stabbed Simon five times. So if there is surveillance footage showing self-defense, why was he being held at Rikers? That's unclear. He's being prosecuted by controversial Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who requested $500,000 bail for Alba. Keep in mind, Alba immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican

Republic more than 30 years ago and has no criminal history. Alba's bail was in initially reduced by the judge to $250,000, which his family couldn't afford. But on Thursday, the judge further reduced the clerk's bail to $50,000, which only needed a $5,000 bond promptly paid by his family. Alba has to wear a monitoring device and can only travel within the five New York boroughs. He's due back in court July 20th. Now, what's interesting is DA Alvin Bragg is notorious for reducing charges and setting very low bails. So why is he coming down so hard on Alba? Again, we just don't know. New York's bail reform

law and policies have allowed violent offenders to be released to the streets. And Bragg has been known to routinely reduce felony charges to misdemeanors. But for some reason, Alba, who again has no criminal history, is getting the book thrown at him, even though video shows he acted in self-defense. In court, prosecutors argued that Alba was a flight risk because he already had a plan trip to the Dominican Republic coming up. Bragg has said in a statement that his office is still reviewing the evidence and that the investigation is ongoing. Still, Alba faces a grand jury indictment. One fact that may help the clerk is that Simon, the younger man who initially attacked Alba, has a lengthy criminal history and had recently been released on parole from prison

for a previous violent attack. That's actually part of the reason this story is getting so much coverage. Critics of the DA say Bragg has a soft spot for criminals like Simon and that in this case that's working against Alba. As the New York Post put it on Thursday, quote, what Alvin Bragg is practicing isn't justice, it's madness. Police are villains, criminals are heroes, and victims are told to accept their fate, end quote. New York Mayor Eric Adams came to the defense of Alba, calling him a hardworking, innocent New Yorker, but he declined to weigh in on the charges. Well, we're definitely going to be following this case. Ash, thanks for reporting. You're welcome. That's Daily Wire senior editor, Ash Short. Coming up, WNBA star Brittany Griner pleads guilty in Russian court. You can get this show

and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. Even if you're not a Daily Wire member, you'll be the first to know what's trending with mobile notifications for the latest news, and you'll get content from all of your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you. WNBA Center, Brittany Griner, who has been detained in Moscow since February, pleaded guilty Thursday to bringing a cannabis product into Russia. Here to tell us more, a sports reporter and Craning Company co-host David Cohn. Hi, David. So there have been many developments this week in Brittany Griner's felony trial. What is the status of her detention? So Britney Griner's trial

began last Friday, but the big news came Thursday during her second day and court when she pleaded guilty to the charges of bringing hashish oil into Russia. Griner told the judge, I'd like to plead guilty, Your Honor, but there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law. Keep in mind, John, this comes just days after Griner pinned a letter directly to President Biden, imploring him to assist in her release. Right, that letter really drew a lot of attention to the case. Was the full letter made public? Portions were made public by both Griner's family and the administration. She began that letter by saying, quote, as I sit here in Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic Jersey, or any accomplishments,

I'm terrified. I might be here forever. I realize you, talking about President Biden, are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020, and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I'm grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home." Unquote. Now, remember, John, Griner is facing 10 years in Russian prison if convicted for drug smuggling. The Russian prosecutor in this case accused Griner of transporting a quote-unquote significant amount of hashish oil and then cited that quantity at 0.702 grams, which is about two hundreds of an ounce. That doesn't sound like a significant amount.

Now, there was another letter sent to Biden this week. Tell us about that. Yes. When with black women, which is a group that describes itself as intergenerational and intersectional, penned a letter that was signed by 1,200 black women, including Bernice King, Martin Luther King's daughter, demanding the Biden administration do more to fight for Brittany Griner's freedom. Now, President Biden has not commented publicly on these letters, but he has been in contact with Griner's wife, assuring her he is doing all he can to secure the athlete's release.

Now, with Griner pleading guilty, what does this mean for the possibility of her release? So the guilty plea is not expected to end her trial. In fact, the judge will continue to read the full case file into the record, and this could continue for weeks or months. Now, several sources continue to believe this guilty plea by Griner is part of a larger strategy to help expedite a prisoner swap, most likely with convicted, arms dealer Victor Bout, and that any release of Griner would first require an admission of guilt from her. As for what comes next, the third court hearing was scheduled for July 14th, but Griner has asked the judge for, quote, unquote, more time to prepare her testimony. I will say, as for the state of Griner's imprisonment, one of her attorney stated the WMBA

star has no complaints over the conditions of her detention. Okay, well, that's certainly good to hear. Thank you, David, for that report. Thank you. That was sports reporter and co-host of Craning Company, David Cohn. Credit unions are a pillar of small-town USA, offering low-cost loans to members to buy homes and start businesses. The U.S. House just passed a bill that would require credit unions to report ESG or environmental social governance metrics, which some critics say would mean higher costs for middle-class borrowers.

Here to discuss is Kerry Sheffield, senior policy analyst at Independent Women's Voice. So, Kerry, first off, what is a credit union and how is it different from a bank? Thanks for having me, Georgia. Credit unions are non-profit organizations that offer many of the same services as a bank, but they're able to do so at a lower cost because they don't take a profit. They're typically run in a cooperative fashion by members of a tight-knit group. For example, you might see a police credit union or a firefighter credit union. Sometimes they're affiliated with a religious group.

The goal of the credit union is to get their members the best price possible on the things like loans. Okay, so this new bill would require these credit unions to self-report a variety of metrics so they can be graded on ESG criteria. Now, why are some members in Congress making this a priority right now? Well, this new move is part of a bigger ESG push to incorporate certain social goals, racial quotas, for example, into business practices. Supporters say these goals help improve life for the underprivileged, particularly LGBT people, racial minorities, and women. So, for example, these credit unions may soon be required to report sexual orientation or gender identity data on customers and members. The purported idea behind that is that it would expose discrimination if it's happening and encourage organizations to become more diverse.

On June 15th, the U.S. House passed the Financial Services, Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Economic Justice Act, and now the bill moves on to the Senate. House Majority Leader Sini Hoyer and Maryland Democrats said the bill would reduce discrimination against LGBT people, and make sure that minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs can access capital fairly and equitably. This bill, which would further regulate the $2 trillion credit union market, was endorsed by the National Bankers Association. It describes itself as the voice of minority banking since 1927. So what's the response been from the credit union industry? Well, there's been some pushback. Critics within this community say that ESG rules undermine free market capitalism by imposing liberal-leaning social goals.

Green energy mandates are one example. They say these mandates end up backfiring and hurting the very people intended to help. While the industry says it can do better at notes, for example, how the Credit Union Times reported that credit unions already serve more African Americans than traditional banks proportional to the population, 17% of credit union clientele are African American, compared with 12.8% for banks. Keep in mind that African Americans make up 13.4% of the U.S. population, so they're actually disproportionately supported by the credit unions even without these measures. A study from the Credit Union National Association also found that credit unions tend to cluster more of their branches in low-income areas compared to traditional bigger banks which focus on higher-income areas.

Brad Thaler, the Vice President of Legislative Affairs at the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi outlining concerns. According to Thaler, the bill increases dating, reporting, burden, and disclosure requirements on credit unions. Thaler also said that under the bill, these provisions may prove counterproductive to the goal of increasing access to capital for minority customers because these institutions would be forced to spend resources on compliance rather than passing the savings on to their members. Now, it was a close vote in the House of 215 to 207, and we'll see if the Senate picks it up from here. All right. Well, definitely a story to keep watching. Carrie, thanks. Thank you.

That was Kerry Sheffield, senior policy analyst at Independent Women's Voice. Other stories were tracking this week. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shenzhou Abe was pronounced dead Friday morning after an assassin fired two shots using a handmade gun at a campaign event on Thursday. The gunman was immediately tackled and taken into custody. Actor James Kahn, who played Sunny Corleone and the Godfather, died on Wednesday at age 82. Theranos ex-president Sunny Balwani was found guilty Thursday on 12 charges. of fraud at the multi-billion dollar blood testing company.

Rafael Nadal, who was seeking his third title, suddenly withdrew from the Wimbledon tennis tournament due to a torn abdominal muscle. And the Biden administration communications director, Kate Beddingfield, will step down this summer before midterm elections. She has worked with Biden since he was vice president. Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.

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