Morning Wire - Robert Hur Testifies & Inflation Ticks Up | Afternoon Update | 3.12.24

Episode Date: March 12, 2024

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This episode is brought to you by Birch Gold Group. Diversify your savings with Birch Gold. Their experts can help you turn your 401k into a 401k in gold. Just text Wire to 989898 today. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, March 12th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. Robert Her, the special counsel who led the investigation into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, testified today before the House Judiciary Committee.

In his opening statement, He said that he and his team conducted the investigation, like all the other work he's done for the DOJ, quote, fairly, thoroughly, and professionally. He also defended his decision to consider the president's state of mind and memory in the report, noting there were several things Biden could not remember. We interviewed the president and asked him about his recorded statement.

Quote, I just found all the classified stuff downstairs, end quote. He told us that he didn't remember saying that to his ghostwriter. He also said he didn't remember finding any classified material in his home after his vice presidency. And he didn't remember anything about how classified documents about Afghanistan made their way into his garage. The White House has pushed back against her's report, while Democrats have attempted to liken it to former President Trump's handling of classified materials. Here's a tense back and forth between her and Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California.

You've written your report with comments about his specific recollection as to documents or a set of documents, but you chose a general pejorative reference to the president. You understood when you made that decision, didn't you, Mr. Hur, that you would ignite a political firestorm with that language, didn't you? Congressman, politics played no part whatsoever in my investigative steps. You understood nevertheless. The words that I put in my report. You cannot tell me you're so naive as to think your words would not have created. a political firestorm. You understood that, didn't you when you wrote those words?

What you were suggesting is that I needed to provide a different version of my report that would be fit for public release. That is nowhere in the rules. I was to prepare a confidential report that was comprehensive and thorough. The transcript of hers five-hour interview with Biden is now public. It appears to show memory lapses as well as detailed exchanges. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed her as special counsel to investigate the matter. Her previously was a U.S. attorney for Maryland during the Trump administration. The U.S. announced today it will send $300 million worth of weapons to Ukraine. According to the Pentagon, the Ukraine aid was put together with money that was saved from other Army contracts that came in below cost.

The aid package will include defense interceptors, artillery rounds, and armor systems. It's the first Ukraine security package since December when the Pentagon said it was out of replenishment money. It was recently acknowledged that at the time, they weren't just out of funds, but $10 billion over budget. The core consumer price index rose to a higher than expected 3.8% year over year, a sign that efforts from the Fed to lower inflation have struck a rough patch. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, both the CPI and core CPI were 0.1% higher than expected. BLS data shows food prices have risen over 2% year over year, while energy prices rose 2.3%. Managing Director of Case Capital Partners, Kenny Polkari, says this will force the Fed to reconsider rumored rate cuts until at least summer.

That suggests that inflation remains sticky. That suggests that the Fed is having a hard time bringing inflation down and that rates are not restrictive enough, maybe, or that race should stay exactly where they are and not. be lowered the way, you know, a number of people on the street are screaming and yelling about that to think rates are too high, that it's restricting the economy. What this report shows is that, in fact, they're not restrictive enough because inflation is rearing its ugly head. Housing prices still remain high as well, rising nearly 5.7% year over year. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com

slash morning wire. That's shopify.com slash morning wire. An annual assessment of worldwide threats from U.S. intelligence says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to stay in power may be in jeopardy. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest. The report suggests that a more moderate government could succeed Netanyahu's government. It also questioned the Jewish state's goal of destroying Hamas, saying the country will most likely face a grueling, years-long fight against the terrorist group. The report also cast doubt on Netanyahu's ability to rule, saying distrust has deepened and

broadened across the public and protests demanding his resignation are expected. The assessment comes amid growing tensions between the Biden administration and the Israeli government, with the White House expressing concern over civilian deaths in Gaza, though the numbers have not been officially verified. Three of America's biggest adversaries held joint naval drills near the Persian Gulf. China, Iran, and Russia sent over 20 ships, support boats, and combat vessels into the Gulf of Oman. Footage of the drills named Marine Security Bells. 2004 aired on Chinese state television and appeared in a Russian video. A report by Iranian state television quoted the drill's spokesperson saying that the drill, which was the fourth between the

nations since 2019, was also meant to build relations between the countries. Iran has stepped up its military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow in response to tension with the U.S. Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henri announced he will resign last night, leaving the country in the hands of a yet to be established government council. The country has been in total disarray for about a week after 5,000 prison inmates escaped confinement in a coordinated gang effort, leading to extreme violence in the country's capital of Porta Prince.

The U.S. airlifted all non-essential personnel from the American embassy yesterday. And a Boeing whistleblower who filed a complaint over safety concerns was found dead on Monday. Officials say the former quality inspector appears to have died from a self-inflicted wound. 62-year-old John Barnett had a long career at the aircraft manufacturer and sounded the alarm with aviation authorities in 2017.

In a statement from his family, they said he tried to shine a light on serious concerns but was met with a culture of concealment that valued profits over safety. This comes as U.S. air safety regulators found dozens of problems at several Boeing facilities during a six-week audit on production of the 737 Max jet. Here's FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. We're working with Boeing and demanding that they come up with a very detailed plan within the next 90 days to fix the quality issues that are out there. The FAA started the probe after a door panel blew off a 737 max 9 flight on Alaska Airlines in early January.

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 late. latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.