Morning Wire - SoCal Wildfire Outrage & Biden’s Prohibition 2.0 | 1.10.25

Episode Date: January 10, 2025

California reels as the worst fires continue to grow, TikTok argues before SCOTUS as time is running out for the social app, and is the Biden administration trying to stop you from drinking and smoking? Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Balance of Nature: Go to https://balanceofnature.com and use promo code WIRE for an exclusive offer! Black Rifle Coffee: Get 20% off your first order or Coffee Club subscription with code DAILYWIRE: https://www.blackriflecoffee.com Shopify: Go to https://Shopify.com/morningwire to start selling with Shopify today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

California reels as the worst fires in L.A.'s history continue to rage out of control. How are officials handling the containment efforts and the threat of looting? These acts are despicable, and we will prosecute them with maximal punishment. I'm Daily Wire, editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, January 10th, and this is Morning Wire. The Supreme Court refuses to intervene in Donald Trump's New York hush money sentencing, and here's a case that will determine the survival of social media app TikTok. And is the Biden administration trying to ban cigarettes and alcohol?

We discuss what some are calling Prohibition 2.0. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Hey guys, producer Brandon here. Balance of Nature, fruits, and veggies provide a convenient way to get your daily whole fruits and vegetables. Using a special freeze drying process, they transform fresh produce into easy-to-take capsules that you can bring anywhere. While not replacing your healthy diet, Balance of Nature works alongside your other healthy habits to support your wellness journey.

I take these capsules whenever I'm traveling to ensure I get my daily fruits and veggies. Head over to Balance of Nature.com and use promo code Wire for 35% off your first order as a preferred customer, plus get a free bottle of fiber and spice. That's Balance of Nature.com promo code wire. As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, displacing tens of thousands, outrage against city officials and lawmakers is growing. Here to break it all down is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips Cabot. So these fires keep raging and the devastation's unthinkable. What's the latest from Los Angeles? Yeah, by now, everyone has seen the horrifying images coming out of Los Angeles.

Just sheer devastation. More than 28,000 acres have burned. Thousands of homes and businesses have been leveled. And more than 100,000 folks have been forced to evacuate. By Thursday, the death toll was at five, but those numbers are certain to rise. First responders have been so overwhelmed by the task of fighting back the fires. They've hardly even begun the grim process of recovering and identifying those who did not escape. And beyond that terrible loss of life, from a financial perspective, this will almost certainly be the costliest set of wildfires in U.S. history.

Analysts from J.P. Morgan estimate that total losses will be close to $50 billion. That would be nearly five times more costly than any other blaze. The previous record holder was the campfire back in 2018. That cost $12 billion. And to make matters worse, the Wall Street Journal estimates that less than half of the property damage will be covered by insurance. So a long road to recovery in more ways than one. Yeah, and that recovery effort can't even begin yet because the fires have yet to be contained. Exactly.

While firefighters were able to contain the smaller Woodley and Tyler fires, as well as a smaller blaze that erupted in the Hollywood Hills Wednesday night, By Thursday, the two largest fires, Palisades and Eaton, were zero percent contained. Now, thankfully, those strong Santa Ana Winsk, which peaked at 100 miles per hour, and it really fed the flames, dissipated a bit on Thursday, offering fire crews a brief respite, but they're expected to pick back up by Saturday. So officials are racing to make a dent in the existing fires before then. In the meantime, first responders are still contending not just with the flames, but also with looters. Fire officials urged evacuating residents to leave their houses unlocked with gates and doors open so crews could gain access.

And sadly, that's left opportunities for criminals taking advantage of this tragedy. At latest count, at least 20 looters had been arrested, but far more cases have been reported. As helpless folks watched on security cameras, as looters ransacked their homes before police could arrive. Now, just unthinkable to take advantage amid tragedy like this. So what do we know about the cause of these fires? Well, officials say they still don't know the answer to that question, but they certainly believe arson could be a play, particularly in the massive palisades fire. More than a dozen arson investigators, many with specially trained dogs, are combing through that area where the fire first broke out. They're looking for signs of accelerants, fireworks, electrical damage, or even lightning.

Now, all of this comes amid increased scrutiny on policies that critics say have made these fires harder to prevent and fight. Tell us about that. Right, so California residents have long said that policies meant to protect the environment have actually made the state more susceptible to wildfires. For example, fire departments have historically conducted controlled burns to clear out flammable underbrush, but new environmental reviews have slowed that process greatly. It now takes around four years for controlled burn requests to be approved and get through all the red tape. Others point to the fact that reservoirs often used by fire crews in L.A. were low or even completely empty in the days leading up to the fire. As we noted yesterday, critics, including President Trump, blame Governor Gavin Newsom, who last year allowed billions of gallons of rainwater and snow melt to be directed out of reservoirs and into the ocean. Well, it's very sad because I've been trying to get Gavin Newsom to allow water to cover.

You'd have tremendous water. And they sent it out to the Pacific. And while Republicans have been among the U.S.S. and while Republicans have been among the U.S. and they've been, the most vocal critics of Governor Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. We've also seen plenty of outrage from more than a few Democrats in the state, who say the pair failed to properly prepare for these wildfires, left L.A. vulnerable. We'll see just how much that pressure ramps up in the coming weeks. It's already had fever pitch at this point. Kevin, thanks so much for reporting.

Anytime. Hey, guys, producer Brandon here. Black Rifle Coffee helps you wake up each morning, feeling dialed in and ready to make the most of your day. And now's your chance to get 20% off your purchase using code DailyWall. wire at black rifle coffee.com. All of their explosive coffees are roasted right here in the USA by a veteran-led team of expert roasters obsessed with crafting the perfect cup of coffee. Every black rifle purchase gives back to those who serve our nation. Your support makes it possible for Black Rifle Coffee Company to help provide funding, training, and equipment to our nation's

military and first responders. Head over to their site now for 20% off your purchase with Code Daily Wire. The case that will decide TikTok's fate in the U.S. lands at the Supreme Court today. It's a moment that comes just after the court decided against a Trump appeal. Here with the details is Daily Wire Culture Reporter, Megan Basham. So, Megan, before we get to TikTok, the Supreme Court last night refused to intervene in Donald Trump's hush money sentencing. What are the details of last night's decision? So Donald Trump's attorneys made an 11th hour bid to the Supreme Court hoping that they would delay that sentencing in his hush money case. Instead, what happened in a five to four decision,

the justices rejected his request for an automatic stay, and Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney-Barritt joined the liberal justices in denying Trump's appeal. So what that does is it clears the way for today's sentencing by Judge Juan Mershahn. Now, Mershawin has indicated that he will not make jail time part of the punishment, and that did factor into the Supreme Court's decision not to issue a stay on the sentencing. They said that the sentencing wasn't burdensome enough to stay, and that Trump's arguments against the verdict could be heard in the regular appeals process.

So this is not over yet. Okay, so turning to today's Supreme Court docket, that's the fate of social media giant TikTok, this case has been a long time coming, and about 150 million Americans use TikTok. They may not be able to access it past January 19th, which is just about a week from now. What are the legal arguments for banning TikTok? So what this case really comes down to is national security versus free speech. You have on one side a lot of Republicans, including FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, and the attorneys general of 22 states who have backed the law that will require this ban to go into effect next week

if Bight Dance doesn't sell its American holdings in the company. Now, they argue that Tick-Tock poses a threat because of BightDances ties to China, given that Chinese business law allows the CCP to harvest the data of Americans, including location, browsing habits, personal details, things like that. And that kind of spying could be used to blackmail American officials, just one example of the national security risks. So they're also concerned about how the app's algorithm could be used to promote Chinese propaganda to American users. In fact, two different academic studies have found that TikTok has done exactly. this. For example, one found that the app suppressed negative news related to Chinese treatment of

the Uyghurs, and it promoted content that denied its human rights abuses. So in essence, the Justice Department is arguing that this law is not targeting speech, but only foreign control of the platform. But on the other side, TikTok is asking the court to block the law because they say it's a violation of free speech. So one, they argue the law is only being applied to TikTok and not to other businesses that also have Chinese-owned parent companies. And the government has never banned a communication tool like this with this many users before. So they say it would set a precedent with unforeseen speech consequences. And then they deny that there's evidence that the app has been used for spying or propaganda. Now, it's worth noting the D.C. Court of Appeals didn't buy

TikTok's argument, it found that the government does have a national security interest in preventing foreign spying through the app. Now, Donald Trump famously spearheaded the idea of banning TikTok back in around 2019, but he's since changed his tune on that. What's he saying now? Yeah, he has. He's now taking the position that the ban is going to unfairly benefit TikTok competitors like Facebook, and he also agrees that it could set a bad precedent that would cause issues for other foreign companies operating on U.S. soil. And he pointed out last month that the app helped him win over a lot of young voters. You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points. There are those that say that TikTok had something to do with that. So he's filed an amicus

brief asking the court not to uphold the law so that he can instead negotiate a solution. But other GOP leaders feel differently. And we do have to remember that this law passed with strong bipartisan support back in April. Now, any chance that a last-minute sale goes through and it makes this whole case moot? It could, yes. So Canadian business mogul, Kevin O'Leary, who a lot of listeners might know as the judge on the show Shark Tank, well, he said he's trying to close a last-minute deal to buy it. And this was what he told Fox News on Thursday.

I wanted to let Trump know as well as others in his cabinet that we're doing this, and we're going to need their help. Well, a lot of split opinions on this. Megan, thanks for reporting. Anytime. With just days left in his term, Joe Biden is trying to push through what may be his least popular policy yet, a cigarette ban. And that's just the tip of the regulatory iceberg. Daily Wire Deputy Managing editor Tim Rice is here with a look at what some people are calling Prohibition 2.0. Hey, hey, Tim. So walk us through what's going on here.

You know, John, in a way, this is kind of a full circle moment for Biden. Just three months into his term, he proposed banning menthol cigarettes. That was immediately unpopular, and the White House actually shelved the plan this past August out of fear that it would specifically alienate black voters. But now that the election is already lost, Biden's plugging ahead. The proposed rule isn't technically a ban, but a move to lower nicotine levels and cigarettes. Obviously, this is a bid to get Americans to smoke less, but critics say it would actually have the opposite effect, since people would just smoke more cigarettes to hit their nicotine baseline.

There are also concerns that the rule would fuel a black market for cigarettes, which could empower the cartels already flooding the country with drugs. The good news here is that the final decision to implement this rule will land with the Trump administration, which likely isn't going to go through with it. Right. Now, cigarettes are not all the White House is trying to ban or reduce, correct? Yeah, that's right. Listeners may have noticed a lot of anti-alcohol content circulating recently, more than the usual dry January ads. A lot of that has to do with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's new advice. outlining the direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. Murthy wants there to be health warnings on all alcohol products that mention cancer risk, just like those that we have on cigarettes.

And he wants there to be, quote, a reassessment of the guideline limits for alcohol consumption to account for cancer risk. So warning labels and tightening the limits, I presume. Is this just another thing that the Trump administration can eventually kill, or is there something else going on here? It's a little different. For one thing, Congress would have to vote to put new ones. warning labels on alcohol, and members from both parties have already signaled that they're not

going to do that. But the more important part is Murthy's second recommendation, that reassessment of alcohol consumption guidelines. Murphy didn't just suggest this out of the blue. There's actually a kind of shady committee working deep within the Biden administration drafting new guidance, which, if adopted, would recommend that Americans never drink ever. It's called the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, and, as

its name suggests, it's technically supposed to focus on, you know, underage drinking. But the Biden administration has charged it with updating the federal dietary guidelines for alcohol. Currently, the government defines moderate drinking as two daily drinks or less for men and one for women. But sources say this committee wants to adopt the World Health Organization's position on drinking. That 2023 declaration, no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health. We'll have to see what happens. But until then, maybe think about stocking up on your favorite beer. Tim, thanks for reporting. You bet.

Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know. What's the secret sauce behind wildly successful businesses? It's not just great products or brilliant marketing. It's the unsung hero, the business behind the business. For millions of entrepreneurs, that hero is Shopify. They'll help with details like shipping, taxes, and payments, all from one single dashboard, allowing you to focus in on the important stuff like growing your business.

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