Morning Wire - Trump’s Jury Uncertainty & Biden’s EV Struggles | 5.30.24

Episode Date: May 30, 2024

Trump's hush money case rests in the hands of the jury, Biden’s electric vehicle efforts yield little to no results, and California backtracks on a planned minimum wage hike. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Birch Gold: Text "WIRE" to 989898 for your no-cost, no-obligation information kit. Done with Debt: Learn more at http://www.DonewithDebt.com Black Rifle Coffee: Drink America's coffee at https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Donald Trump hush money case is still in the hands of the jury. What evidence did the jury request to review? And why are the judge's instructions getting blasted by legal analysts? If they can't agree on that, that by definition should be reasonable doubt. Yet the judge is telling them they can convict. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with guest host Michelle Tofoya, host of the Michelle Tofoya podcast. It's Thursday, May 30th, and this is Morning Wire.

President Biden has made jumps starting the EV market a major priority, but so far a $7 billion investment has come up empty. We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars subsidizing a car that nobody wants and nobody's ever going to buy. He's not wrong on the purchasing. He's not. And as California faces a massive budget deficit, its Democrat governor and legislature are backtracking on a planned minimum wage hike

for health care workers. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Can your savings weather another economic storm? Think about what you've put away for the future. Inflation can render cash worthless, plus who can forget the real estate crash of 2008? Birchgold understands the difficulty of navigating financial decisions. If you're considering converting an existing retirement account into a precious metals IRA,

their dedicated in-house IRA department guides you every step of the way, making the process feel as simple as they walk in the park. Text wire to 989-98-98 to talk to one of Birchgold's ex-exam. experts and claim your free info kit on gold. That's wire to 989898 today. Donald Trump's fate now lies squarely in the hands of a Manhattan jury in the unprecedented trial of the former president of the United States after almost four hours of deliberation on Wednesday. The day in court began with Judge Juan Mershon giving his instructions to jurors, including the controversial charge that they can convict Trump without agreeing on the underlying

crime. Here to talk about the state of play as 12 New Yorkers wrestle with the outcome as Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. Hey, Dave. So let's start with Mershan's instructions. What were jurors told? Morning, John. The heavily criticized instructions took about an hour and a half and were basically along the lines of what legal experts were anticipating from Mershahn. That includes some very standard language he was mandated to use, making clear that Trump has the presumption of innocence. and importantly, that his own choice not to testify cannot be used to impugn any guilt on his part. They were also told that if they thought any witness, cough, cough, Michael Cohen had lied to them, they were free to disregard all of his testimony.

Notably, in New York, the jurors are not given a physical copy of the charging instructions. So if they need clarification, they have to send a note to the judge, which had already happened Wednesday afternoon. Right. So after about two hours of deliberation, they did send a note asking for a few things. What did they ask for? And what does it tell us about their thinking? Well, that's interesting. They asked to review testimony from David Pecker, the first witness, if you can remember back that far, apparently the jury couldn't, who worked for AMI, which owns the National Enquirer and who was involved in killing the Karen McDougal story about her alleged affair with Trump. They also wanted his and Michael Cullen's testimony about

meeting in Trump Tower that the prosecution alleges was the birthplace of the conspiracy they say occurred to influence the election. It's possible that they're just starting from the top of the trial and need their memory refreshed. It could also mean that they're entertaining the election interference theory instead of just deciding there was no bookkeeping crime. It could also be almost anything in the world. So they also wanted to hear back some of that jury instruction that took so long. This came close to the end of the day. So Marcia, sent them home and will address these issues tomorrow morning. And as we've said, those jury instructions very controversial.

Yes. Obviously, we didn't get a fast verdict here yesterday, and these requests may signal that the jury will need maybe a lot more time. Do we know who this might help? The answer is probably no, although the Trump team has said that the longer the deliberations go on, the better it is for them. That was also the opinion of legal scholar John Yu, writing a national review. The logic here is really that as this drags on,

the likelihood of a hung jury only increases. It suggests there are elements of the prosecution's case they don't agree on. But honestly, right now, it's probably a bit early to start talking about that this morning. If by the end of the day there's no verdict, well, that might be another story. Finally, Trump declined his usual morning press conference behind the barricades outside the courtroom, but he did speak after the jury instruction. Did we glean anything from his tone? A lot of observers, myself included thought so. He was less agitated, more somber. Here's a bit of that sound.

We have a very, very serious problem here. I mean, our country's going bad. It'll be talked about in the history books. What's happening here is weaponization at a level that nobody seen before ever. This is unfamiliar territory for Trump. There are really no more cards for him or his legal team to play. And on top of that, he can't leave the courthouse because he's a little. has to be present for any notes the jury brings in. Most defendants can go grab a bite to eat,

try to distract themselves, but security concerns keep Trump stuck inside 100 Center Street. There were reports of huge bags of McDonald's being brought in, though. This could go on for a while, but until those 12 jurors come to some kind of consensus or lack thereof, Donald Trump is off the campaign trail. I mean, while the weight of this decision growing heavier by the second, Dave, thanks for joining us. me. Being in debt is a lot like sinking in quicksand. It's easy to feel trapped and helpless, and the harder you struggle, the deeper in debt you go. If you feel trapped in debt, you need to talk to DunwithDet. DunwithDet stands between you and your bill collectors. They negotiate a plan

to end your debt permanently without bankruptcy and without loans. But you need to hurry to see if you qualify because some debt solutions are time sensitive. Go right now to donewithdeat.com. That's donewithdeat.com today. Despite billions of dollars in taxpayer funding, President Biden's electric vehicle push has failed to gain traction amid a shortage of charging stations and demand. Here to break it all down is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. Cabot EVs have been in the headlines a lot this year, and now we're seeing some eye-opening reports on charging stations. What is the latest on the EV front? Well, since taking office, President Biden has made transitioning to electric vehicles a top focus of his administration's climate change agenda. Big picture, Biden has

called for the majority of new cars in America to be electric by the year 2032, and for U.S. carbon emissions to be cut in half by the end of the decade, which ultimately will force manufacturers to prioritize electric and hybrid models. The White House has also proposed sweeping regulations that would force auto manufacturers to increase fuel economy on new cars, ultimately requiring new fleets to average around 50 miles per gallon by 2026, that again would force automakers to all but abandon the production of new gas powered cars. a lot of regulation and those aren't the only measures we've seen, right? Yeah, that is just the tip of the iceberg. In the last three and a half years, the federal

government has spent billions of dollars subsidizing electric vehicle programs and offering massive tax write-offs for those who go green. But that effort really has been anything but smooth. For example, in 2021, the Biden Energy Department announced a $7.5 billion plan to build half a million EV charging stations around the country. But three years later, according to federal data, that money has been used to build a grant total of get this eight charging stations. So for those keeping track at home, they're about 499,992 short of their goal. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was recently grilled on that failure in an interview with CBS.

Here's some of that exchange. The Federal Highway Administration says only seven or eight charging stations have been produced with a seven and a half billion investment that taxpayers made back in 2021. Why isn't that happening more quickly? So the president's goal is to have half a million chargers up by the end of this decade. Now, in order to do a charger, it's more than just plunking a small device into the ground. There's utility work, and this is also really a new category of federal investment. But we've been working with each of the 50 states.

Every one of them is getting formula dollars to do this work, engaging them in the first handful. So what I hear Buttig is saying there is those stations will be ready by 20, 30? That's ambitious. Yeah. theoretically, they'll be ready. But at the current pace, obviously that seems impossible. But even if they were all built, there still would not be nearly enough charging stations to accommodate this massive looming influx in electric vehicles that manufacturers will be forced to make under these regulations. For example, the U.S. would need an estimated 134 million charging ports to accommodate an all-electric national vehicle fleet. At the moment, there are fewer than 200,000 public ports nationwide. So even if Biden

reaches his half-million goal, the country would still have a tiny fraction of the charging ports necessary to sustain a majority electric fleet. And that's not even taking into account the other just as important problem, demand. Right. I mean, that's a big part of this conversation. We have seen that the demand really hasn't been what I think this administration expected. And I didn't think it was up to the government to create demand. So walk us through that aspect of this debate. So if you look at the data, last year Americans bought more than a million fully electric cars, trucks and SUVs, which sounds like a lot, but that still accounts for less than 10% of the overall market.

To put it simply, millions of Americans simply are not interested in driving an EV. And that's despite the fact that EVs have become considerably more affordable in recent years. In 2022, for example, they were about $17,000. more on average than a gas car. Now they're right around $5,000 more. So prices are coming down, and while EV sales have increased compared to previous years, the pace has fallen significantly in recent months, leading auto manufacturers to actually trim production. For more on that tug of war between government desire and market demand, I spoke with Daniel Turner of Power the Future. If your goal is to see these industries thrive, the worst thing you can do for them is to use the

power of government to force their competition out of business and to force their adaptation more quickly than the free market will allow. Clearly, the Biden administration is hoping consumers embrace electric, but if not, they've made clear they are willing to force a change. Well, let's hope the consumers have the last say. Cabot, thanks for reporting. Anytime. California's legislature is trying to delay a new $25 minimum wage for health care workers after Democrats realized it could affect state programs. Daily Wire investigative reporter, Maraida Lorty, is here with the details. So, Marade, what's going on with California's legislature? They now want to delay this new minimum wage law, correct? Hi, John. That's right. Governor Gavin Newsom signed this law back in October, but now the

Democrat-controlled legislature is scrambling to delay this law. So this new minimum wage law is set to take effect on June 1st and would start phasing in a $25 minimum wage for health care workers. So is this coming from a realization of just how expensive this is going to be for the state? It seems like it, and that it's taken until now to realize that is remarkable since they had warnings from legislative analysts back in the fall about how much this new health care minimum wage law was going to cost. The state is predicting the law will cost California about $4 billion a year. This is mainly because Medicaid costs would jump and the state would have to pay more to its own workers at state-owned health care facilities.

Healthcare providers have also warned that mandating higher pay could force them to pare down patient services. Some California hospitals say they expect the law to cost them tens of millions of dollars. Republicans in the legislature also oppose the law. Their main concern is that the cost will end up falling on patients

who are already struggling. Here's what Republican State Assemblyman Devin Math has had to say back in the fall. Somebody has to pay for that increase. And at the end of the day, that increases the bills of all those who are already in medical debt, it's coming out of their pockets. Meanwhile, California's budget deficit is now a whopping $45 billion, and that's a conservative estimate.

Right. So what is Newsom saying about this? He's trying to delay his own law, correct? Correct. Well, last week Newsom presented his latest budget proposal, and he said that the governor's office, the legislature, and supporters of the new minimum wage are currently working out a deal on potential changes to the law. Newsom said, quote, this budget will not be signed without that deal that we committed to being addressed. However, it's not clear whether a deal will be reached before Saturday, which is when the law takes effect. It's also not clear what are the sticking points in the negotiations. By the way, even if the law is delayed, some health care facilities have already begun raising wages for workers in anticipation of the law. And this is not the only minimum wage hike happening in California right now, right? That's right. In September, Newsom also signed a law establishing a new $20 minimum wage.

for fast food workers, which kicked in last month. Since that law was signed, California fast food restaurants have increased prices by 10% overall, more than any other state. We should note, too, California's current minimum wage for all workers is $16 an hour. That's more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, though several states have rates set higher than that. Well, many unfortunate and not unpredictable side effects to all of this. We'll see how California handles this health care minimum wage with that massive deficit looming.

Marayette, thanks for reporting. Thanks, John. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know. Black Rifle Coffee is a veteran-founded company that's doing their part to honor the last of the greatest generation who fought at D-Day while they're still here with us. Co-founder Evan Hafer and his team will parachute into Normandy in World War II uniforms with a series of jumps from June 4th to June 6th. A portion of every purchase you make at Black Rifle Coffee.com goes to support veteran and first responder causes. From providing funding and equipment to first responders to helping veterans fight cancer,

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