Morning Wire - Wednesday | August 11, 2021

Episode Date: August 11, 2021

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns, Chicago police turn their backs on the mayor, and the U.S. has a record 10.1 million job openings. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation Tuesday amid allegations of sexual harassment. And I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing. What led to the dramatic downfall of the Democratic governor and what's next for the state? I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, August 11th, and this is Morning Wire. Thousands of Chicago police officers turned their backs on Mayor Lori Lightfoot in protest after two officers were shot, one of them fatally. We'll look at what led to the police protest and what it means for efforts to defund the police. And the latest Labor Department report shows a record-breaking 10.1 million job openings. Why are businesses struggling to get new employees?

And what impact is it having on the economy and American households? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Today's episode is sponsored by WioTech. WioTech, one of the nation's leading auto and diesel training schools, sees the trades as America's front lines. WioTech is shaping young men, women, and veterans to build careers and businesses. America is built on the trades, and WioTech is leading the way in training.

Visit yotech.edu to subscribe and donate to the future technicians of America. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that he will resign after a sexual harassment scandal engulfed his administration. Cuomo's resignation announcement comes a week after a damning report from the New York Attorney General's office, which found the governor sexually harassed multiple women. Daily Wire investigative reporter Marade McCartle is here to catch us up on the latest details. Marade, welcome. Thanks for having me.

Cuomo's resignation came as somewhat of a shock. What happened here? Right. Leading up to the press conference, the governor was not expected to step down, especially given his reputation for fighting back. But Cuomo said he was resigning because he does not want to be, quote, unhelpful. He said he thinks the best way he can help now is if he steps aside and lets the New York government get back to governing.

I work for you. And doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you. Because as we say, it's not about me. It's about we. This will mark the end of the Democratic governor's three terms in office. Though he's resigning, Cuomo's still not admitting to anything, right? That's right. He continued to insist that he is innocent.

Cuomo said he deeply apologizes to the women he offended, but pleaded ignorance and took no responsibility for acting inappropriately on purpose. He said that in his mind, he never crossed the line with anyone. In my mind, I've never crossed the line with anyone. But I didn't realize the experience. the extent to which the line has been redrawn. Cuomo went on to blame his behavior on, quote, generational and cultural shifts that he says he didn't fully appreciate.

So what happens now? Cuomo said his resignation will go into effect two weeks from Tuesday. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hulkel will replace him and she'll become New York's first female governor. Hulko said she agrees with Cuomo's decision, calling it the, quote, right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers. Before he resigned, Hokel said she believes Cuomo's accusers and called his behavior towards them, quote, repulsive and unlawful. Oh, so strong words.

Look, a lot has been alleged against Cuomo here. Can you walk us through some of the key allegations? According to Letitia James' report, Cuomo violated federal and state laws by sexually harassing 11 women, including former New York State employees and members of the public. Among a slew of offenses, the governor is accused of kissing and groping women without consent. including their intimate body parts. The first woman who publicly accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, Lindsay Boylan, who was married at the time, said Cuomo kissed her on the lips with no warning

in his Manhattan office in 2018. Investigators were able to corroborate that claim. There was a lot of pressure for Cuomo to resign leading up to Tuesday. What does the response look like now that he's actually stepped down? Many are saying he's done the right thing by stepping down. Some are calling for Cuomo to face criminal prosecution for sexual harassment,

and even sexual assault. Others have pointed to Cuomo's other major scandal, his coronavirus nursing home policy, and his administration's cover-up of the resulting deaths of many elderly New Yorkers. No doubt we're going to see some more repercussions soon. Thanks, Marade. Thanks, John.

Investigative reporter, Marade McCartle. Up next, 30 Chicago police officers turn their backs on the mayor. 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 your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.

On Saturday night, two criminals shot and killed Chicago police officer Ella French and severely wounded her partner. When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot came to visit the surviving policeman in the hospital, dozens of officers turned their backs on her in protest. Here to tell us about the tension between Chicago PD and the city's political leadership is Daily Wire Reporter Ben Johnson. Good morning, Ben. Morning. Mayor Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Department have been divided over major policy initiatives for more than a year now.

But tell us about this most recent episode. It started with a routine traffic stop, correct? That's right. On Saturday, police stopped three men for driving with expired license plates. Police say the two brothers who were on probation for theft, Imante and Eric Morgan, opened five. and killed 29-year-old Ella French. Then they shot her partner, Carlos Janice Jr., three times. He was eventually transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. So a really tragic situation. And that shooting is what brought Mayor Lightfoot to visit the hospital.

Exactly. According to the president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, John Katanzara, the police officer's family explicitly told Lightfoot that her presence of the hospital was unwelcome. But she came to the seventh floor of the hospital around midnight. anyway. Officers say that when Lightfoot talked to Jana's father, who's a retired police officer himself, he told her that she had blood on her hands. After that, she went to talk to about 30 officers who were standing nearby, and that's when they turned their backs on her. Chicago alderman Ray Lopez captured a photo of that moment and posted it on social media, which expressed the police department's lack of confidence in the city's political leadership. And over the past year,

Lightfoot has publicly supported the political activist group Black Lives Matter and the defund the police movement. Is that what's driving this? That's a major part of it. In May, Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police cast a unanimous vote of no confidence against Lightfoot. Although Mayor Lightfoot said she opposes completely abolishing the police, last fall she proposed cutting $59 million from the police budget. To make up for the difference, she let hundreds of empty jobs on the force go vacant, she lengthened police officers shifts to 12 hours a day, and she reduced their days off. She also canceled the annual St. Jude's March for fallen officers. officers blame Lightfoot's policies and what they characterize as anti-police rhetoric for the sharp uptick in crime that's taken place on her watch.

And you're right, defund the police is the critical piece driving that opposition. Mayor Lightfoot said in June, though, that crime is on the decline in Chicago. What do the numbers say? Well, the numbers don't bear her out. Ella French and Carlos Yannas Jr. represent just two of at least 73 shootings that took place last weekend alone. During the two years that Lori Lightfoot served as mayor of Chicago, murders have increased 57% and shootings have increased 65%. Sexual assaults risen by 22% since last year. So the charge here is that Lightfoot has given officers less money to fight more crime and now morale is low. Is this affecting police retention?

Yes. Police officers are voting with their feet. Since January, 363 officers have retired from the Chicago Police Department. That's more than all of 2018. This year could see more officers turn in their badge than any year in Chicago history. And studies show that employing more police officers reduces crime. So this is the last thing Chicago needs. Ben, thanks for reporting. You got it.

Daily Wires, Ben Johnson. This week, the Labor Department released new data showing a record-breaking 10.1 million job openings in the month of June. Here to discuss how employers are trying to fill those jobs and how workers are responding is DailyWire Managing Editor Cabot-Philips. Cabot, thanks for being here. Of course. So are there just too many jobs to fill and not enough workers? Economists are calling this a labor shortage, but the problem isn't really that there aren't enough workers.

It's that there aren't enough workers willing to take the jobs that are open right now. The fact is, there are far more jobless Americans than there are job openings right now. It's just that many people don't seem to want to work. So the obvious question, do we know why? So experts point to three main reasons. First, many employers say that increased federal unemployment benefits have made it hard for them to find workers. I spoke with one restaurant manager who was offering a $1,000 signing bonus to new servers, and he said many of his old employees are now making more money on unemployment than they would if they came back to work.

Wow. And that's something we've heard from countless employers throughout the year. Yeah, that's big incentive not to work. Yeah, even the Federal Reserve admitted in a report to Congress last month that, quote, enhanced unemployment benefits have allowed potential workers to be more selected, and reduce the intensity of their job search. But that's not the only reason for the labor shortage. Economists also point to continued fears over the Delta variant

and difficulty finding child care. Keep in mind, many daycares and preschools are still closed or running at a limited capacity. Right. What about employers? How are they dealing with all this? Well, at first, they responded by simply raising wages. Service jobs that typically were going for minimum wage

are now starting at $15 or $20 an hour. but that still hasn't worked for many employers, so now they're getting creative. For example, Target is now offering to pay for 100% of an employee's college tuition starting on their first day. McDonald's is now including paid time off, college tuition aid, and even child care benefits. McDonald's. Yeah, we're seeing the same thing at small businesses, too, where some shops and restaurants are offering $500 bonuses just for applying. It's a good deal. Yeah.

So is the average family going to feel this labor shortage? From what we're hearing, it remains to be seen what the long-term impacts will be, but in the short term, it is likely that the cost of basic goods will go up, especially at smaller restaurants and local businesses. But larger chains are also dealing with labor shortages that are affecting production and disrupting the supply chain more broadly, so costs will go up across the board for small and big businesses. Right, we've seen lots of shortages. I want to go back to your earlier point about COVID benefits playing a role in this.

With all the job openings, are we going to see more? of the benefits cut? Well, so far, 25 states all led by Republican governors, have stopped offering those benefits altogether. For context, they amounted to an additional $300 a week on top of existing unemployment benefits. Those governors argue that they were only needed when jobs weren't available, and that's no longer a problem. Representative Kevin Brady, who heads the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, told us, quote, good intentions in an emergency can have damaging consequences in recovery, and that's exactly what happened. And that's kind of the emerging narrative from Republicans here. Many on the right have also pointed out that of the 10 states that have seen

the strongest economic recovery this year, nine of them are run by Republican governors who've made that decision to opt out of enhanced unemployment benefits. So we can definitely expect to be reminded of that message moving forward as the midterms approach. There's always a political tie-in, right? There always is, John. Very interesting stuff. Thanks, Cabot. Yep. That's Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips. Other big developments that we're tracking this week, President Biden says that he welcomes the Justice Department's new review of documents related to the September 11th attacks.

Family members of 9-11 victims put out a statement last week saying that President Biden was not welcome at memorial events this year unless he declassified documents, specifically those regarding the alleged involvement of Saudi Arabia in the attacks. Lockdowns in Australia have been extended with some extraordinary, strictly rules being enforced. People living in the affected areas are permitted to leave the house only for approved activities and may not travel further than 10 kilometers from home. Those who don't live with any other adults are permitted one nominated visitor, which is one person they are permitted to socialize with at their home. Australians are permitted to exercise with their

nominated visitor outdoors, and the visitor may visit on more than one occasion, but the same person cannot be a nominated visitor for another person. And the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of Republicans twice this week in their ongoing feud with Democrats who have broken quorum. Because of the ruling, Republican Governor Greg Abbott can move forward with an order to arrest Democrats breaking quorum. And in the meantime, they will not be receiving paychecks. The feud began when Texas Democrats left the state in order to block legislation they oppose. If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Spotify, or. wherever you're listening, and give us a five-star review.

That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know. Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at DailyWire.com slash subscribe. Use code MorningWire to try a Reader's past membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.