Cabot Phillips
Appearances
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
Well, Luigi Mangione is currently being held in Pennsylvania, where he made his first court appearance yesterday after being denied bail. The big question at the moment is when he'll be extradited to New York, where he was charged with murder.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
We've also learned in the last 24 hours that Mangione's manifesto included the line, quote, to the feds, I'll keep this short because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn't working with anyone.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
As Mangione was led into the courtroom for his extradition hearing yesterday, he began struggling with police, frantically shouting at reporters. Have a listen. We also heard yesterday from a customer who was in McDonald's Monday morning and helped identify Mangione, joking with his friends at the time that he looked like the suspect.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
An employee taking Mangione's order overheard that customer and thought the same thing before calling police.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
Yeah, as they worked to piece together a timeline leading up to the murder, investigators say Mangione took meticulous steps to evade detection. For example, he traveled to New York by Greyhound bus, meaning he was able to avoid using his real name or credit card. And he stayed in a hostel for 10 nights prior to the attack. paying with cash and wearing a mask for the duration of his trip.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
But it was one crucial error that ultimately led to his capture. According to authorities, Mangione was flirting with an employee at the hostel who at one point asked him to lower his mask and show his face. He complied and it was that smiling image captured on a security camera that that was then shared with the public and ultimately used to identify him. One little slip there.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
So what more do we know about his potential motive? Well, it's now clear he was driven in large part by a hatred for corporate America and healthcare companies in particular. According to an NYPD intelligence report, Mangione, quote, appeared to view the targeted killing of the company's highest-ranking representative as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
That report also cited his opposition to what they called, quote, corporate greed. But there's also growing evidence of an apparent personal connection. According to multiple reports, Mangione had been suffering from severe chronic back pain for years, which left him debilitated at times. At some point in the was apparently unsuccessful.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
Friends say following that surgery, he essentially fell off the map and became impossible to reach. So much so that on November 18th, Mangione's mother reported him missing to the San Francisco Police Department. That's where she believed that he might have been living.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
His family released a statement Tuesday saying they were, quote, shocked and devastated by the news, offering prayers for the family of Brian Thompson and all involved.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
Yeah, this has really stunned a lot of people. Within hours of the shooting, before Mangione was even identified, large numbers of folks online began praising the act, not as an egregious crime, but as a heroic act of defiance. And that sort of hero worship only grew once Mangione was caught.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
His social media accounts were flooded with literally tens of thousands of supportive messages, while users flooded the Yelp account of the McDonald's where he was caught in Pennsylvania, leaving one-star reviews calling the employees their rats and snitches for turning him in. So a lot to take into account here as we prepare for a trial that will surely draw the eyes of millions of Americans.
Morning Wire
CEO Shooter Celebrated & Hegseth Support Surges | 12.11.24
No doubt about that. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
Well, the event started with major economic news. As Trump announced, the Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank had agreed to invest at least $100 billion in America over the next four years. According to the company's CEO, who joined Trump at the podium, that investment will create 100,000 American jobs.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
Now, Trump campaigned on a promise to attract businesses from around the world and create jobs here in America.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
Yeah, this story has only gained attention as more and more sightings have been reported online. Like you said, not just in New Jersey, but a number of other surrounding states. Over the weekend, unknown drones were spotted over Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. That's one of the largest such bases in the country.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
That drone activity prompted officials to close airspace over the base for roughly four hours early Saturday morning. Here's just fascinating audio of air traffic control warning a plane of, quote, extreme UAS activity over the base. UAS means unmanned aircraft systems, aka drones.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
Lawmakers have continued to express outrage with the Biden administration and Pentagon, saying the American people deserve answers. They say if the drones belong to the U.S., their silence on the matter is only creating more fear and confusion. And if they aren't ours, the Pentagon ought to be taking action to get them out of our airspace.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
For his part, Trump said he believes the White House and Pentagon know what's going on, but are hiding it from the public. The government knows what is happening.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
Trump would not comment on whether he's received intelligence briefings on the drones, but did say he was confident they do not belong to a foreign adversary.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
Later on, he addressed alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione and specifically the folks who've celebrated him as a hero.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
Yeah, a major victory there with ABC. But Trump said Monday he'll continue to pursue legal action against a number of other media outlets he feels defamed him or engaged in election interference. That list includes CBS for seemingly editing a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Remember, They seem to remove bad answers of hers.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
That includes author Bob Woodward, who Trump says repeatedly misquoted him, and the Pulitzer Prize board for giving awards to reporters covering the now-debunked Russia collusion story.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Press Conference & Wisconsin’s School Shooting | 12.17.24
So Trump vowing to continue his legal fight against a number of legacy media outlets and reporters. I'll certainly be following those cases very closely as he prepares to take office. Indeed, as will those legacy outlets, no doubt.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Well, he remains in a Pennsylvania state prison. The 26-year-old from a wealthy and influential family in Maryland is currently fighting extradition to New York. Leading his defense will be Thomas Dickey, a Pennsylvania attorney who's handled a number of murder trials and insists that his client will plead not guilty.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
But Mangione's legal team will have their work cut out for them as evidence continues to tie him to last week's heinous crime. Police announced yesterday that shell casings found at the crime scene matched the firearm Mangione was carrying when he was caught. They also say fingerprints found at the scene belong to Mangione as well.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Yeah, it's hard to overstate just how much of a cult figure Mangione has become for a significant chunk of Americans. Many have compared him to Robin Hood, others to a new Che Guevara, while thousands more have offered to pay for his legal defense, saying he should be released whether he committed the crime or not. Mangione's lawyer addressed those offers on CNN.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Right. A number of prominent folks in the entertainment industry, academia, and late-night comedy have come out in support of the alleged killer. British actress Jamila Jamil, for example, posted a shirtless photo of Mangione to her nearly 4 million Instagram followers with the caption, "'A star is born.'"
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz said she felt, quote, joy when she heard the news. She also shared a picture of a smiling star emoji with the caption, CEO down. Elsewhere, Julia Alexieva, a professor at UPenn, which Mangione attended, posted a TikTok video dancing happily with the caption, have never been prouder to be a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
And then there's late night host Jimmy Kimmel, who gleefully shared messages from his producers talking about their love for Mangione.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Elsewhere, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren offered a seemingly sympathetic view on the crime, saying she understood why people were taking a side.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Speaking to the Huffington Post, she said, "...the visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practice of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system." She added, "...violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far."
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Her Democratic colleague Bernie Sanders echoed those sentiments, calling the murder unacceptable, but saying, quote, Now, for obvious reasons, this hero treatment has sparked major concerns over copycat killers. At that point, the NYPD released a statement saying there is, quote, an elevated threat facing executives in the near term.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Sure. So the Obama administration originally launched the GEC as part of a counterterrorism initiative. But then after Trump took office in 2017, its purview expanded into combating ostensible disinformation. That was part of that now debunked Russia collusion narrative.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Well, the argument was that this was necessary to prevent foreign governments from targeting Americans with propaganda campaigns. But critics say the federal government essentially started using the GEC to engage in censorship against voices that might threaten the power of the entrenched political establishment.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Mike Benz, a former State Department official, discussed last week with Joe Rogan the government push for widespread censorship in the name of so-called misinformation.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
So critics say that the GEC is yet another arm of this censorship apparatus.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Well, the GEC became involved in policing social media content from American citizens. To give you just one example, before Elon Musk bought the platform, it gave Twitter a list of 5,500 users it had pinpointed for suppression because it said they were suspected Chinese accounts engaged in state-backed coordinated manipulation.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
But it actually turned out that most of those accounts belonged to ordinary Americans. In fact, a few were CNN journalists. The GEC also funded initiatives that asked Twitter and other platforms to consider suspending tens of thousands of accounts suspected of spreading foreign disinformation. But again, it turned out that many were just ordinary citizens sharing ordinary domestic policy views.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
And then some of its activities sought to suppress conservative media specifically. For example, the GEC directed funds to third-party watchdog groups that created advertising blacklists of mostly conservative news organizations. And that included The Federalist, The New York Post, and The Daily Wire, which, of course, produces this program.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
And it's for that that the Daily Wire, the Federalist, and the state of Texas are suing the GEC for violating freedom of speech and of the press.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Yes, though right now there is a bipartisan effort to save it. So the GEC was not included in the latest draft of the defense authorization bill. That means right now it is set to expire in less than two weeks.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
And then on top of that, on Monday, as part of that Daily Wire lawsuit, the State Department notified a federal court that the center is substantially likely to be terminated on December 23rd and its employees reassigned. But Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas have been actually pushing to extend the GEC's authorization.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
Though I will say that Cornyn certainly seems to be in the minority of his party in backing the agency. And by the way, he hasn't publicly commented on why he wants to keep it.
Morning Wire
Suspected Killer’s Infamy & GEC’s Likely Demise | 12.12.24
In contrast, the House Committee on Small Business called the GEC's potential shuttering a win for free speech and Main Street America and said its termination means that there is, quote, one less way for unelected bureaucrats to violate Americans' First Amendment rights.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
Well, Donald Trump continues to ride high. Just weeks after the final criminal cases against him were brought to an end, and days after being named Time Magazine's Person of the Year, he enjoyed another legal victory, this time regarding a lawsuit he had filed against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
On Saturday, the two sides reached a settlement with the network agreeing to pay $15 million to Trump's presidential library and another million to cover his legal fees. It all started back in March when Stephanopoulos, ABC's top anchor, falsely claimed during an interview with rep Nancy Mace that a jury had found Trump, quote, raped columnist E. Jean Carroll.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
During that interview, Stephanopoulos repeated that false claim 10 times. But again, it was not true. In the case he was referencing, the jury specifically stated that Carol had not proven Trump raped her in a department store in the 90s. Remember, Carol also was not able to provide even the exact month or year when that supposed assault took place.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
Trump was ordered by a judge in that case to pay Carroll more than $80 million in damages for battery and defamation. But he was importantly never found guilty of the rape allegation. In response to those false claims from Stephanopoulos, Trump filed that defamation suit against him in ABC. And this weekend, as part of that settlement, the network agreed to admit fault.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
That is quite the reversal from Stephanopoulos, who initially struck a defiant tone, claiming he did nothing wrong and would not be intimidated by the lawsuit. Here he is on CBS Late Night with Stephen Colbert, for example.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
But ultimately, again, he did admit fault. In addition to the $15 million payout to the President-elect's library, Stephanopoulos and ABC also agreed to publish an apology on their website that reads, quote, made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10th, 2024.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
Right. He attended the annual Army-Navy football game in D.C., joined by his VP J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, Pete Hegseth, and their guest of honor, Daniel Penny, who was acquitted this month in that New York City subway trial. Ahead of the game, Vance issued a statement saying, quote, Daniel's a good guy and New York's mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
I'm grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he's able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage. Ahead of kickoff, Trump and Vance received a raucous welcome from the sellout crowd, which erupted in chants of USA as they waved from their box.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
Yeah, Trump now wading into one of the most hotly contested policy debates of our time, daylight savings. In a social media post Saturday, he said, quote, the Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate daylight saving time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't. Daylight saving time is inconvenient and very costly to our nation.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
Now, in the past few decades, lawmakers here and there have floated the idea, citing medical research, that the current system is detrimental to public health. throwing off sleep cycles. But efforts have always stalled. Trump hopes to break that trend and end the practice once and for all. We'll have to wait and see what exactly that proposed legislation looks like.
Morning Wire
Trump Keeps Winning & Drone Defense Debate | 12.16.24
But maybe this will be the last year, John, we have to fiddle with our clocks.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
Yeah, so starting in 2020, we began to see a mass exodus of residents leaving deep blue states and resettling in red states across the Sunbelt. Now, initially, there was a case to be made that the trend was the result of remote work, offering folks the option to live anywhere. So they sought out warmer, cheaper places to call home. But now, four years removed from COVID, that trend has continued.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
According to new data from the Census Bureau, last year alone, California, New York, and Illinois suffered a net loss of 540,000 residents, while Texas, Florida, and North Carolina saw a net gain of 366,000. And get this, of the seven states that saw the largest increase in net migration, all seven were red states.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
Blue states are failing. Blue states have high crime, tent cities, high taxes.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
And if you zoom out and look at the numbers since 2020, of the 10 states that saw the highest population gains... You guessed it, all 10 went red in November. So a clear trend emerging. Americans are continuing to move to Republican-led states.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
Well, it's important to remember electoral votes and congressional seats are allocated based on population. That means if this trend continues until 2030, when the next census takes place, red states will reap immense political rewards. For example, at the current pace, states that voted for Kamala Harris in November will lose 12 congressional seats and 12 electoral college votes.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
California will lose four, New York three, Illinois two, and Oregon, Minnesota, and Rhode Island one. And the lion's share of those electoral votes and congressional seats will go to solidly red states like Texas and Florida.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
Now, that would not only give future Republican candidates an easier shot at the White House, just improving their number of guaranteed electoral votes, it would also make it harder for Democrats to control the House. It is just hard to overstate how important this trend will be in the coming years.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
Beyond the obvious economic ramifications, Democrat-led states now have a massive political incentive to stop the bleeding and convince folks to start moving back.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
Right. This is a really big story. So it went under the radar, but two years ago, the Census Bureau quietly released a stunning report admitting serious errors in their population count from 2020. Specifically, the Bureau massively undercounted the number of residents in red states and And overcounted the population of blue states.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
Of the six states where they undercounted residents, five were red. And of the eight where they overcounted, seven were blue. For example, deep red Arkansas was undercounted by 5%. Tennessee, 4.7%. And Florida, 3.5%. That adds up to a million plus residents. While deep blue Delaware was overcounted by 5.5%. New York, 3.4%. Rhode Island by 5%. You get the idea.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
They're massively important. As a result of those errors, Florida was denied two congressional seats they were entitled to, while Texas was denied another. And blue states like Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Colorado were all allowed to hold on to seats that they should have lost. So if the last census had been accurate, Republicans would likely be looking at a 10 to 12 seat majority majority.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
instead of the six-seat majority that they currently hold. Now, in light of those errors, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee recently launched a probe of the Census Bureau demanding internal documents and communications related to their most recent census.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Georgia Case Win & Colony Ridge Smuggling Arrest | 12.20.24
According to Chairman James Comer, the census, quote, appears to have tended to noticeably skew in favor of one political party over another. Now, they want answers about why that happened.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
Yeah, strange indeed, John. And these are not your run-of-the-mill drones that you can buy on Amazon. Authorities say many are SUV-sized and emit no radio signals, making them difficult to track. They often operate in groups with blinking lights. and display sophisticated technology. Officials say they go dark and elude radar detection when pursued by police helicopters.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
According to the Coast Guard, which has also been tracking the activity, the drones have been observed flying for six to eight hours over New Jersey before making a beeline out into the Atlantic, where presumably they're landing somewhere and recharging.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
Perhaps most concerning, the drones have invaded the airspace surrounding military installations and infrastructure like railways, power stations, and police departments. They've also surrounded Coast Guard ships. And in some cases, FBI agents investigating the case say they've appeared above their own homes.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
Yeah. At first, the story was sort of laughed off by mainstream media outlets as some sort of UFO mass hysteria. But as the activity continued night after night, lawmakers and law enforcement began taking it very seriously. The FBI launched an investigation in late November. The DHS and New Jersey State Police are also investigating. And now Congress is getting involved.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
They held a hearing on the matter Wednesday. But no one seems to have any clue who is actually behind the activity. And that is frustrating lawmakers. For example, here's Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez questioning FBI official Robert Wheeler.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
Members of the New Jersey State Legislature have also expressed similar frustration after a Homeland Security briefing. Here's Rep. Brian Bergen.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
And on Wednesday, another frustrated lawmaker, New Jersey's Jeff Van Drew, sparked a firestorm after claiming the drones originated with Iran and had been launched from a mothership that was deployed off the coast of our eastern seaboard.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
But hours later, a Pentagon spokesperson denied that claim, saying there's no evidence the drones are coming from a foreign entity.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
That sentiment was echoed by White House spokesman John Kirby, who said the drones do not pose a security risk. But it's worth noting, neither he nor Homeland Security have said they've identified the source of the activity. So the Pentagon knows who's behind the drones. They're not saying so publicly.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
Some have speculated their insistence that they don't belong to an adversary and aren't a threat is evidence the craft belonged to our military, but the Pentagon doesn't want to confirm it on the record. But lawmakers say if that were the case, the FBI would have been alerted and would not have launched a widespread federal investigation into their origins.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
For more on all this, I spoke with Senior Research Fellow for Advanced Technology at the Heritage Foundation, Brent Sadler.
Morning Wire
Border Wall Fire Sale & New Jersey’s Drone Mystery | 12.13.24
So as these sightings continue, lawmakers, law enforcement, and most importantly, the people of New Jersey want answers.