More Trump Appointments & Chicago’s Property Tax | Afternoon Update | 11.18.24

This episode is brought to you by Good Ranchers. Make this Thanksgiving special with America's finest meat delivered right to your door. Subscribe now at goodranchers.com and use code WIRED to get a free Thanksgiving ham with your first delivery. That's goodranchers.com. American meat delivered. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Monday, November 18th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.

A former FEMA employee is raising concerns about political discrimination within the agency. This comes after Daily Wire reported that workers were instructed to avoid homes with Trump signs during disaster relief efforts. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo has more.

Chelsea Need, a former disaster relief worker, said this policy aimed at Trump supporters goes against FEMA's goal of equity and inclusion. The controversy centers on the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Lake Placid, Florida, where homes with Trump signs were reportedly skipped. Need says every agency employee has to take mandatory anti-discrimination and equity courses, posing questions about FEMA's equity plan.

My concerns with this is that how long ago did this happen? And why is it that team leadership above this, this reservist, why did they let this happen? And in closing, I want to say this to all these people that were overlooked. I'm not a part of FEMA anymore, but I'm very sorry this happened to them. Representative Anna Paulina Luna has called for a full investigation accusing FEMA of political bias and demanding accountability.

President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed his administration will declare a national emergency to tackle illegal immigration and secure the U.S. southern border. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest.

Trump affirmed a post from judicial watch President Tom Fitten, who said Trump in his second term would use military assets for mass deportations. Trump had made a similar emergency declaration in 2019 to fund a border wall construction, which was later revoked by President Biden. With illegal immigration reaching record highs under Biden, Trump has vowed to undertake the largest deportation program in U.S. history. The president-elect has brought an ally such as Tom Homan and Stephen Miller to lead the effort.

Trump has appointed FCC commissioner Brandon Carr as the new permanent chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Carr, who has served as the FCC's senior Republican, was first nominated by Trump in 2017 and confirmed three times by the Senate. He's been a strong advocate for free speech, recently investigating big tech companies for alleged censorship and requesting information on their ties to NewsGuard, an organization that he says targets conservative viewpoints.

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Trump's pick for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, the founder of Liberty Energy, is facing both praise and criticism. Environmentalists argue that Wright's stance on climate change and renewable energy could harm efforts to address the so-called climate crisis. Democratic lawmakers condemn Wright's appointment, claiming it prioritizes fossil fuel companies over clean energy solutions.

Meanwhile, Republicans and industry groups fully support Trump's appointment, citing his pro-growth views on fossil fuels and oil production. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case against Daniel Penny, the man charged in the death of Jordan Neely aboard a New York City subway. Daily wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the latest.

Penny, who's pled not guilty, is accused of holding Neely in a restraint position too long, causing him to choke to death. The medical examiner testified that asphyxiation was the cause of death, though Neely also had drugs in his system, according to a toxicology report. Defense attorneys are focusing on Neely's lengthy criminal history. Witnesses say Neely barged onto a subway car and started making erratic death threats before being restrained by Penny.

Days after the Chicago City Council shot down Mayor Brandon Johnson's $300 million property tax increase in a 50-to-0 vote, the mayor's office has brokered a deal to cut it in half. Daily Wire reporter, Morata Lordy, has the latest.

The new revenue plan includes raising the tax on cloud computing to 11%, squeezing $128 million and finding $14 million in administrative efficiencies. Another $10 million will come from increasing the tax on streaming services. Despite the changes, city council members, including allies of the mayor, are demanding deeper cuts to spending. Residents are voicing concern that the money will be used to cover illegal immigrants' costs.

We paid for these properties for a purpose and not for you to go touching it with $300 million that you want to siphon out of the citizen's pockets. Get rid of the ill blue girls and got to take your money right back. You're a criminal. Why do I got to address you? The feds need to address you. DOJ need to address you and hopefully Donald Trump will address you because you're going to protect the undocumented. Why are you going to allow for the citizens in the Chicago to suffer?

And MSNBC's Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with Trump last week for the first time in seven years, a meeting that comes after they portrayed him as a threat to democracy.

For those asking why we would go speak to the president elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back, why wouldn't we? Joe and I realize it's time to do something different. And that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump, but also talking with him.

The news of the meeting has sparked backlash from both sides of the aisle with those on the left accusing their hosts of hypocrisy, contrasting their extreme criticisms of Trump with their recent efforts to reset their relationship with him. Those on the right say the peace offering was too little too late, and reveals that their past comments about him were disingenuous. All right, there's your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com and for more in-depth reporting on the biggest stories of the day, tune into our full episode of Morning Wire every morning.