Special Counsel for Hunter Biden & Lady Gaga’s Dad Immigration Fight | Afternoon Update

00:03: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley.

00:07: It's Friday, August 11th, and this is your morning wire afternoon update.

00:13: Several years into the investigation of the president's son, Attorney General Merrick

00:17: Garland appointed a special counsel in the Hunter Biden case on Friday.

00:21: Garland named Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who has led the investigation into Hunter since 2019.

00:27: The appointment comes after a heavily criticized plea deal for Biden fell apart in court last

00:32: month that came after the judge questioned the extent of Biden's immunity on future charges.

00:37: Garland decided to appoint a special counsel after receiving a request to do so from

00:41: WICE.

00:42: Here's Garland making the announcement today.

00:45: On Tuesday of this week, Mr. WICE advised me that in his judgment, his investigation

00:51: had reached a stage at which he could continue his work as a special counsel.

00:57: he asked to be so appointed. Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances

01:03: relating to this matter, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint

01:08: him as special counsel. Mr. Weiss has the authority he needs to conduct a thorough investigation

01:15: and to continue to take the steps he deems appropriate independently based only on the facts and the law.

01:24: former president Donald Trump is reacting to an audit of the Congressional January 6

01:28: Committee that discovered that the group failed to save a large number of relevant documents.

01:33: Republican Congressman Barry Laudermilk made the discovery during his audit of the committee.

01:38: Trump called it a criminal act while claiming that the documents were deleted and destroyed.

01:43: Well, that nonsense you watch for a year and a half ago on with all Democrats and two so-called Republicans.

01:50: It's open deleted and gotten rid of the real answers with air, but they didn't want to report it.

01:56: In other news regarding the former president, Donald Trump announced this week that he will not sign the pledge stating that he will support the 2024 GOP nominee, as is required by the Republican National Committee to appear on the debate stage.

02:10: I wouldn't sign the pledge. Why would I sign a pleasure of people on there that I wouldn't have as somebody that I'd endorse?

02:16: So far, eight candidates have qualified for the stage by other metrics, but only Rhonda

02:21: Santis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Nikki Haley have signed the pledge.

02:26: Inflation rose slightly in July after 12 straight months of downward motion.

02:31: The Consumer Price Index rose 3.2 percent from a year ago, and the core CPI, which excludes

02:37: food and energy, was up 4.7 percent.

02:40: Both numbers came in below economists' estimates.

02:44: Most of the increase was attributed to shelter costs.

02:47: Rents rose 0.4 percent and food prices were up 0.2 percent.

02:51: The rising numbers mean the Fed may continue to raise rates.

02:55: In an interview with Fox and Friends, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says he has taken an extraordinary step against Dr. Anthony Fauci.

03:03: Senator Paul contacted the U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., Matthew Graves, to inquire about

03:09: prosecuting Fauci for allegedly lying to Congress.

03:13: claims that Fauci lied about the NIH not being involved with gain of function research

03:18: at the Wuhan Institute of Irology in Wuhan, China.

03:21: Here's the senator.

03:22: I don't think there's ever been a clear case of perjury in the history of government testimony.

03:27: And I don't say that lightly, but we have an incredibly partisan attorney general, Garland, who's refusing to act.

03:33: So I've taken the extraordinary step of actually going to the local US attorney in DC to see

03:39: if you will act, now the problem is there are partisans littered throughout the legal

03:44: system and people are seeing this, you don't get prosecuted if you're a Democrat under

03:48: this administration no matter what you do.

03:51: The Biden administration asked Congress this week to provide over $21 billion for both emergency

03:57: defense aid to Ukraine and for humanitarian support through the end of the year.

04:02: The money to Ukraine breaks down to more than $13 billion for emergency defense and $8 for humanitarian support.

04:09: The package also includes $12 billion to replenish the U.S. federal disaster's fund and to build up enforcement at the southern border.

04:18: After everything, Congress will be looking at a $40 billion package.

04:22: The Democrat Governor of Louisiana has ordered a clemency review of 56 of the 57 inmates

04:28: on death row, including a man convicted of raping and stabbing a four-year-old girl.

04:33: Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Spencer Lindquist.

04:37: The Governor John Bell Edwards decided to order the review, but the leading GOP challenger

04:41: to replace him in November, state attorney general Jeff Landry, urged board members to

04:45: not ignore its policy, which usually requires clemency requests to be made within one year of judges issuing appeal rulings.

04:52: Baton Rouge District Attorney Hiller Moore III, a Democrat, agreed with Landry, saying, quote,

04:58: The governor's request today, deep wounds have been reopened yet again, adding, when

05:02: will this emotional roller coaster for these victims end?

05:07: And the father of Lady Gaga is leading the fight against letting illegal immigrants

05:11: flood his posh New York City neighborhood, saying they have basically taken over.

05:16: Here with more as daily wire reporter Tim Pierce.

05:20: 66-year-old Joe Germanada has lived in the Upper West side of Manhattan for 35 years,

05:24: raising his two daughters, including the artist's lady Gaga and a condo in the Pithian building.

05:29: On Wednesday, Germannada complained to the New York Post about hundreds of immigrants

05:32: being housed in the nearby Stratford Arms Hotel, the former home of the American music and dance academy.

05:38: He said the decision to move 500 immigrants into the building has caused mayhem.

05:42: Germannada and other residents have come together in the West 70th Street Association to lobby

05:47: City Hall for more policing and better control of the situation.

05:50: But Germannada and his neighbors are competing for strain city resources.

05:54: New York City Mayor Eric Adams has predicted tens of thousands more immigrants will arrive

05:58: in the city before the end of the year.

06:00: We don't get the support we need.

06:03: Yorkers could be left for $12 billion bill.

06:08: Those of your drive home updates this afternoon.

06:10: To learn more about these stories, go to DailyWire.com.

06:13: And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.