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Wednesday Afternoon Update: Top Cop Goes Before Senate, Lightfoot Loses, Wray Alleges Wuhan Lab Leak

   DailyWire.com
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 01: U.S. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate crop) Attorney General Merrick Garland (C) is reflected as he returns from a break in testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Garland was asked about a wide spectrum of topics, from protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices to rules made by the Office of Legal Counsel, and he even quoted Taylor Swift lyrics when referencing anti-trust discussions following recent Ticketmaster drama.
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

Top Cop Goes Before Senate

Attorney General Merrick Garland faced a bevy of questions today from Republican senators, particularly focused on what they say is the politicization of the DOJ against Christians and conservatives. Here’s what Daily Wire Managing Editor Greg Wilson told the Morning Wire podcast:

Garland was put through the wringer Wednesday as GOP lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled him on everything from topics such as the lack of arrests against left-wing protesters outside of U.S. Supreme court justices’ homes, to alleged anti-conservative bias within the DOJ. He was also asked whether or not America should designate drug cartels in Mexico as terrorist organizations, and there was a particularly heated back and forth between Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and Garland regarding the DOJ’s use of force against now-acquitted pro-life father of seven Mark Houck, [which] seems to be getting the most attention today. That portion lasted nearly 10 minutes, and Garland refused to say whether or not authorities used excessive force after drawing guns on Houck at his family home in Pennsylvania.

Lightfoot Loses Chicago Mayoral Race

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid Tuesday night, becoming the first Windy City mayor in 40 years to not win another term. Here with more about the election and the key ballot issue of crime is Daily Wire writer Tim Meads:

Democrat Paul Vallas, a moderate who ran on a tough-on-crime platform, endorsed by the police union, closed the day with a strong lead over the other eight candidates, including progressive Democrat Brandon Johnson, who came in second. Those two will face off in a runoff election on April 4. For her part, Lightfoot had promised to clean up crime when first elected in 2019, but overall crime is up 52% from last year and has risen more than 100% since 2021. Despite that failed promise, Lightfoot blamed her unpopularity on the fact that she is a “black woman in America.”

Christopher Wray Alleges Wuhan Lab Leak

Following a bombshell report from the U.S. Energy Department, FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed Tuesday that his agency also believes COVID likely began in a Wuhan lab. Wray’s comments come after a report from the energy department allegedly reached the same conclusion, though the Biden administration maintains there is no consensus as to the virus’ origins.

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Eric Adams Calls for Prayers In Schools

Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams made what some say were eyebrow-raising remarks this week after he claimed gun violence could in part be explained by the lack of religion in schools. His comments came at New York City’s annual interfaith breakfast:

Greek Train Wreck

Rescuers searched through the wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other head-on in northern Greece late Tuesday night. At least 36 people are believed to have died. Daily Wire Producer and Researcher Brandon Beville broke down the latest for the Morning Wire podcast:

This is being called the country’s worst rail crash ever and there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding this devastating event. The passenger train was traveling from ​​Athens, Greece’s capital, to the city of Thessaloniki when it slammed head-on into a freight train traveling in the other direction on the same track. So far, we know police have arrested the stationmaster in the city of Larissa near the crash site … while also detaining two other people for questioning. However, police have not released any names yet. Another unknown is the speed at which either train was traveling when they collided. Survivors have said the impact sent passengers flying through cars in all different directions, even throwing some people through car windows. Officials say while many of the 350 people aboard the passenger train were students returning from Greece’s raucous Carnival, eight rail workers are said to have died in the crash. In light of the high-speed crash, transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis has resigned, saying he felt it was his “duty” to step down “as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly.” So far, the cause of the crash remains unclear.

Havana Syndrome Isn’t From Foreign Enemy, Intel Community Claims

And, Intelligence officials told The Washington Post on Wednesday that five U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that it is very unlikely that the mysterious Havana Syndrome which affected hundreds of U.S. diplomats was caused by a foreign enemy wielding some sort of secret weapon, energy-based or otherwise. The report leaves many wondering why so many officials have suffered from acoustic and cerebral symptoms since 2016.

To listen to the audio version of this podcast, click here. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

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