Tuesday | November 16th, 2021

It’s Tuesday, November 16th, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast:

1) Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Draws To A Close

The Topline: Closing arguments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial took place Monday in a polarizing case that has dominated national headlines. 

Morning Wire On The Ground

Morning Wire’s Georgia Howe was in the Kenosha, Wisconsin, courthouse for closing arguments. 

Sean Krajacic-Pool/Pool/Getty Images

Prosecution

Throughout the trial, the prosecution has attempted to frame Rittenhouse as the initial aggressor, and paint those he shot as innocent protesters acting in self defense. Their legal argument is that Rittenhouse cannot claim self defense if he brought a gun to the protest.

In his final argument, lead prosecutor Thomas Binger claimed the men who pursued and were eventually shot by Kyle Rittenhouse were “heroes” for attempting to subdue Rittenhouse, out of alleged concern that he was an active shooter threat. 

Overall, the prosecution attempted to highlight Rittenhouse’s poor choices that evening, while downplaying the threat posed by the rioters who first went after him. 

Defense

While the overall defense was generally considered less methodical and slightly less clear in delivery than the prosecution, video evidence of the incidents cut strongly in the defense’s favor. The defense showed multiple videos which appeared to show rioters chasing after Rittenhouse and attempting to grab his gun. 

The jury begins deliberations at 9 a.m. today.

Photographer: Laurent Zabulon/Abaca/Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images

2) Vice President Harris Draws Heavy Criticism

The Topline: With President Joe Biden’s approval rating steadily declining, other members of his administration — such as Vice President Kamala Harris — are facing criticism as well. 

Biden And Harris

President Biden’s approval ratings have hit new lows — around 40% — and are predicted to keep dropping as he moves to the Left on policy. 

Now, Vice President Kamala Harris has come under heavy media scrutiny as well.

Harris has an approval rating of 28%, which is lower than many of her predecessors, and even lower than former President Donald Trump’s worst polling numbers at the end of his presidency – by 10 percentage points. 

The Media

On Sunday, CNN published an article about the vice president. According to sources, Harris is now being actively sidelined. Others said she’s ill-prepared for any future role she could take, while some said her staff have

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