Morning Wire XX
[0] The issue of political censorship once again comes to the forefront.
[1] One of America's most influential book associations has come under fire from the left for accidentally including two conservative books in a promotional mailer.
[2] We have the details on the controversial mishap.
[3] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[4] It's Saturday, August 14th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] Cryptocurrency gets congressional attention in the $1 .2 trillion.
[6] dollar infrastructure bill.
[7] We'll look at how crypto plays into new tax plans and what it could mean for the increasingly influential industry.
[8] And the Obama Foundation breaks ground next week for a new presidential complex inside a park in Chicago.
[9] But local activists are fighting to stop it, saying the project violates many of the policies former President Obama stood for.
[10] What are activists upset about and will it impact the plans?
[11] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[12] Stay tuned.
[13] We have the news you need to know.
[14] This episode is sponsored by expert ownership.
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[18] The American Booksellers Association has found itself in hot water for including two conservative books and a promotional mailer to bookstores.
[19] One of those books was the bestseller, Blackout, written by one of the personalities here at Daily Wire, Candice Owens.
[20] Last week, the organization released details on the steps it plans to take to prevent sending out similar books in the future.
[21] Here to explain what happened is Daily Wire Entertainment reporter Megan Basham.
[22] Megan, thanks for coming on.
[23] Good to be here, Georgia.
[24] So just give us some background information.
[25] What is the American Booksellers Association?
[26] Sure.
[27] So the American Booksellers Association, it's known in the publishing industry as the ABA.
[28] and it's a non -profit trade group that promotes independent bookstores.
[29] It was founded in 1900, so it really has a very long, very storied history.
[30] Essentially, we're talking about a group with a lot of influence that's very well respected in the book business.
[31] And what happened?
[32] Why is the group in the news right now?
[33] Well, to get the full picture, you really have to go back to July 7th.
[34] So every month, the ABA sends out these promotional book boxes.
[35] They include book lists and review copies of select new titles that retailers might want to consider stocking in their stores.
[36] Well, last month, a staffer mistook a short story collection with a social justice theme titled Blackout for Candice Owen's book of the same name.
[37] So instead of the cover of the short stories, the book list had an image of Owen's book, just, you know, an employee mix up there.
[38] Well, that same box included promotional copies of Abigail Schreier's bestseller, Irreversible Damage.
[39] You may have heard of that book.
[40] Yeah, I have.
[41] Yeah.
[42] So a lot of people have, and it's critical.
[43] of the transgender craze among teen girls.
[44] Well, some shop owners were very angry that these two books were included in that month's selection, and they erred their grievances, as people tend to do these days, on social media.
[45] And at that point, a mob of online activists join them.
[46] And how did the ABA respond?
[47] Well, they sent out two separate apologies.
[48] They said, including these racist, transphobic books in the mailing, did horrific harm that caused violence and pain to the members who received it.
[49] Violence and pain.
[50] Right, exactly.
[51] They also said they traumatized and endangered members of the trans community, erased black authors, and, again, I'm quoting here, that it put the other authors in that month's box in danger of a forced association.
[52] And then finally, they promised they would take steps to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.
[53] So they're concerned that including Owen's book, erases black authors.
[54] Right.
[55] So that was in July, and what happened since then?
[56] So a few days ago, the ABA released the details of that internal audit on how the mistake with the book covers happened.
[57] And it also specified how Schreier's book made it into the box.
[58] So they called the book cover switch a terrible racist mistake.
[59] And they promised that the two employees involved didn't have malicious intent, but that they would receive training so that it doesn't ever happen again.
[60] On Schreier, the process for selecting books for monthly mailers has always been what they call pay to play.
[61] Publishers pay the ABA to get their books in the box, and presumably that's what Schreier's publisher did.
[62] Okay.
[63] So the ABA said from now on there's going to be a review process to screen out those titles that don't adhere to their diversity, equity, and inclusion policy.
[64] So screening out with like a litmus test?
[65] Correct.
[66] And it's a long policy.
[67] I read it.
[68] It's very similar to a lot of stories we've seen with these.
[69] type of policies.
[70] Okay.
[71] And they're instituting training sessions and forums on queer and black issues and, you know, donating money to a host of groups like that.
[72] So that's how they've resolved this issue?
[73] Well, yes, but I have to add, the ABA prides itself on its activism for free speech and First Amendment rights.
[74] So it has this advocacy arm called the American Booksellers for free expression.
[75] And every year, it hosts this big event called Banned Books Week that celebrates freedom to read.
[76] Well, this year's event, which is coming up in September, is Books Unitas.
[77] Censorship divides us.
[78] So by their own mission statement, it's this kind of speech suppression that the ABA should be standing against.
[79] And instead, what we're seeing is that they're joining in.
[80] The irony here is pretty thick.
[81] Yeah, it really is.
[82] Megan, thanks for talking to us.
[83] Thanks for having me. Daily Wire Entertainment reporter Megan Basham.
[84] Next up, the Senate moves to tax cryptocurrency.
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[88] This week, the Senate passed a $1 .2 trillion infrastructure bill after efforts were held up by arguments over the role of cryptocurrency.
[89] Here to discuss his daily wires Ian Howarth.
[90] Good morning, John.
[91] Hi, Ian.
[92] So what's the story here?
[93] Well, it seems like everything is infrastructure, including crypto.
[94] This week, the Senate passed its $1 .2 trillion infrastructure bill and failed to include any of the proposed amendments to do with taxing cryptocurrency earnings.
[95] The debate over taxing crypto held up the bill with the crux of the issue being the vague language used to define crypto brokers, who would now be required to report tax information to the IRS.
[96] Vague language, how so?
[97] Yeah, critics were concerned that the definition of broker was so broad that anyone involved in any kind of crypto transaction could be caught up.
[98] A group of crypto -friendly lawmakers did propose an edit to this language, which was supported by the cryptocurrency lobby, but it was quickly countered, and a compromise amendment was then put forward and rejected, meaning that the infrastructure bill was passed with its original language, basically putting the cryptocurrency industry back where it started.
[99] So this is not the outcome the cryptocurrency.
[100] community would have been hoping for.
[101] Okay, so what does cryptocurrency have to do with infrastructure?
[102] That's a good question.
[103] Democrats are looking for ways to pay for the over $1 trillion infrastructure plan, and they're looking to the relatively unregulated world of cryptocurrency as a potential source of income.
[104] I see.
[105] One solution would be to force crypto brokers to provide tax reporting much in the same way that stock brokers report their customer sales to the IRS.
[106] This strategy also plays into the broader Biden administration goal of cracking down on cryptocurrency in general.
[107] Experts estimate that this proposal could raise $28 billion in revenue over 10 years, which certainly won't make a huge dent in the $1 trillion price tag, but it would be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, revenue raiser of the bill.
[108] How do taxes currently work with cryptocurrency brokers?
[109] Well, right now it's a bit of a Wild West situation.
[110] Some cryptocurrency brokers already report transactions to the IRS, but most don't, at least according to some experts.
[111] So what now?
[112] Well, it's unlikely that lawmakers will see cryptocurrency as an important enough issue to derail this particular infrastructure bill, even though a new blockchain caucus is pushing for fixes to be made.
[113] We should remember, though, that there is time since the new laws won't come into effect until 2023.
[114] And while the crypto industry has lost this particular fight, for now, some are looking at this news as a positive for cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
[115] Really?
[116] How so?
[117] Some experts are saying that this tax reporting language is a sign that D .C. is accepting cryptocurrency as a permanent part of the financial ecosystem, now worthy of government's attention.
[118] In other words, the government is giving up on killing crypto and instead they're choosing to accept it, which means taxing it.
[119] Interesting.
[120] Thanks for the update, Ian.
[121] My pleasure.
[122] Daily Wires, Ian Howers.
[123] Former presidents often create presidential libraries, but Barack Obama has his site set higher with a planned August 16th groundbreaking on a presidential center, including a 235 five -foot museum tower, a conference center, and an athletic center.
[124] But the location, 20 acres inside a lakefront city -owned park, is causing a commotion in Chicago.
[125] My coalition consists of all progressive organizations who share in many ways the same kind of concern.
[126] Is the Obama Foundation largely exempt from all the environmental regulations that apply to everybody else?
[127] And two, is this a breach of the city's fiduciary duties to convey out.
[128] That was law professor Richard Epstein, who's representing neighbors opposed to the project.
[129] Here to tell us more as Daily Wire investigative reporter, Luke, Luke.
[130] Great to be here, John.
[131] So to catch everyone up, the Obama Foundation is planning to build a private complex on city -owned land in the middle of a park, and the city has essentially agreed to lease the land for free.
[132] Do I have that right?
[133] Yes, that's one of the issues here.
[134] The city gave a 99 -year use agreement for land in the of Jackson Park for just $10.
[135] That land is probably worth about $200 million.
[136] So a pretty good bargain for the Obama Foundation.
[137] And this is sparking some pushback?
[138] Right.
[139] The city of Chicago obviously has a lot of needy residents who could use that revenue, whereas the Obama Foundation has about $500 million in the bank.
[140] Epstein says this is taking public property and giving it to a private interest.
[141] He also mentioned the environment.
[142] I'm guessing that has to do with the lake.
[143] That's part of it.
[144] The Obama administration made it very hard for everyone to build near waterways because of the environmental impacts.
[145] Now, this property is so near a marsh that it may need to be built on special pylons.
[146] It will also require cutting down 800 of the park's trees.
[147] Plus, the high rise is in the middle of a major bird migration route.
[148] Bird migration, what are they doing about that one?
[149] Well, the Obama team's response was to wait until after this year's migration season.
[150] Okay.
[151] The good news is I'm sure this thing is going to get thousands of visitors a year, which could have economic benefits, right?
[152] It could, but that money is not likely to make its way to places like the South Side that really need it, given the location of this project.
[153] Now, if you want to buy 20 acres of a major city, you could look to an impoverished neighborhood where land is readily available and which could really use that investment.
[154] Right.
[155] But the Obama Foundation seems really set on this Park Avenue address and the tower that can be seen from the water.
[156] So there will be visitors spending money, but they won't necessarily be close to areas of the city that might need the income the most.
[157] Exactly.
[158] And residents are upset about the car traffic, too.
[159] To create access to buildings in the park, the city is rerouting commuter traffic, and roadwork is costing another $175 million.
[160] And that's another thing that may be in contrast to President Obama's policies, which encouraged regular Americans to rely on mass transit.
[161] This project will only be accessible by car, and will have a 400 car garage.
[162] So these criticisms appear to be coming mainly from the left.
[163] Are they getting any traction?
[164] The opponents haven't found any success in court or through political channels.
[165] Epstein points out that the Obamas are obviously very powerful, both with the Biden administration and in Chicago.
[166] Right.
[167] Once ground is broken this month, there's probably no turning back.
[168] Right.
[169] Thanks for filling us in, Luke.
[170] Great talking with you.
[171] Daily Wires, Luke Roziak.
[172] Other developments that we're tracking this week, Florida Republican senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott added an amendment to the Democrats' $3 .5 trillion budget resolution to provide internet access for anti -communism protesters in Cuba.
[173] The amendment would create a deficit -neutral reserve fund to be used to, quote, build up and deploy existing technology on the island.
[174] And for a weekend sports update, Daily Wire Sports Reporter, Joe Morgan.
[175] The first full slate of NFL preseason games are underway this weekend, and the preseason top 25 in college football has been released.
[176] In the NFL, there are 10 games on the docket today, highlighted by 2020 first -round draft pick Jordan Love, getting the start for the Green Bay Packers against the Houston.
[177] Texans.
[178] Carolina and Indianapolis are the lone game on Sunday.
[179] In college football, Nick Sabin and the Alabama Crimson Tide are the clear number one ranked team in the country.
[180] Clemson comes in at number two, with Oklahoma coming in at number three.
[181] Alabama opens the season September 4th against number 16 Miami, while Clemson starts the season against number five, Georgia.
[182] If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morningwire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five -star review.
[183] That's all the time we've got this morning.
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