Morning Wire XX
[0] The frantic effort to airlift Americans out of Haiti continues as the country descends into near total gang control.
[1] Nothing will take hold unless we have a multinational force to actually go into Haiti and restore order.
[2] Why are some blaming the U .S. for Haiti's political tailspin?
[3] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor -in -chief John Bickley.
[4] It's Thursday, March 21st, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] Donald Trump calls for a 100 -presenter.
[6] percent tariff on Chinese cars manufactured in Mexico.
[7] What he is doing is talking to the American worker and to the auto workers of Detroit who have been betrayed by this government because EVs have not worked out.
[8] Why are some Democrats embracing the idea?
[9] And the Biden administration is massively expanding access for refugee resettlement in the U .S. Why are some officials raising red flags about national security risks?
[10] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[11] Stay tuned.
[12] We have the news you need to be.
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[19] That's Policy As gangs continue to terrorize Haiti, the U .S. looks to extract Americans trapped in the Caribbean nation.
[20] Meanwhile, international leaders debate how to tamp down the violence and restore order.
[21] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the deepening crisis in Haiti and its impacts and links to the U .S. Hey, Tim.
[22] So how many Americans are in Haiti right now?
[23] At least hundreds.
[24] A State Department spokesman said Tuesday that close to 1 ,000 people have filled crisis forms to request government help to leave the country.
[25] It's not clear how high that number could rise.
[26] Some people have already begun to evacuate Haiti on their own.
[27] This week, a plane chartered by Christian missionaries landed in Florida from Haiti with 10 U .S. nationals on it.
[28] The State Department is still exploring its options to get people out, and it's understandable if many are tired of the wait.
[29] After all, it's been close to two weeks since the government fell apart, and gangs took over the nation's capital on Port of Prince.
[30] With U .S. backing, the African country of Kenya was supposed to send a force of 1 ,000 police officers to help restore order in Haiti.
[31] But that mission has been put on hold until a provisional government can be put in place.
[32] All right.
[33] So still not much help coming.
[34] What role has the Biden administration been playing thus far in the crisis?
[35] Well, it's involved in attempts to stabilize the situation in a few ways.
[36] The U .S. is supposed to underwrite the cost of the Kenyan police force if and when those officers ever get the green light to go to Haiti.
[37] The White House has also requested that Congress approve $40 million in aid for Haiti.
[38] Republicans have put a pause on that, though, over concerns that any aid sent to the country unprepared could be stolen by the gangs that have taken control.
[39] And finally, the U .S. is one of the countries involved in bringing together the provisional government that is expected to take over Haiti.
[40] Morning Wire spoke to Center for Immigration Studies Senior National Security Fellow Todd Benzman to get a better idea of the United States' relationship with Haiti.
[41] He said the Biden administration actually played a significant role in Haiti's decline.
[42] That's because in 2021, Biden agreed to continue to support Haiti's government after it canceled elections in return for taking back thousands of Haitians that had ended up on the U .S. southern border.
[43] The administration made a deal with the provisional prime minister to put him in charge permanently in that he could scuttle those elections, cancel them.
[44] And that's what happened in exchange for permission to deport Haitians from the Texas camp.
[45] That decision doomed Haiti to what it is now suffering.
[46] It put Haiti into an irrevocable spiral down that finally ended this way with gangs in charge and that provisional prime minister run out of office as gangs take over.
[47] Now, because of this unrest, the U .S. is expecting a fresh wave of Haitian migrants into Florida.
[48] How has the U .S. responded to that situation?
[49] Well, on a state level, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has surged resources to the coast to supplement the Coast Guard's patrols.
[50] But even with all those resources, there's no guarantee that every boat carrying Haitians will be intercepted.
[51] Here's Benzman explaining.
[52] There are hundreds of thousands of square nautical miles out there of ocean.
[53] So you have to have enough assets to actually cover the territory and be able to tell where these boats are in their journey to Florida.
[54] So if there are enough boats coming through, they may not catch all of them or they may only catch a small percentage of them.
[55] Along with that, DeSantis is actively working to get Americans out of Haiti.
[56] In fact, he announced Wednesday that Florida had flown 14 Americans back to the U .S. Well, that's certainly some good news.
[57] Tim, thanks for reporting.
[58] Thanks for having me. Donald Trump's recent remarks in favor of imposing staggering tariffs on Chinese cars in the American market have garnered a rare moment of praise from both Republicans and Democrats.
[59] Democrats.
[60] In the same speech that caused an uproar over Trump's use of the term bloodbath, the former president called for 100 percent tariffs on Chinese vehicles manufactured in Mexico.
[61] And that part of his speech is gaining significant bipartisan support.
[62] Here to discuss the rare kumbaya moment as Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
[63] So what is Trump's proposal here and why is it being received so favorably?
[64] Morning, John.
[65] Trump is warning that cheap Chinese cars, especially in the electric vehicle market pose a serious threat to American car manufacturers, a threat exacerbated by the fact that Chinese EV powerhouse BYD is planning to open a factory in Mexico.
[66] Candidate Trump's answer to this is 100 % tariffs as he laid out here.
[67] Let me tell you something to China.
[68] If you're listening, President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal, those big monster car manufacturing plants that you're building.
[69] in Mexico right now, and you think you're going to not hire Americans and you're going to sell the cars to us now, we're going to put a 100 % tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those guys.
[70] If I get elected.
[71] Not surprisingly, many Republicans were thrilled by this proposition, but in this case, we're also seeing some Democrats, especially those in states like Michigan with a lot of auto manufacturing jobs, who are on board with the Trump plan.
[72] Deputy Dingell, a Democrat, said, quote, I really, really, really, really am going to be intense about ensuring that automobiles made by China aren't going to get any benefit from trade agreements, end quote.
[73] That's five reallys, John, which really is a lot.
[74] Really is.
[75] Now, what exactly is the nature of the threat to U .S. automakers from China?
[76] We're used to hearing that more about Japan.
[77] What has changed?
[78] I mean, China's gotten much deeper, to the auto marketplace, in fact, overtaking Japan now in sales.
[79] Again, its main focus is electric vehicles.
[80] This Chinese EV firm, BYD, has overtaken Tesla as the largest producer in that sector.
[81] China is also in control of as much as 85 % of the rare earth minerals needed for these newfangled cars.
[82] Obviously, that's a massive advantage, especially at a time when the U .S. government is subsidizing the purchase of EVs.
[83] Trump's proposal with tariffs so high that BYD's VD's VVs.
[84] vehicles would be unaffordable for Americans, seeks to undercut China's efforts to take advantage of these economic conditions at the expense of American firms.
[85] What does this apparent support for the tariffs against China mean?
[86] Does this signal a further shift from the U .S. government toward looking at communist China as a real threat or even enemy?
[87] It does, and it's not happening in a vacuum.
[88] Just last week, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly and bipartisanly passed legislation to divest a Chinese -com.
[89] from TikTok or ban the social media platform.
[90] And in fact, on Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers actually asked the Biden administration to impose tariffs on Chinese -made drones.
[91] Though this month, President Biden urged that he wants competition, not conflict, with the communist power.
[92] That is a needle that could be increasingly difficult to thread, especially given that calls for aggressive economic action against China are now coming from inside his own party.
[93] Yeah.
[94] Is it significant that this agreement with Trump comes in the shadow of so much controversy about him using the term bloodbath in the same context, in the same speech?
[95] I think so.
[96] It's sort of classic Trump, right?
[97] First, there's outrage over the way he says something, and then that wears off, and people say, oh, well, maybe we should consider this.
[98] The Biden campaign pounced all over the bloodbath line in an ad they put together very quickly, and now it will be interesting to see if they have to address whether Biden, would pursue similar tariffs.
[99] And this really is the Republican presidential playbook in 2024.
[100] His campaign motto is basically ignore the people with their hair on fire over rhetoric and remember Trump's results.
[101] Yeah, well, we'll see soon how that plays.
[102] Yeah, we will.
[103] Dave, thanks for coming on.
[104] Thanks for having me. A State Department program called Welcome Corps allows Americans to help refugees come to the U .S. Critics are saying there are national security risks posed.
[105] by the program as well as concerns about social integration.
[106] Daily Wire investigative reporter Marita Lorty is here with the details.
[107] Hemerade.
[108] So a lot of people may not have heard of this program before.
[109] Tell us about this Welcome Corps.
[110] Hi, John.
[111] Right.
[112] So this is a very controversial program.
[113] Welcome Corps is part of the State Department's refugee admissions program.
[114] It was started a year ago under the Biden administration, and the way it works is it pairs private sponsors, often everyday people, with refugees.
[115] The sponsor groups greet the refugees at the airport and help them find housing, jobs, and schools for their children.
[116] They must raise money to support the refugees for their first 90 days in the country.
[117] Sponsors don't have to be U .S. citizens.
[118] They can be green cardholders, and some former refugees have later become sponsors.
[119] Now the program is expanding to let non -citizens, green cardholders, recommend specific refugees to sponsor, which could conceivably mean friends and family.
[120] This marks the first time Americans have been allowed to do that.
[121] How big is this program?
[122] How many refugees have private sponsors resettled so far?
[123] Last month, the State Department celebrated the first year of Welcome Corps.
[124] They said the program has been a big success.
[125] More than 15 ,000 Americans have applied to sponsor about 7 ,000 refugees through the program, from countries including Cuba, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Syria.
[126] These refugees have settled in several states, including Arizona, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Texas.
[127] The program is also now helping refugees take classes.
[128] classes on campus at 19 universities.
[129] So far, 35 refugee students are enrolled for this fall.
[130] And beyond that, the Welcome Corps at Work part of the program will match refugees with U .S. employers in industries like hospitality, health care, and technology.
[131] Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the program.
[132] The Welcome Corps will allow Americans to do what we do best.
[133] Be guides and friends to our new neighbors.
[134] Put them on a path to realizing their full potential to benefit not just of refugee families, but all our families.
[135] As you noted, this program is very controversial.
[136] So what are critics saying?
[137] Well, obviously, this program comes amid a huge migrant crisis, and that's partly why critics are so upset.
[138] The Trump administration limited refugees to 15 ,000 per year, but the Biden administration massively expanded that number to 125 ,000 a year.
[139] Critics say states and cities are already groaning under pressure to house tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived here under the Biden administration.
[140] They also say they don't have total faith in the refugee resettlement.
[141] program to vet refugees properly for national security concerns, especially given the new rule that sponsors can ask to sponsor specific individuals.
[142] Also, the Welcome Corps program is supposed to help refugees integrate into U .S. culture when they're dropped into communities, but critics have serious doubts about how successful the program is with that aspect of resettlement.
[143] We should note, too, the Biden administration has other programs to bring in people from the same countries.
[144] A new program launched last year is trying to bring in 100 ,000 Ukrainians.
[145] Another program allows up to to 30 ,000 Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian, and Nicaraguan migrants to fly into the U .S. if they have a sponsor here.
[146] Haitian migrants there, too.
[147] Speaking of the migrant crisis, what's the latest there?
[148] Sure.
[149] Well, as we've reported, cities like New York, Chicago, and others are struggling to find shelter and food for tens of thousands of new migrants.
[150] Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the city will scale back its right to shelter law amid a crisis of 183 ,000 new migrants who've arrived since spring 2022.
[151] We have been clear since day one that the right to shelter was never intended to apply to large -scale migrant populations arriving without housing or legal work status in such a short period of time.
[152] And meanwhile, President Biden's approval rating on immigration hit an all -time low of 32 % last month and his overall approval rating remains low as well.
[153] It's certainly an issue that just continues to dog Biden this election year.
[154] Marit, thanks for reporting.
[155] Thanks, John.
[156] Thanks for waking up with us.
[157] We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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