Morning Wire XX
[0] At least 10 countries have launched digital currencies, and almost 100 more are exploring the idea, including the U .S. The implications for privacy and freedom are frightening.
[1] What are the potential benefits of a centralized digital currency, and why are critics sounding the alarm?
[2] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[3] It's March 25th, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
[4] A new report is shedding light on where most...
[5] of the Department of Health and Human Services, money for sex education goes.
[6] They've been able to create about 30 different options.
[7] So when a parent says, you know, we object to this curriculum, they just adopt another one of the 30.
[8] We have the details.
[9] And California's governor has asked the Biden administration to approve a new program that would cover several months of rent for the homeless using federal health care funds.
[10] We break down the cost and critiques.
[11] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[12] Stay tuned.
[13] We have the news you need to know.
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[22] A year ago, President Biden issued an executive order directing a study on the pros and cons of digitizing the dollar.
[23] Here with more on the rise of digital currency and why it's so controversial is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
[24] Cabot, what can you tell us about this latest tech revolution in the financial industry?
[25] Well, the general term is central bank digital currency or CBDC.
[26] The basic idea is to create digital versions of every major global currency, dollars, euros, pounds, the list goes on.
[27] Now, unlike cryptocurrency, which are typically decentralized and not controlled by any one entity, these new currencies are directly issued, controlled, and backed by the government.
[28] They're centralized.
[29] Now, it's different in every country, but generally in this system, every citizen has a digital wallet created by a central bank in America, that would be the Fed, where the money is deposited and stored.
[30] This is revolutionary in that it would give central banks, a .k. the government, direct access to people's finances.
[31] All right.
[32] So this prompts a lot of questions.
[33] But first, have other countries already adopted something like this?
[34] Yes.
[35] So globally, 114 countries representing 95 % of the world's economy have already implemented or are actively exploring digital currencies of their own.
[36] And the U .S. is no exception.
[37] There are currently about two dozen states with pending legislation that would alter the definition of money in their state to include centralized digital currency.
[38] And then last March, President Biden issued an executive order calling on the federal government to, quote, assess the technological infrastructure and capacity needs for a potential U .S. central bank digital currency.
[39] And then in November, the Federal Reserve Bank in New York worked with banks like City, MasterCard, and Wells Fargo to test a simulated digital currency exchange.
[40] Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has said that final authorization would need to come from Congress, but that his, quote, mind is open to the idea of digitizing the dollar and that he would be looking into whether, quote, the benefits outweigh the costs.
[41] So let's get to those benefits and then we'll get to the cost.
[42] Well, the main argument from supporters is that it will make financial systems more efficient by reducing the need for cash production and distribution.
[43] Supporters, mostly from the left, also commonly argue that a digital currency would improve equity in the financial system.
[44] They claim that banks can discriminate based on race and are less prevalent in inner cities and that this will allow everyone equal access to the global financial system.
[45] And then there's the criminal element.
[46] Supporters say that mandating digital currency will make it harder for criminals to launder money or conduct other illegal activity because the federal government will be able to view every transaction that's made.
[47] But that is where the privacy argument comes in.
[48] Yeah, so the government would be involved in every financial transaction.
[49] Right.
[50] So critics say the digital currency sounds convenient but is a major infringement on privacy and ultimately makes it easier for governments and corporations to exert control over private citizens.
[51] They say it's only a matter of time before people with opinions deemed unacceptable or offensive will lose access to their money.
[52] They point to China, for example, where those given poor social credit scores by the Communist Party are then restricted from buying certain products.
[53] For example, the Associated Press reports that there were 23 million times last year where Chinese citizens were restricted from purchasing plane or train tickets due to a poor credit score.
[54] And a digital currency makes it feasible to implement a policy like that, but it's not just China.
[55] Critics also point to Canada, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently froze the personal funds of demonstrators protesting vaccine mandates.
[56] And then here in America, a few months later where PayPal announced that they'd be withdrawing funds from customers' accounts if they were promoting racism or supposed misinformation.
[57] One leading critic has been famed economist Steve Forbes.
[58] He claims that Fed -controlled digital currency would have major consequences for your financial freedom.
[59] It would be an irresistible drug for central banks trying to direct the economy.
[60] If they think the economy's overheating, they could freeze a certain percentage of your cash.
[61] Or if these poobas decide that things are too slow, they could punish people who they can are saving too much.
[62] Spend it or lose it, they could decree.
[63] Now, you mentioned that this program was in the works in about 20 states.
[64] Is there currently any pushback?
[65] Yeah, there has been some.
[66] So earlier this week in South Dakota, Republican Governor Kristi Noem vetoed a bill that would redefine how her state would classify money to exclude cryptocurrencies and include central bank digital currencies.
[67] And then on Monday, Florida Governor Ronda Santos called to the state legislature to pass a bill blocking centralized digital currencies from the state, threat to privacy and freedom.
[68] He made the announcement at a press conference behind a podium reading, quote, Big Brothers Digital Dollar.
[69] Any way they can get into society to exercise their agenda, they will do it.
[70] So what the central bank digital currency is all about is surveilling Americans and controlling behavior of Americans.
[71] And how do we know?
[72] Because we've seen this happen in other parts of the world.
[73] Well, an issue that could potentially impact every one of us.
[74] so I'm sure we'll be diving into this even more.
[75] Cabot, thanks for reporting.
[76] Anytime.
[77] That's Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
[78] A new report shows that 80 % of the funds the Department of Health and Human Services distributes for sex education is going to plan parenthood or planned parenthood affiliates.
[79] The report's authors say this is leading to sex ed programs that conflict with many families' values.
[80] Here to tell us more about what specifically being taught in this sex ed curricula is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
[81] So, Megan, just to start, I think that number will be eye -popping to a lot of people.
[82] Planned Parenthood is apparently receiving 80 % of federal sex ed grants.
[83] Yes, according to a new report from the Claremont Institute, for the last three years, curricula either written or endorsed by Planned Parenthood and its affiliates won 194 out of 243 federal grants.
[84] Now, the way Planned Parenthood was able to do that is it had a hand in helping set the national sexuality education standards that HHS uses in deciding who it's going to give grants to.
[85] So the study's authors said Planned Parenthood has been able to, quote, carefully control and coordinate the entire policymaking process when it comes to sex ed.
[86] So I spoke to Anna Miller, who is one of the studies authors and is director of the Center for American Education at the Idaho Freedom Foundation.
[87] And she said these programs are being used pretty much everywhere in the country.
[88] What they've done is they've gotten into the sex education market, and they've created a huge variety of curriculum.
[89] There's about 30 different curriculum that these different Planned Parenthood affiliates endorse.
[90] And each of these curriculums are funded in different ways in just about every state across the country and delivered to school children.
[91] So now a little more than 40 % of the school districts across the nation use that Planned Parenthood curriculum.
[92] Now, I understand some sex ed programs are supposed to be abstinence only.
[93] Is Planned Parenthood also developing curricula for those as well?
[94] Right.
[95] That's correct.
[96] The Trump administration earmarked some sex ed grants only for abstinence programs.
[97] And yes, that mostly went to Planned Parenthood and its partners also.
[98] But this study found that these are not the kind of abstinence lessons parents probably expect when they hear that word.
[99] The resources offered included a website on how to obtain an abortion and articles teaching that transgender men can get pregnant and some other things like that.
[100] Here's what Miller shared about that.
[101] So under this new definition, it becomes consistent with all different manner of having sex, with obscenity, with sexual orientation, teaching children about gender transitioning and other practices.
[102] Basically, what sounds like wait for marriage to the average person actually becomes taking puberty blockers and genital mutilation.
[103] So why is this happening in Republican -led states where you'd expect a little more resistance to this?
[104] Well, you know, the issue is that state standards aren't always being set by the State Department of Education or even through school districts.
[105] Sometimes they're distributed through the departments of health.
[106] And Miller gave the example of her home state of Idaho, which is one of the most Republican states in the country.
[107] There, she found that Planned Parenthood programs are being taught in 14 districts across the state, including some of the most Republican.
[108] And the state legislature was told that these were programs that would educate on how to prevent teen pregnancy and prevent STDs.
[109] So they approved them without really looking into them.
[110] And in a lot of cases, state lawmakers, just like that, aren't really paying attention.
[111] All right.
[112] Well, good reminder.
[113] Always pay attention to what your kids are learning.
[114] Megan, thanks for reporting.
[115] Yeah, my pleasure.
[116] That was Daily Wire Culture reporter, Megan Basham.
[117] California Governor Gavin Newsom recently asked President Biden to approve a new program known as transitional rent.
[118] under Medi -Cal, the state's version of Medicaid.
[119] The program would cover at least six months of rent for the state's disproportionately large homeless population and for those on the brink of losing their housing.
[120] Joining us to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Brandon Dre.
[121] Okay, Brandon, this sounds like a bold move from California considering the state's homeless population continues to increase.
[122] How could this work?
[123] Hey, John, right.
[124] It's definitely risky.
[125] 30 % of the nation's homeless population lives in California, while the state's median rent averages around $3 ,000 a month.
[126] But to answer your question, legally, it can't work.
[127] Using federal Medicaid dollars to pay for rent or housing development is prohibited by law.
[128] Despite that rule, Newsom reportedly said that he's been in conversation with President Biden about tapping into federal health care funds to pay the so -called transitional rent program, which state officials have modeled after similar federally approved programs in Arizona and Oregon.
[129] But basically, the program would give up to six months of rental payments for select enrollees of the state's health care system.
[130] Those include homeless individuals or those at risk of becoming homeless.
[131] It's also supposed to help transition people coming from mental health crisis centers, jails, prisons, and the foster care system, and those who are in and out of emergency rooms.
[132] I see.
[133] So the broader question here, why is the governor pushing housing as a form of health care?
[134] California has been trying to convince the federal government the housing is a health care issue for quite some time.
[135] So this isn't necessarily a new request from Newsome and state officials.
[136] But Newsoment supporters of the aid argued that the system isn't working and that temporarily covering rent for homeless people would actually save taxpayers' money rather than paying more into California's institutional care.
[137] Researchers at the Public Policy Institute of California reported that 5 % of Medi -Cal patients account for 44 % of the program is spending.
[138] In 2019, almost half of those homeless patients visited the emergency department four or more times in the year, and about 70 % of those were covered, mainly by the state health care program.
[139] Have there been any trials or studies to back up those arguments from Newsom?
[140] So the LA Times reported housing support programs funded by health care systems had demonstrated that covering rent or security deposits have shown early success in making people healthier.
[141] But none of those experiments were for an extended period of time.
[142] California also conducted a pilot program called Whole Person Care, which showed through local trials that the reduction in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, saved an average of $383 per Medi -Cal beneficiary per year.
[143] That's a small amount compared to how much the state has actually spent in local experiments.
[144] A UCLA health policy researcher told the times that over the last five years, California had spent $3 .6 billion for about $250 ,000 patients enrolled in these programs.
[145] And what do the opponents of this plan, this rent support plan, say?
[146] So insurers are sounding the alarm saying that implementing this initiative won't necessarily save the health care.
[147] system money.
[148] And experts in the industry have reportedly said that even though a six -month cushion for homeless people sounds nice, it doesn't necessarily solve California's bigger issue, lack of affordable housing.
[149] Okay, so if they do approve the plan and the state moves forward, when would this go into effect and how much would it cost?
[150] Well, if the Biden administration authorizes the plan, then those who qualify could begin receiving payments by 2025.
[151] Now, as far as the cost goes, the program could eventually cost the state approximately $117 million annually after it's fully implemented.
[152] So far, about 11 ,000 people that stand a benefit have already enrolled.
[153] Newsom announced last weekend that state officials plan to ask lawmakers to put an initiative on the 2024 ballot, which would essentially mix California's mental health system with new treatment beds and supportive housing for people struggling with mental illness and addiction disorders, many of whom are homeless.
[154] Voters will be asked to pull about $1 billion a year for supportive housing from an existing tax on California millionaires that fund.
[155] the local mental health programs.
[156] The bond measure is estimated to generate between three to five billion dollars for psychiatric housing and treatment villages for more than 10 ,000 additional people a year.
[157] Well, as you said, the state's homeless problem appears to be reaching a kind of a crisis point.
[158] We'll see if this program helps or hurts the situation.
[159] Brandon, thanks for coming on.
[160] Thank you for having me. That was Daily Wire reporter, Brandon Dre.
[161] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[162] Thanks for waking up with us.
[163] We'll be back later this afternoon with an extra edition of Morning Wire.