Tuesday | August 17, 2021

[0] President Biden addresses the nation as the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan.

[1] I want to speak today to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.

[2] With tragic reports of violence amid the Taliban takeover, we'll look at the latest developments on the ground in Afghanistan and how the U .S. is responding.

[3] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.

[4] It's Tuesday, August 17th, and this is Morning Wire.

[5] A power struggle over mask mandates in schools raised in several states, where governors, local officials, and judges are feuding over the issue.

[6] With state Supreme Courts and the Biden administration weighing in on the debate, we'll look at the most recent mask mandate moves in Texas, Florida, and other states.

[7] And America has changed dramatically over the last decade, with demographics shifting significantly.

[8] More people moving to cities and people fleeing some states and flooding others.

[9] What does new census data tell us about America in 2021?

[10] And what does it mean for the future?

[11] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.

[12] Stay tuned.

[13] We have the news you need to know.

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[20] After the Taliban swept across Afghanistan and captured the capital city Kabul, the Biden administration has faced a swift backlash for its withdrawal strategy.

[21] Facing severe pressure, President Biden gave an address on Monday afternoon.

[22] Here to discuss is Daily Wires Ian Howarth.

[23] Welcome Ian.

[24] Good morning.

[25] Before we dive into the political blowback that we're seeing here, as well as President Biden's response, are there any updates from the ground since last time we talked?

[26] Well, much of the chaos witnessed most recently surrounds the attempts by, U .S. personnel and Afghan refugees to flee Afghanistan.

[27] With the Taliban toppling the Afghan government, Kabul Airport has become the center for U .S. operations after they were forced to abandon the embassy on Sunday.

[28] Afghan civilians have flooded the tarmac at the airport in a desperate attempt to escape, with some heart -wrenching videos showing people falling thousands of feet from planes as they rose into the air, playing further into the criticism of many that the collapse of Kabul is, quote, Saigon on steroids.

[29] The latest news is that the U .S. military has suspended air operations to try and clear the airfield as they continue to evacuate embassy personnel.

[30] And this has sparked huge backlash here in the U .S., correct?

[31] That's right.

[32] There are many layers here, but a significant factor we really have to consider is that President Biden was silent throughout the weekend, only returning from the presidential country retreat, Camp David, on Monday afternoon.

[33] On Sunday evening, the White House announced that there would be no press availability for the president on Monday, while requests for comment for White House press secretary Jen Saki were returned with an out -of -office notification as she was reportedly on vacation.

[34] But President Biden did end up giving an address on Monday.

[35] Yes, although some analysts pointed out that Biden's return was only decided after several other European leaders gave their own address about Afghanistan.

[36] Okay.

[37] The core of Biden's address was directed mostly towards explaining his decision and why he believes it was the right call.

[38] He said that he stands by his decision to withdraw while criticizing the speed of the breakdown of of Afghanistan's own forces.

[39] Biden claimed that they had planned for every contingency, which included the rapid collapse of Afghanistan, but this did appear to counter his earlier promises that the events we're witnessing right now would not happen.

[40] We were clear -eyed about the risk.

[41] We planned for every contingency.

[42] President Biden then moved to frame the subject by discussing what he believed the goals of the war in Afghanistan should be, which he then used to justify his decision.

[43] He argued that the goals were clear in 2001 and that the U .S. achieved its objective of preventing al -Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a base of operations for terrorism.

[44] Biden then placed some blame on the previous administration, saying that he inherited an agreement with the Taliban which was brokered during the Trump administration.

[45] He argued that his hands were effectively tied, even though some critics argued that the Taliban failed to meet their end of the bargain.

[46] When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban.

[47] U .S. forces had already drawn down during the Trump administration from roughly President Biden did admit that the events unfolded far faster than they planned for, though.

[48] And he also placed blame at the feet of the Afghan government and Afghan forces, which he said refused to fight.

[49] The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.

[50] So what's happened?

[51] Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country.

[52] He concluded by saying that the Taliban will face swift and forceful consequences if they attack U .S. personnel or disrupt the evacuation process, all while the Taliban continue to advance.

[53] A lot to unpack here.

[54] Thanks for the update, Ian.

[55] Thanks for having me. Daily Wires, Ian Howarth.

[56] Coming up, the power struggle over mask mandates and schools intensifies.

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[58] This means that millions of jobs will need to be filled.

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[63] Last week, we discussed an ongoing court battle between the Texas Republican governor and local officials who want to defy the governor's executive order banning mask mandates in the state.

[64] Here to discuss the latest developments in Texas and other states and the Biden administration's recent involvement is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pince Bond.

[65] Hi, Charlotte.

[66] Morning.

[67] So Charlotte, what's the latest from Texas?

[68] So over the weekend, the Texas Supreme Court gave Governor Abbott a win.

[69] They ruled in favor of Abbott's request to block the rulings from judges last week in Dallas and Bear County that gave local officials the power to ignore the governor's ban and issue their own mask mandates.

[70] But now, the Texas Supreme Court says they can't, at least for now, until the court makes its final decision.

[71] Abbott pointed out over the weekend that his order doesn't prohibit anyone from wearing a mask, that anyone who wants to wear a mask can, even in schools.

[72] Okay, so that's in Texas.

[73] What about in other states?

[74] In Florida, there has been a similar debate going on between local officials and Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed an executive order last month, giving parents the power to decide if they want to mask their kids in schools.

[75] Right.

[76] The governor's administration said last week that the State Board of Education could impose financial penalties if school administrators go against his order.

[77] But the chairwoman of Broward County School Board said Sunday they will go against DeSantis's order and enforce a mask mandate.

[78] So we've seen the Biden administration has gotten involved in this issue.

[79] What are they saying now?

[80] Right.

[81] On Friday, the Biden administration further involved themselves in the Florida and Texas mask debates.

[82] U .S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote letters to DeSantis and Abbott about their executive orders.

[83] He told DeSantis he was, quote, deeply concerned about his order and the statements made by his office.

[84] He added that school districts can choose to use funds from the American Rescue Plan to address issues from the state enforcing penalties on local districts in Florida.

[85] So they could use the federal money if DeSantis's administration finds them?

[86] Right.

[87] Okay.

[88] And Cardona says they can do it at their own discretion.

[89] He also said that if the Florida Department of Education doesn't work with his department, the federal government will work directly with the school districts.

[90] Cardona made similar arguments in his letter to Abbott, suggesting that Texas's actions may affect the ability to create policies required by federal law and could impact their ability to receive relief funds.

[91] President Biden also called superintendents in Florida and Arizona on Friday who have put forward mask mandates against their state's policies.

[92] Biden, quote, commended their leadership and courage.

[93] Meanwhile, DeSantis has pushed back on the federal government, getting involved in his state.

[94] The fact of matter is, the parents are in the best position to know what's best for their kids.

[95] But the idea that the federal government would get involved in that, I think obviously it would be very inappropriate.

[96] What about other states?

[97] Are any others battling like this over masks?

[98] Definitely.

[99] For example, in Colorado, local law enforcement have said they'll have to be at schools on Monday because of increasing, quote, tensions in the community over the school district's mask mandate.

[100] At least seven states have banned school mask mandates, but in at least 12 states, masks are required at schools.

[101] Most other states just leave it up to local officials to decide.

[102] The larger issue here is over the involvement of the federal government in states affairs.

[103] It's coming down to masks, but it could be setting the stage for a much broader debate in the future.

[104] Charlotte, thanks for coming on.

[105] Thanks for having me. Daily Wires, Charlotte Pence -Bond.

[106] New data from the most recent census is out, offering a glimpse into the changing demographics of the U .S. Here to discuss the most noteworthy changes and how the new data could impact the political landscape is Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips.

[107] Hey, Cabot.

[108] Good morning.

[109] So first off, what's the political impact of the census?

[110] Well, most notably, census data helps determine a state's representation in Congress.

[111] Right.

[112] The more you grow, the more members you get, and vice versa.

[113] The data also plays a role in allocating electoral votes and also helps determine how much funding states can get from the federal government throughout the year.

[114] Which states benefited the most?

[115] So Texas appears to be the winner on that front.

[116] They'll be adding two members of Congress.

[117] No other state can say that.

[118] Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Colorado, and Montana will also pick up one seat.

[119] And seven states, most notably New York and California, will actually be losing a member of Congress due to lower rates of population growth.

[120] And that's actually the first time California has ever lost a seat.

[121] Yeah, first time.

[122] And did one party benefit more than the other with this data?

[123] We won't really know the answer to.

[124] that question until the fall.

[125] That's when states finalize the process of redrawing congressional lines.

[126] And that's often where things get messy, as both sides try to draw lines that will improve their odds of gaining seats.

[127] For example, states controlled by Democrats will try to capitalize on urban growth by redrawing lines to create as many districts as possible close to cities.

[128] They basically want to maximize the impact of their voter base.

[129] Republicans, they'll do the same thing, but the other way around, as their strongholds are typically in more rural areas.

[130] And it's the census data that helps sway where those lines are drawn.

[131] So this sounds like gerrymandering.

[132] That's one way of looking at it.

[133] At this point, neither party really tries to hide their intentions.

[134] So what sort of insights did we get from the data with regards to American life in 2020?

[135] There were a few key takeaways, but most notable was just the mass migration of Americans from rural to urban areas.

[136] Really?

[137] Yeah, experts had predicted a stark increase in the number of people moving to cities, but this exceeded expectations.

[138] While the overall population of America increased, half of all U .S. counties, almost all of them rural, actually saw a decrease in size.

[139] Oh, wow.

[140] Pretty much all of the country's population growth was occurring in cities.

[141] And as a result, for the first time ever, the U .S. now has 10 cities with the population over a million.

[142] Wow.

[143] And from a demographic standpoint, what did we learn?

[144] One of the key takeaways from the data is just how diverse America is becoming.

[145] White people are still the largest demographic, but their share of the population decreased by 8 .6%.

[146] percent over the last decade.

[147] That's the first time in census history that we saw a decrease in the overall number of white Americans.

[148] Interesting.

[149] According to the data, a large part of that increased diversity is due to immigration, but it's also due the fact that white families are having fewer children on average than black and Hispanic families from what we saw in the census.

[150] One thing that jumped out in the data was that our population growth as a whole has actually slowed.

[151] Yeah.

[152] What's causing that?

[153] So the U .S. population grew at only 7 .4 % over the last decade.

[154] Now, for context, that's the slowest rate of growth we've seen since the Great Depression.

[155] While people weren't having kids back then due to extreme poverty, the reasons this time around are pretty different.

[156] The most obvious cause is just that young people are waiting longer to get married and have kids.

[157] According to the data, the average man is now over 30 years old when he first marries, and the average woman is 28.

[158] In 2000, those numbers were 27 and 25.

[159] Oh, that's a big change.

[160] Yeah.

[161] Experts also point to the student debt crisis and increased presence of women.

[162] in the workforce as reasons for Americans putting off having kids.

[163] And decline in the population growth rate may not be initially concerning, but long -term from what we're told, as baby boomers and Gen Xers hit retirement, there could end up being a massive labor shortage if population growth doesn't start to increase again.

[164] A lot of complex data.

[165] Thanks for breaking it down for us, Cabot.

[166] Absolutely.

[167] Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips.

[168] Other big stories we're tracking this week.

[169] At least two tropical storms could hit the U .S. this week.

[170] Tropical storm Fred made landfall in the Florida panhandle on Monday.

[171] Southern Alabama, areas of Georgia, and the Carolinas are also expected to be affected.

[172] Tropical Depression, Grace, is dropping heavy rain on the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

[173] Over the weekend, Haiti was devastated by a massive earthquake that killed nearly 1 ,300 people.

[174] Grace could head toward the U .S. next and may hit Texas.

[175] Texas will become the first state to make paying for sex a felon.

[176] marking a major change in how prostitution is addressed by the legal system.

[177] The law attempts to curb human trafficking by shifting increased punitive blame onto sex industry customers.

[178] The law passed unanimously in the state legislature and will go into effect on September 1st.

[179] If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five -star review.

[180] That's all the time we've got this morning.

[181] Thanks for waking up with us.

[182] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.

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