Morning Wire XX
[0] Kamala Harris says she's ready to serve as president amid growing concerns about Joe Biden's ability to handle a second term.
[1] Every vice president understands the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president.
[2] I am no different.
[3] What's driving the speculation and how would replacing Biden actually play out?
[4] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor -in -chief John Bickley.
[5] It's Tuesday, February 13th, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] With the help of several Republicans, the Senate advances a bill that includes foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel.
[7] The establishment's obsession with funding Ukraine will force them to throw Donald Trump under the bus again and again and again.
[8] And Americans are facing spiking home and auto insurance premiums, and in one state, consumers are struggling to get any insurance coverage at all.
[9] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[10] Stay tuned.
[11] We have the news you need to know.
[12] Hey guys, producer Brandon here.
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[19] This is terrible for Democrats, and anybody with a functioning brain knows that.
[20] That was Democratic strategist Paul Bagala referencing the special counsel report detailing President Biden's mental decline.
[21] Following that report, a growing number of politicos are predicting that Biden will not be the Democratic nominee come this summer.
[22] Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has for the first time publicly expressed her willingness and readiness to serve as president.
[23] Here with the details is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips.
[24] So Cabot, a story that really turned a lot of heads this week.
[25] What can you tell us?
[26] Yeah.
[27] During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Harris was asked if concerns over Biden's age mean that she must convince voters that she's ready to serve.
[28] Her response was an emphatic, I am ready to serve.
[29] There's no question about that.
[30] She then added that everyone who works with her, quote, walks about, fully aware of my capacity to lead.
[31] Now, that might sound like an offhand comment, but to this point, those sorts of questions have been shrugged off with answers focused on Biden's abilities to lead.
[32] We've rarely seen a sitting vice president openly acknowledged that they're ready to take over when asked about the fitness of their boss.
[33] It is a subtle but very important shift in messaging that has Washington buzzing this week.
[34] Now, given that this is essentially the primary duty of a vice president to step in, if necessary, how significant is it that she's stating this openly that she's ready to step up?
[35] Well, the fact she made the comments publicly certainly caught a lot of people off guard, but the sentiment itself is hardly surprising.
[36] While the job of VP is often a thinkless task devoid of any real sway, Harris has been steadily gaining more of a forward -facing role in the administration.
[37] In the last year, she's been put in charge at the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
[38] She's launched an abortion advocacy campaign tour, and in recent months, she's taken on a much more visible role in the media, mainly arguing on behalf of the White House strategy in Gaza.
[39] That increased presence benefits Biden as it helps him stay away from thorny topics and avoid media interviews, which she's done very few of.
[40] But it also benefits her if she were trying to raise her profile in case the president were to step aside or be replaced.
[41] And that's no longer on the fringe at this point.
[42] Right.
[43] Now, again, this wouldn't even be a conversation if there weren't legitimate concerns about the president's mental fitness.
[44] But we're in uncharted territory here.
[45] Joe Biden would be 86 years old by the time he left office.
[46] And a new ABC poll this week shows that 86 % of Americans say he's too old for re -election.
[47] Harris is well aware of that sentiment among voters and is sort of signaling to Democrats, hey, I'm here and I'm ready if you want an alternative.
[48] But it is a delicate balancing act to strike.
[49] Her latest comments come just days before she gave a fiery statement defending Biden's mental acuity.
[50] The way that the president's demeanor in that report was characterized, could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated, gratuitous.
[51] So the obvious question, what would have to happen for Harris or any other Democrat to replace Joe Biden on the ticket?
[52] Well, at this point, it's too late for anyone to mount a serious primary challenge as filing deadlines to appear on the ballot have mostly passed.
[53] It is however possible, though highly unlikely that Biden is replaced at the Democratic National Convention.
[54] Delegates there are not obligated to support Biden, even if voters in their state chosen.
[55] But there's no precedent for that in modern history, and a convention coup is really just a pipe dream at this point.
[56] If someone like Harris were to become the nominee, the only feasible scenario appears to be President Biden voluntarily bowing out.
[57] If that happened, the question would then become whether he endorsed a successor or allowed the nominating process to play out at the convention.
[58] But even then, Harris would be far from a shoe -in, given her unpopularity with voters.
[59] Right.
[60] Well, that has been a persistent issue for her.
[61] What do her numbers look like?
[62] So right now, Kamala Harris is one of the only people in Washington with a lower favorability rating than Biden.
[63] Most recent polling from NBC, for example, shows that just 28 % of Americans view her favorably.
[64] Harris also failed to gain any sort of traction among Democrat voters as recently as 2020 in the primary.
[65] Remember, she was forced to drop out of the Democratic race before a single vote was cast.
[66] that unpopularity would certainly be considered by Democrat leaders if Biden were to step down.
[67] Cabot, thanks for reporting.
[68] Any time.
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[78] The Senate expects to pass a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan this week.
[79] Afterward, it will head to the House where it's expected to face strong opposition from conservatives and Trump allies who want tough action on the border.
[80] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the foreign aid package in its chances of landing on President Biden's desk.
[81] Hi, Tim.
[82] Okay, so can you first break down this bill for us?
[83] Sure, it's largely composed of aid to Ukraine, which happens to be the most controversial part.
[84] The bill approves another $60 billion for Ukraine, along with another $14 billion for Israel and $5 billion to support partners in the Indo -Pacific with an eye on China.
[85] It looks prime to pass the Senate.
[86] 18 Republicans voted with Democrats on Sunday to clear a procedural hurdle and set it up for a vote later this week.
[87] Here's Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on why he supports the measure.
[88] I know it's become quite fashionable in some circles to disregard the global interests we have as a global power.
[89] To bemoan the responsibilities of global leadership, this is the idle work for island minds, and it has no place in the United States Senate.
[90] So obviously, in his remarks, he takes a shot at the growing number of Republicans who are skeptical of Ukraine aid.
[91] Right, about that.
[92] What's driving the opposition to Ukraine aid in general, and then specifically this, Bill.
[93] Well, there are a few reasons.
[94] One is that the United States has greater domestic problems that needs to sort out first.
[95] Here's Senator J .D. Vance of Ohio.
[96] I've never seen the level of emotion from my even Republican colleagues about this fight for Ukraine as I have over any other issues.
[97] So you talk about the fentanyl crisis, you talk about the southern border, and yeah, people care, but it's not top of mind.
[98] There are some Republicans for whom Ukraine is the most important issue confronting the country.
[99] And I just say, even if you're pro -Ukraine funding, and obviously I'm not, don't we have 10 more important issues confronting this nation between the border problem, the debt problem?
[100] Why are we so obsessed with this?
[101] But at the very least, a lot of Republican lawmakers want to leverage Ukraine aid that's more popular with Democrats to get some border security measures.
[102] An attempt at a border security foreign aid bill died last week, because by the estimation of a lot of Republicans, the border part was too soft.
[103] Conservatives in the House were a big reason why that bill tanked, so getting the current bill with no border security through the House seems unlikely.
[104] But with Ukraine on its back leg from Russia's latest push, there may be some pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it to the floor.
[105] Yeah, if that happens, we'd expect Johnson to face some blowback from House conservatives.
[106] Right.
[107] Now, as for Israel, the relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden has really become strained as of late.
[108] What's going on there?
[109] Yeah, they've never had a good relationship, but whatever they had has gotten worse recently.
[110] Biden said last week he thought Israel went over the top in its response to October 7th.
[111] Then on Monday, the Israeli military went forward with an operation in Arafa in southern Gaza, despite Biden's attempts to warn the Israelis off.
[112] Israeli soldiers ended up rescuing two hostages held by Hamas, and Netanyahu said the operation was among the most successful in his country's history.
[113] But Biden is reportedly upset that Israel went forward in spite of him.
[114] There could be some politics at play here.
[115] Biden is under pressure from the progressives in his party to cut off Israel and take up for Palestinians.
[116] On top of that, Muslim Americans in Michigan are upset by Biden's support for Israel.
[117] And that's got the president worried enough that he sent advisors to the battleground state to speak with Muslim leaders there.
[118] That state's primary comes at the end of this month.
[119] Yeah, it's coming soon.
[120] Meanwhile, I think we can all be glad that hostages were freed.
[121] Tim, thanks for joining us.
[122] Good to be on.
[123] A home and auto insurance crisis is spiking rates and draining Americans' wallets.
[124] In some states like California, families are struggling to find coverage at all.
[125] Daily Wire investigative reporter, Marade Alorty is here with the details.
[126] So, Marade, what's going on with insurance rates?
[127] Hi, Georgia.
[128] So home insurance prices have been climbing for months, but in some places the situation is really coming to a head now.
[129] The national average for home insurance was up 21 % from 2022 to 2023.
[130] Just to give you an idea, the average premium in 2019 before the pandemic was $1 ,175, and last year it was about $1 ,700.
[131] But some states are seeing much steeper increases.
[132] Florida has seen the worst spike with prices soaring 68 % over the last two years.
[133] The risk of hurricanes and flooding play a major role in the insurance nightmare there.
[134] New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, and Texas all rose more than 45 % in just two years.
[135] And in California, some homeowners are being denied coverage altogether, and some insurance companies have stopped offering anyone new policies.
[136] So why would these insurance companies not want to accept new customers?
[137] Well, the government in California says they can't raise prices, so the companies see it as a losing bet.
[138] Wildfire damage is an increasing problem in California as well as increasing costs of building and repairs.
[139] So these companies say it's not worth it to offer coverage if they can't afford to pay it out.
[140] State Farm froze new policies in California back in May, and in August, farmer's insurance restricted its new policies.
[141] Just last month, another insurance company, Hartford Financial Services Group, said it won't offer new California homeowners policies starting this month.
[142] This has led to homeowners struggling to find coverage for their homes.
[143] Because of insurance companies pulling back, many homeowners in places where wildfires strike have resorted to California's last resort insurance program called.
[144] called fare.
[145] Steve Forbes explained why this is a problem.
[146] Fair is last resort expense of bare -bones insurance seller that covers mainly fire losses.
[147] Because the state's perverse counterproductive regulations, fair plan enrollments have exploded, almost doubling since 2019.
[148] What's happening in California should be a wake -up call for the all -too -many politicians and regulators who indulge and make -belief policies that end up inflicting unnecessary harm.
[149] Regulators have suppressed prices for years.
[150] Despite widespread wildfires, average premiums in the state of California are one -third lower than in other states with serious fire risks.
[151] Now, what about auto insurance?
[152] Well, auto insurance rates are rising like crazy as well.
[153] Drivers are paying an average of $212 per month for car insurance.
[154] That's an increase of 26 percent and the highest annual increase in nearly 50 years.
[155] Inflation is a huge factor here as well, especially with car parts becoming more expensive.
[156] For example, bumpers used to be $3 to $500, but now they're over $3 to $4 ,000 because they have cameras and sensors.
[157] Same with side mirrors.
[158] Those are now very high tech.
[159] Here's Bob Passmore of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association on the issue.
[160] You've seen increases in repair costs, parts, labor, medical costs, all those things have been going up.
[161] And, you know, auto insurance premiums tend to trail the rest of the inflationary trend.
[162] Other factors are a mechanic shortage and natural disasters which often affect cars as well as homes.
[163] One more minor part of the picture is self -driving cars, which are particularly expensive to insure.
[164] So overall, we have a situation where people are struggling to pay and even to find insurance plans for their homes and cars.
[165] And in the meantime, insurance companies are losing money as well.
[166] Well, it seems like an unsustainable situation.
[167] Right.
[168] Marade, thanks for reporting.
[169] Thanks, Georgia.
[170] Thanks for waking up with us.
[171] We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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