Morning Wire XX
[0] A significant political realignment is taking place within America's two parties, and religious faith may be the key factor.
[1] We look at the growing Godgap and what it means for the two parties' platforms.
[2] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor -in -chief John Bickley.
[3] It's July 30th, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
[4] U .S. lawmakers are warning that DNA profiles could be used by foreign enemies to target individuals based on their genetic.
[5] makeup.
[6] And new data shows that childhood obesity is up in America.
[7] We discuss the implications of the troubling trend.
[8] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[9] Stay tuned.
[10] We have the news you need to know.
[11] One of the best things you can do to prepare for the unknown is to have a will in place.
[12] A will is about protecting your loved ones from the really hard decisions they'll face if something happens to you.
[13] If you're a parent, a will give you the power to decide who will raise your kids should something happen to you and your spouse.
[14] Do yourself a favor.
[15] Go to epicwill .com and use promo code wire to save 10 % on Epicwill's complete will package.
[16] It's incredibly easy and well worth $119 to secure your family's future.
[17] Go to epicwill .com and use promo code wire today.
[18] Recent elections show a significant political realignment among minority voters, with the Democratic Party growing more white while the Republican Party becomes more racially diverse.
[19] Polling suggests religion could be a major factor driving the shakeup.
[20] Here to explain what some political pundits are calling the God Gap is Daily Wire Culture Reporter Megan Basham.
[21] So, Megan, this was a really interesting survey, both because the findings were somewhat counterintuitive and because of the implications for the political landscape going forward.
[22] Now, tell us about this survey.
[23] Well, I think you have to say that the big headline here is that this poll, which was commissioned by the New York Times, found that Democrats now have a bigger advantage among white college graduates than they do among minority voters.
[24] So when you look at Hispanics, Republicans and Democrats are now statistically tied in generic congressional polling.
[25] Meanwhile, in the last two presidential elections, black men shifted toward the Republican candidate in record numbers.
[26] So to go along with these shifts in voter bases, the demographic makeup of candidates is also changing for the two parties.
[27] A record number of black candidates are running as Republicans.
[28] The same is true for Latinos.
[29] House Republicans say their new candidate slate this election cycle is the most diverse in the party's history.
[30] Now, there are a lot of reasons for this realignment, and you can't discount inflation and the economy.
[31] But some analysts are also starting to look at religion as a driving factor.
[32] And why is that?
[33] So overall, people of color are much more likely than whites to describe themselves, not just as Christians, but as deviant.
[34] Christians.
[35] Now, if you break that down within the Democratic Party, 61 % of all non -whites say they believe in the God of the Bible, a number that's actually very close to Republican voters overall.
[36] But among white Democrats, only 32 % say they believe in a biblical God.
[37] When you drill down on that further, there's a really striking Pew chart that shows just how stark that divide is in practice, with non -white Democrats being significantly more likely to attend church on a weekly basis than white Democrats.
[38] So looking at the same graph of Republicans, all subgroups within the party are pretty similar on church attendance and belief in God.
[39] And then when you sift through all this data, you can't help but note that the religious beliefs of non -white Democrats actually much more closely mirror Republicans.
[40] So how does this play out when you look at specific issues?
[41] Well, let's take something like the transgender issue, which has become a major focus of the left in the last few years.
[42] In that case, religious orientation becomes pretty important.
[43] For example, 68 % of black Americans say that sex is determined at birth and can't be changed.
[44] But only 38 % of those who generally describe themselves as Democrat or leaning Democrat feel the same.
[45] So you can see that there's a disconnect there.
[46] Abortion is another example.
[47] There, Latinos, particularly evangelical Latinos, are out of step with the Democrat Party platform overall.
[48] So according to the latest Pew survey, 40 % of Latinos said abortion should be illegal in most are all cases.
[49] And that was the highest of any ethnic group.
[50] Now, that number jumps to 54 % when you look at young Latinos, age 18 to 35.
[51] Now, how important, though, is religiosity or lack thereof to the Democratic Party platform?
[52] Does it matter that there's a Godgap if Democrat voters can coalesce on other issues?
[53] Well, you know, I think the question, is if Democrat voters will continue to agree on a platform at all, if that Godgap continues to widen.
[54] So the first time I remember seeing an essay taking notice of this trend was in 2018 in the Political Journal National Review.
[55] Now you're starting to see more reporting on the issue in newspapers as the trend appears to have become more substantial.
[56] I think going forward is probably going to be a challenge for Democrats to thread the needle of championing the secular goals of their white voters, like trans rights and abortion, without alienating the values of those religious non -white voters.
[57] Right.
[58] Well, hopefully we'll get more data on the subject soon.
[59] Megan, thanks for reporting.
[60] Yeah, anytime.
[61] That was Daily Wire Culture reporter, Megan Basham.
[62] Coming up, lawmakers sound the alarm over DNA targeting bio -weapons.
[63] Hey, everyone.
[64] Producer Colton here.
[65] President Ronald Reagan believed that all great change in America begins around the dinner table.
[66] Well, all great meals in America begin with good.
[67] ranchers.
[68] They deliver 100 % American meat, born, raise, and harvested in the U .S. right to your door.
[69] Go to good ranchers .com slash wire to get $30 off your order plus free shipping.
[70] That's good ranchers .com slash wire.
[71] As at -home DNA tests continue to grow in popularity, U .S. lawmakers are issuing warnings that the DNA profiles could be used by foreign enemies to target individuals based on their genetic makeup.
[72] Here are the latest on this concerning development.
[73] as Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
[74] Cabot, some scary -sounding stuff here.
[75] What can you tell us?
[76] So we've heard rumblings that China and Russia were developing bio -weapons that could target people based on their DNA profile.
[77] But it's really noteworthy that lawmakers are now openly discussing that reality.
[78] On Friday, Congressman Jason Crow, a member of the House Intelligence Committee and former U .S. Army Ranger, described how our enemies are developing the next generation of bio -weapons.
[79] There are now weapons underdevelopment and developed that are designed to target specific people, where you can actually take someone's DNA, take their medical profile, and you can target a biological weapon that will kill that person.
[80] So in practice, these weapons could have a variety of applications.
[81] They could be used in targeted assassinations, for example, where a chemical agent would be used against a number of people, but would only kill those with a specific DNA profile.
[82] Or more broadly, they could be used against specific families or even specific ethnicities.
[83] That part is especially concerning given the fact that China has reportedly been taking DNA samples from detained Uighur Muslims.
[84] And we already know they're committing genocide there.
[85] So you can imagine the scary possibilities.
[86] Now, according to Crow, our enemies could also hack into the databases of DNA companies here in the States in order to pull specific profiles to attack.
[87] And when you take into account the fact that tens of millions of people have submitted their DNA to these companies, you can see just how big the potential risks are.
[88] Here's Crow talking more on that front.
[89] We have to have an open and public discussion about what does the protection of health care information, DNA information, and your data look like because that data is actually going to be procured and collected by our adversaries for the development of these systems.
[90] Now, it's important to point out we don't yet have any confirmation that any of these companies have had their DNA databases hacked.
[91] So at this point, it's more of a warning.
[92] of what could come, but the public acknowledgement of this sort of weapon is certainly newsworthy.
[93] What else do we learn about the threat of bio -weapons?
[94] Well, the other noteworthy portion of the conversation came from Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, who also sits on the Armed Services Committee.
[95] She described how the next generation of bio -weapons aren't just limited to targeting human DNA, but could also go after livestock herds in an attempt to further destabilize the food supply.
[96] What can our adversaries do with biological weapons that are directed, at our animal agriculture, at our agricultural sector, hoof and mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever, all of these things have circulated around the globe, but if targeted by an adversary, we know that it brings about food insecurity.
[97] Now, this isn't the first time the security risks of DNA tests have come up, right?
[98] Exactly.
[99] Back in 2019, the Pentagon issued an internal memo to service members, warning them not to partake in at -home DNA testing because it could, quote, expose personal and genetic information and potentially create unintended security consequences.
[100] Now, at the time, they did not elaborate on what exactly they meant by security consequences, but it now appears they were referring to these sorts of weapons.
[101] So you might find some interesting long -loss relatives or helpful medical data by sending in your DNA, but according to our government, you could also open yourself up to national security threat.
[102] It's all sounds like something out of James Bond.
[103] Yeah, it does.
[104] Cabot, thanks for reporting.
[105] Anytime.
[106] That's Daily Wire Senior Editor, Cabot Phillips.
[107] Childhood obesity has reached a new high with over one in five children now considered obese in the United States.
[108] Here to give us the details about this increasing health problem is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
[109] Hey, Charlotte.
[110] What did this new study find?
[111] Well, it found some very troubling trends.
[112] So this new research, which was published in JAMA Pediatrics, was done by scientists at the pediatric obesity and health behavior laboratory in Baton Rouge.
[113] The study found that over 21 % of Americans ages 2 to 19 were obese when looking at data from 2017 to 2020.
[114] That's up from 17 .7 % recorded between 2011 and 2012.
[115] Keep in mind, obese is defined as a body mass index of 30 or greater.
[116] One of the studies researchers, Amanda Stuyano, pointed out that these numbers were actually gathered before the COVID pandemic.
[117] More recent research is showing that children may have actually gained more weight due to the pandemic's disruptions and lockdown.
[118] So these could actually be conservative numbers.
[119] So how does the data break down?
[120] Are young kids gaining weight at the same rate as teens, for example?
[121] The problem is definitely worse with teens.
[122] Teens ages 12 to 17 showed increased obesity rates from 20 % to over 25 % from 2011 to 2020.
[123] The largest acceleration came between 2015, 2016 to 2020, where rates went from almost 22 % to over 25%.
[124] Younger kids, ages 6 to 11 didn't have quite as high numbers, but still almost 23 % of kids in that age bracket are clinically obese.
[125] The rates also differed slightly among the sexes, with girls gaining more weight than boys.
[126] Over the course of a decade, obesity rates for boys went up from 18 % to 21%, so a 3 % increase.
[127] And girls saw an increase from 17 % to 21 .6%, nearly 5%.
[128] Keep in mind, these numbers are BMI, not body fat percentage.
[129] So the number already accounts for sex differences in body composition.
[130] This is a pretty discouraging report overall.
[131] Were there any positive findings?
[132] There was one good metric, though slight.
[133] Obesity rates for kids ages 2 to 5 went down from 4 years ago, from 14 to 13%.
[134] So just a slight drop there.
[135] The rate still shows an uptick over the span of the last 10 years, though.
[136] So on balance, basically every age, age group is up over the past 10 years.
[137] Right.
[138] And this obviously is a very serious health issue.
[139] Here's Dr. Dennis Nicholson at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center explaining the side effects of obesity.
[140] The risk of obesity, it relates to heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes, primarily.
[141] To say nothing about joint risk, you know, because when you're carrying around extra weight, you're putting a tremendous load on the joints.
[142] And as we get older, that relates to joints giving out.
[143] And Stuyo, that researcher on the study pointed out how obesity often leads to other health issues like cancer, asthma, and even psychological struggles such as depression and anxiety.
[144] And we should note a particularly troubling reality here is that the kids are actually doing well compared to adults.
[145] The CDC found that more than 40 % of adults in the U .S. are obese.
[146] A Pew Research study found that on average, Americans eat around 23 % more calories each day than they did in 1970.
[147] And Americans get almost half of that from flowers and grains and fats and oils.
[148] Well, we'll see if we can turn around these trends.
[149] Charlotte, thanks for reporting.
[150] Thanks for having me. That was DailyWire's Charlotte Pence -Bahn.
[151] Other stories were tracking this week.
[152] The Secretary of State said Wednesday that the Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia for the release of WNBA player Brittany Griner.
[153] Transgender swimmer Leah Thomas lost the controversial bid for NCAA Woman of the Year after the Ivy League picked a female fencer over Thomas.
[154] Former CNN host Chris Cuomo has landed a new job as an anchor at News Nation, a small cable news network which is known for centrist reporting.
[155] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered an investigation into a Miami bar after video emerged of a mostly new drag queen performing with a toddler.
[156] Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
[157] We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation.
[158] If you love our show and you stand with our mission, please consider subscribing, leaving us a five -star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
[159] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[160] Thanks for waking up with us.
[161] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.