Monday | July 19, 2021

[0] A federal judge alters the immigration landscape, ruling that DACA is unlawful.

[1] The judge's ruling puts a hold on the Obama -era policy, which blocked deportations for people who entered the country illegally as minors.

[2] What does this mean for the hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients, and how could this impact immigration moving forward?

[3] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Hal, and this is Morning Wire.

[4] The Biden administration pressures social media platforms to combat what they're calling deadly health misinformation.

[5] What is the administration asking big tech to do, and how are platforms responding?

[6] And the Tokyo Olympics have arrived, but things will look pretty different this year.

[7] With expected protests and rising COVID cases, we have details about the new policies affecting the games.

[8] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.

[9] Stay tuned.

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

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[16] On Friday, a U .S. District Judge in Texas put a hold on DACA, a program that blocks deportation of those who enter the country illegally as minors.

[17] Here to give us the latest updates and break down the political fallout is Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips.

[18] Cabot, thanks for joining us.

[19] Thanks for having me. So give us a quick refresher.

[20] What is DACA and why was it blocked?

[21] Well, President Obama initially implemented the program back in 2012 as a way of preventing those who'd come to the country illegally as children from being deported.

[22] So for the past nine years, about 600 ,000 young people, dreamers as Obama called them, have been protected from deportation.

[23] And now a group of nine states led by Texas sued the federal government on the grounds that DACA was unconstitutional and an example of executive overreach.

[24] And on Friday, a U .S. District Judge agreed with them, ruling that the program was illegally implemented.

[25] How is this going to affect the current DACA recipients, in the short term at least?

[26] From what we're being told, the ruling won't have a huge impact on current DACA recipients.

[27] They're not going to be deported, and they'll still be allowed to attend school and hold jobs.

[28] It's future DACA recipients who will be impacted.

[29] The ruling puts a complete hold on any new applicants to the program, which is a big deal, especially now given the recent surge of illegal crossings at the southern border.

[30] So the timing here is important.

[31] It is, at least according to Border Patrol data.

[32] The U .S. is seeing more attempted border crossings than at any time in the last two decades.

[33] And the number of people being apprehended is continuing to rise.

[34] It's actually gone up each month since President Biden took office.

[35] And we're talking about 150 ,000 people a month at this point.

[36] Right.

[37] Immigration experts tell us that many of those attempting to cross our children who are processed and then released into the U .S. after being detained.

[38] So now there's an influx of hundreds of thousands of children who've come here illegal.

[39] and kind of find themselves in limbo.

[40] They're not necessarily at risk of deportation, but at the same time, they're no longer being offered legal protection the way they were under DACA.

[41] Back during the Obama administration, President Biden was a big supporter of DACA.

[42] How has he responded?

[43] Well, as you can imagine, he's not happy.

[44] He called the decision very disappointing and urged Congress to take action, saying, quote, only Congress can ensure a permanent solution by granting a path to citizenship for dreamers.

[45] He wants permanent citizenship.

[46] Yeah, that's the general position of Democrats at this point.

[47] And then on the other side of the aisle, DACA's been pretty controversial.

[48] What's been the response from Republicans?

[49] This court ruling is being perceived as a victory among many on the right.

[50] Look, for years, Republicans have been saying DACA was unconstitutional and an example of President Obama abusing his executive powers.

[51] And now a federal judge is essentially agreeing with them on that assessment.

[52] All right.

[53] So are we expecting some appeals?

[54] We definitely are.

[55] We have not heard the end of DACA.

[56] Democrats are not going to drop this.

[57] We're told that leaders in the party view this as a winning issue for them, politically speaking.

[58] So we should expect to see DACA renewal play a key role for Democrats in the 2022 midterms.

[59] In Congress, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have already vowed to push for amnesty for those no longer protected under DACA.

[60] And the Justice Department has already announced that they'll be appealing the ruling.

[61] Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorka said over the weekend that the DHS, quote, remains focused on safeguarding DACA.

[62] So it sounds like this issue is not going away anytime soon.

[63] I think it's just getting started.

[64] Cabot, thanks so much.

[65] Absolutely.

[66] Daily Wire managing editor, Cabot Phillips.

[67] Up next, the Biden administration wants big tech to crack down on what they're calling misinformation.

[68] Start your day informed with a deeper dive into the stories we talk about on the show with the Morning Wire newsletter, available exclusively to Daily Wire members.

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[71] Following a report from the U .S. Surgeon General, the White House has criticized Big Tech for its role in the spread of what they're calling health misinformation, saying that the consequences have been deadly.

[72] Here to tell us more as Daily Wires, Ian Howers.

[73] Ian, thanks for joining us.

[74] Good morning, John.

[75] So deadly consequences of false health info online.

[76] What is the administration saying here?

[77] They're looking to crack down on what they see as misinformation on social media.

[78] The specific focus for them is what they describe as health misinformation, usually related to COVID -19.

[79] Right, but haven't we already seen platforms take a lot of action on COVID?

[80] Yes, but the administration is saying is not enough.

[81] Now, this all started when the U .S. Surgeon General released a report which called on big tech platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube to impose consequences for violating the private platform's policies.

[82] White House Press Secretary Jen Saki then followed up saying that the Biden administration is proactively flagging misinformation, effectively telling companies like Facebook which posts are problematic and should be addressed.

[83] We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation.

[84] Press Secretary Saki then pushed for more action from tech companies, saying that users who post misinformation should face broad consequences across all platforms.

[85] You shouldn't be banned from one platform and not others for providing misinformation out there.

[86] Why would they be doing this now?

[87] Well, the Biden administration is arguing that platforms like Facebook haven't been proactive enough when it comes to misinformation.

[88] They're saying the results of their current approach have been deadly.

[89] President Biden claimed recently, for example, that platforms like Facebook are killing people by allowing so -called COVID misinformation to spread.

[90] What's your message to platforms like Facebook?

[91] They're killing people.

[92] Killing people?

[93] That's a serious charge.

[94] Has Facebook responded?

[95] They did.

[96] A spokesperson for Facebook said they will not be distracted by accusations which aren't supported by the facts.

[97] The Big Tech giant added that more than 2 billion people have viewed reliable information about COVID -19 and vaccines on Facebook.

[98] That's more than any other place on the internet, they said.

[99] They also pointed out that more than 3 million Americans had used Facebook's vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get vaccinated.

[100] So a strong response from Facebook.

[101] Absolutely, and according to a Facebook official, the US Surgeon General even praised Facebook's efforts in private, suggesting the accusations are more of a political strategy than anything else.

[102] The official also accused the White House of looking for scapegoats after they missed.

[103] their vaccine goals.

[104] That was the July 4th goal to have 70 % of American adults vaccinated.

[105] Exactly.

[106] The key takeaway here, though, really goes beyond the immediate accusations thrown around by the Biden administration or big tech.

[107] The main thing will be tracking moving forward is whether the federal government will achieve their goal of defining what is and is not misinformation, what impact this has when it comes to online free speech, and whether companies like Facebook will resist, bend, or even break.

[108] important questions for sure.

[109] Ian, thanks for chatting this morning.

[110] My pleasure.

[111] Thanks for having me. DailyWire's Ian Howarth.

[112] After being delayed a year due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will open this week, and the games are already facing a litany of issues.

[113] From COVID precautions to new rules regarding protesting at the games, the spotlight will be firmly on the world's biggest sporting event.

[114] Joining us today to update us on all things Olympics is Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.

[115] Joe, thanks for coming on.

[116] Thanks for having me. So Japan has been very careful with regards to the Olympics and the potential spread of COVID.

[117] Just a few weeks ago, they banned spectators from the events.

[118] How are those COVID precautions going?

[119] Not well.

[120] On Sunday, three members of South Africa's Olympic soccer team tested positive after arriving at the Olympic Village, including two players and a video analyst for the team.

[121] The three individuals have been isolated, along with those who are in close contact.

[122] Also on Sunday, the first International Olympic Committee member tested positive after entering a Tokyo airport.

[123] The member is reportedly being held in isolation.

[124] I'm sure that's exactly what everyone was afraid of.

[125] Right.

[126] The people of Japan have been opposed to the games being held this year for quite some time.

[127] In May, a nationwide survey of Japanese citizens found that 83 % of those surveyed wanted the Olympics postponed or scrapped.

[128] In early July, the Japanese government issued a new state of emergency, which, like you mentioned, will ban spectators, both domestic and international, from attending most of the Olympic events in Tokyo.

[129] The rules for athletes are also incredibly strict.

[130] Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, announced last week that athletes will no longer have medals placed around their necks.

[131] Instead, Olympians who reach the podium will have the medals presented to them on a tray.

[132] Athletes will then take the medals and place them around their own necks.

[133] Well, I guess we can't have people breathing down each other's necks right now.

[134] No. So with spectators being banned, I imagine there's going to be a huge financial impact.

[135] in terms of recouping that investment that Tokyo made?

[136] Well, the financial impact of the Olympics has always been controversial.

[137] The amount of money required to prepare a city for the Olympics is enormous.

[138] According to an Axios report that came out on Saturday, the Beijing Olympics cost $45 billion, and his revenues were $3 .6 billion.

[139] The Sochi Winter Olympics came in closer to $50 billion, with much lower revenues.

[140] The Tokyo Olympics are expected to cost about $28 billion.

[141] With fans being banned from the events, another $1 billion in ticket sales will be lost, not to mention the lost revenue from tourists surrounding the games.

[142] So this is a huge expenditure for any city to take on, and it's not necessarily a moneymaker.

[143] Exactly.

[144] There's also been a lot of talk about protests, specifically from American athletes.

[145] What are the rules around protests at the Olympics?

[146] In early July, the IOC released new guidelines about this.

[147] In the past, protests were strictly prohibited, but Olympians can now express their views before the start of a competition, including during athlete introductions.

[148] This is limited to certain approved forms of protest, such as clothing or symbolic gestures.

[149] However, the protests can't be on the field during the events, on the podium during medal ceremonies, or in the Olympic Village.

[150] Okay, so they've been given a specific time and venue in which they can protest.

[151] Essentially.

[152] Well, the Olympics are starting in just four days, so I'm sure we're going to have you back soon.

[153] Thanks for coming on, Joe.

[154] Looking forward to it, guys.

[155] Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.

[156] Those are the top stories this morning, but there's more in the news to keep an eye on.

[157] Other big developments that we're tracking this week.

[158] The Delta variant of the COVID -19 virus is now the most dominant strain in the U .S., accounting for 58 % of all cases.

[159] According to the CDC, while the delta strain appears to be far more transmissible, symptoms and treatment are not significantly different from prior strains of the virus.

[160] Early evidence suggests that vaccines are effective against the delta strain.

[161] The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Germany and Belgium last week has climbed to more than 185 people as rescue teams continue to dig through the debris.

[162] Officials say that more than 156 people have been confirmed dead in Western Germany and 27 people died from the floods in Belgium.

[163] Indoor mask mandates are back in Los Angeles County.

[164] With an uptick in cases of COVID -19, the county, among the most strict in mandates over the last year, is requiring all people, even the vaccinated, to wear masks.

[165] indoors.

[166] The renewed mandate has been met with some pushback from L .A. County's sheriff, who says he will not enforce it, citing CDC guidelines and insufficient funding.

[167] And parents across the country have begun receiving monthly checks from the federal government.

[168] The checks are an advanced payment for the expanded child tax credit included in the COVID relief package.

[169] The advanced tax credit pays as much as 300 per child every month, depending on factors such as ages of the children and household income.

[170] To learn more about today's top stories, become a member at DailyWire .com and subscribe to the Morning Wire newsletter.

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

[172] Thanks for waking up with us.

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

[174] If you prefer facts over feelings and aren't offended by the truth, join me, Ben Shapiro on the Ben Shapiro show Monday through Friday to get a whole lot of that and much more on the fastest moving daily news program in America.

[175] We'll see you there.