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[0] Mask and vaccine mandates are on the rise across the country.
[1] With New York City announcing a new proof of vaccine requirement and the Biden administration imposing vaccine mandates for federal employees, we'll talk to Johns Hopkins, Dr. Marty McCarrie, about whether or not the science actually supports these sweeping changes.
[2] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
[3] It's Thursday, August 5th, and this is Morning Wire.
[4] The fallout continues for Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo after an AG report found him guilty of a pattern of sexual harassment.
[5] How are members of the governor's own party responding to the news, and what can we expect going forward?
[6] And the actions of an Olympic athlete from Belarus has drawn international attention to the troubling situation in her home country.
[7] We'll take a closer look at Belarus and the regime's alleged crackdown on civil liberties.
[8] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[9] Stay tuned.
[10] We have the news you need to know.
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[15] Mask mandates and vaccine requirements are sweeping across the country, with the prospect of more lockdowns looming.
[16] Last week, the CDC changed its masking guidance to recommend even the vaccinated mask up indoors, while this week, New York City announced a new proof of vaccine mandate, citing the spread of the Delta variant.
[17] But does the science really support all these drastic measures?
[18] Here to work through what we know and don't know about COVID and the Delta variant is Johns Hopkins Dr. Marty McCarrie.
[19] Dr. McCarrie, thanks for coming on.
[20] Good to be with you.
[21] So the rationale for all the big changes over the last few weeks is the rise of delta variant cases.
[22] What do we need to know about the numbers we're seeing now?
[23] Well, we shouldn't be tracking cases because you can test 100 people in America right now and probably 10 to 15 of them will test positive because the PCR test we're using can detect one dead virus particle.
[24] So the fact that you can hunt down and find one dead virus particle doesn't mean that person poses any risk to themselves, others, or public health.
[25] We should be tracking a number which the CDC does not report out, which is daily new hospitalizations for COVID illness, not incidental positive tests among people coming in for a broken arm, but for COVID illness.
[26] For that, we do not have good data.
[27] But from talking to doctors around the country, there's an increase right now in areas with low vaccination rates and low natural immunity rates.
[28] And Delta will probably crest in about two to four weeks.
[29] But look, we're adding about a million Americans a day to the natural immunity list because that's how many people probably are getting exposed to the virus based on home testing and other things that don't make it to the national reports.
[30] There's a driving wedge right now between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
[31] Are we having the right conversation?
[32] We should not be talking about the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
[33] We should be talking about the immune and the non -immune because about half of the unvaccinated have natural immunity from prior infection.
[34] What do the studies show us about immunity?
[35] How long does it last?
[36] Well, we don't know, but we've had natural immunity for a year and a half, and it's effective, it's durable, and it's going strong.
[37] A study out of Israel just showed that it's about 6 .7 times better than vaccinated immunity.
[38] Wow.
[39] I'll say that again, natural immunity is better than vaccinated immunity so far.
[40] We're seeing vaccinated immunity wane a little bit.
[41] You can get a mild case of COVID or an asymptomatic positive test.
[42] Over time, we see that those antibody levels go down, but in terms of the protection against severe disease and illness, it's solid with both, and you should feel good about it.
[43] The CDC has updated its guidance recommending masks indoors.
[44] Is this the right move?
[45] Well, I think it's good.
[46] I like the idea that they issued an advisory that if you're indoors in a public setting, if you're in an area where there's a high level of an outbreak, it's a good idea to wear a mask indoors in those public indoor settings.
[47] That I liked.
[48] What happened, though, is it became sort of a bill where all these riders got thrown on to it.
[49] And it got interpreted as a, we need to move to mandates.
[50] Now, there's a big difference between an advisory and a mandate.
[51] When you go to a mandate, you've instantly politically polarized the topic.
[52] And by the way, the data for adults was from a town in Cape Cod called Peatown, where they had a massive party week.
[53] And during that party week, there was a lot of parting going on.
[54] It was also raining.
[55] We know weather like that promotes transmission.
[56] So there was a lot of transmission of the Delta strain, even in the vaccinated.
[57] Nobody died.
[58] I think two people were hospitalized out of almost 1 ,000.
[59] And the CDC used that to make their recommendation for masking vaccinated people.
[60] And that was not the right generalizable data source.
[61] So an entire nation is impacted by one study from one small community.
[62] Yeah, and they may have reached the right conclusion for wrong reasons, but we've never gotten good data on the basics of COVID transmission, masks, mitigation, children, even child vaccines.
[63] We've never really gotten good data on it.
[64] So when you don't have good data, political opinions fill the vacuum.
[65] Dr. McCarrie, thanks so much for joining us.
[66] Thanks so much, John.
[67] That's author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Price We Pay, What Broke American Health Care, and how to fix it, Dr. Marty McCarrie.
[68] Up next, backlash grows for embattled Governor Cuomo.
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[73] Following a state investigation, which found that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed numerous women, calls for his resignation have intensified.
[74] Here to discuss how the governor is responding is Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips.
[75] Hi, Cabot.
[76] Good morning.
[77] So first tell us how Cuomo and his team are responding to the bombshell report.
[78] Well, bombshell is the perfect word here.
[79] According to the state's attorney general, at least 11 women were fondled, kissed, or propositioned inappropriately by the governor.
[80] He held a press conference shortly after the report came out and refused to resign striking a defiant, His argument was basically, yes, I touch these women, but I touch everyone.
[81] He even showed pictures of himself hugging and kissing people throughout his time as governor and brought up the fact that he was Italian as a means of excusing his behavior.
[82] Okay.
[83] So what has been the broader political fallout?
[84] Governor Cuomo was really the star of the Democrat Party during the early days of COVID, so there was some speculation that he might have support within the party.
[85] But as more details continue to come out, there wasn't really anyone defending him.
[86] President Biden was pretty clear when asked if he thinks Cuomo should resign.
[87] Are you now calling on him to resign?
[88] Yes.
[89] And if he doesn't resign, do you believe he should be impeached and removed from office?
[90] Let's take one thing at a time here.
[91] I think he should resign.
[92] Speaker Pelosi also called for Cuomo's resignation, quote, out of respect for the office he holds.
[93] And New York's two senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, issued a joint call for his resignation, saying Cuomo's actions were, quote, profoundly disturbing.
[94] So like you said, the governor is pretty adamant that he won't step down.
[95] Do we think that he can hang on, though?
[96] Look, he's been governor for over a decade, and from what we're told, don't be surprised if he just tries to weather the storm.
[97] Remember, Ralph Northam, the Democrat governor of Virginia, was found to have taken photos wearing blackface or a KKK costume in college, and he also faced a universal cause for resignation from his own party.
[98] But he laid low and eventually the pressure lifted, and he's still governor.
[99] So it's far from a guarantee that Cuomo is going to leave.
[100] And if he doesn't resign, though, what other recourse could be taken against him?
[101] So there are two main ways Cuomo could be removed from office.
[102] First, through criminal charges.
[103] So after this report came out, multiple DAs requested information from the attorney general so they could launch investigations of their own.
[104] Albany's district attorney, for example, said he, quote, believed criminal activity had taken place.
[105] Wow.
[106] And impeachment also seems like a strong possibility at this point.
[107] The New York State Assembly announced yesterday that they intend to launch an impeachment inquiry in the coming days.
[108] So if this moves forward, Cuomo would be stripped of his power while the impeachment trial takes place.
[109] And from where things stand now, that trial would likely result in his conviction and removal from office.
[110] So the New York legislature might be taking things into their own hands.
[111] Yeah, that's what it looks like.
[112] All right, Cabot, thanks for the update.
[113] Absolutely.
[114] Daily Wire Managing Editor, Cabot Phillips.
[115] An Olympic athlete says officials attempted to drag her back to her home country for criticizing her team on social media.
[116] The incident follows several months of alleged crackdowns on dissidents by the Belarus regime.
[117] Here to explain is Daily Wires Ian Haworth.
[118] Morning, John.
[119] Morning.
[120] So this is one of the biggest stories out of the Tokyo Olympics.
[121] What happened here?
[122] Well, an Olympic game story really brought what's going on in Belarus to the forefront for a lot of people.
[123] A Belarusian Olympic sprinter named Christina Semenofskyer, sparked a massive backlash in the state -run media in Belarus after she took to social media to criticize the way officials were managing her team.
[124] She then says that she was forced to the airport where she refused to board a flight back to Belarus via Turkey.
[125] Instead, she sought out help from airport police asking for political asylum.
[126] Wow.
[127] In a video posted to social media, she asked the International Olympic Committee for assistance and also told reporters that she would definitely face some form of punishment if she returned home.
[128] In an unusual international standoff, several countries reached out.
[129] On Wednesday, she arrived in Poland, who granted her a humanitarian visa on Monday.
[130] Wow, so she's safe for now.
[131] Yes, but while Simeonov -Skya is safe, she has expressed concern for her parents who are still in Belarus.
[132] Oh.
[133] And her husband fled to Ukraine when he heard the news.
[134] This isn't the first story like this related to Belarus.
[135] What's going on over there?
[136] Right.
[137] So in late May, we saw a similar story about a journalist who opposed the regime who was arrested after being dragged off a plane in what many called a state -sponsored hijacking.
[138] As a Ryanair commercial aircraft began its descent into Lithuania, passengers were left terrified as the flight suddenly changed direction to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
[139] According to the airline, Belarus's Secret Service were on board, and the flight was intercepted by Meg fighter jets.
[140] Whoa.
[141] The dissident journalist later appeared on unverified social media to reject claims that he was tortured by authorities.
[142] And this is all happening in the aftermath of what many are calling a potentially fraudulent presidential election in Belarus.
[143] The EU and the US rejected the election as neither free nor fare, and authorities in Belarus are now cracking down on anyone who opposes the regime.
[144] In February, for example, officers in Belarus raided the offices and homes of journalists and human rights activists.
[145] And just this week, the trial of two opposition figures in Belarus began behind closed doors.
[146] Not only that, an activist called Vittily Shishov, who helped persecuted Belarusians flee the country, was found hanged in a city park in Ukraine.
[147] It was first reported that Shishov had gone missing during a morning run.
[148] Whoa.
[149] How are Western countries responding?
[150] Are they weighing in?
[151] Many nations have criticized the actions carried out by the Belarusian government.
[152] For example, in May, White House press secretary, Jen Saki, described the diversion of a commercial flight as shocking and condemned the Belarusian regime.
[153] We certainly, since you gave me the opportunity to do this, condemn the Lukashenko's regime's ongoing harassment and arbitrary detention of journalists simply for doing their job.
[154] This was a shocking act, diverting a flight between two EU member states for the apparent purpose of arresting a journalist.
[155] It constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime.
[156] And in a coordinated effort with Canada, the United Kingdom, and the EU, the United States announced new sanctions in response to the regime's continued, quote, attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law.
[157] But beyond sanctions, it's unclear whether much more will be done.
[158] Lukashenko, a former communist who is now entering his sixth term as president, appears closely aligned with Russia's Vladimir Putin, and so any additional action will likely draw Russia into the mix.
[159] Wow.
[160] Thanks for the update, Ian.
[161] My pleasure.
[162] DailyWire's Ian Howers.
[163] Other big developments that we're tracking this week, Boston mayor Kim Janie has rejected calls to mandate proof of vaccination in the city.
[164] The mayor cited the disproportionate impact a mandate would have on minority communities, the difficulty of enforcement, and the historical connotations of asking citizens to show papers to enter public areas.
[165] Nationally, black and Hispanic Americans have significantly lower rates of vaccination than whites, with many citing lack of trust in the medical establishment.
[166] And on Tuesday night, at the request of President Biden, the CDC announced the extension of an eviction moratorium that expired the previous Friday.
[167] The new order, which the White House admitted may not be legal, will last for two months and will prevent landlords in counties with high COVID rates from evicting tenants who haven't been paying rent.
[168] If you like 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.
[169] That's all the time we've got this morning.
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[171] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
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