Morning Wire XX
[0] The Hollywood writers are back on the job.
[1] So where are all the scripts?
[2] We discuss the eerie quietness in Hollywood and what it means for audiences.
[3] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire, Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[4] It's December 9th, and this is a Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
[5] A widely criticized UN -funded agency providing education in Gaza faces accusations of teaching anti -Israel content to young Palestinians.
[6] Many UNRWA workers in Gaza are themselves members of Hamas.
[7] The time has come to bust the myth of UN -supplied facts.
[8] And controversy engulfs the college football playoffs.
[9] Why are millions of fans and even a U .S. senator throwing the penalty flag?
[10] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[11] Stay tuned.
[12] We have the news you need to know.
[13] Though the second longest writer's strike in Hollywood history has come to an end, a new report suggests it's having a lasting negative impact.
[14] Studios are reportedly finding themselves without projects to buy.
[15] Daily Wire Culture reporter, Megan Basham, is here with more.
[16] So, Megan, after five months, the writers are finally freed up to start pitching new content, but it sounds like that's not happening for some reason.
[17] Yeah, that's right.
[18] And according to this new report from the Hollywood reporter, even though the writers were technically on strike for nearly five months, Studios expected that they would still be quietly working on new projects during that time.
[19] So when the strike ended, they expected new spec scripts to become available.
[20] If you're not familiar with that, spec script is just short for speculation script.
[21] And that means films and series that script writers write and then they take out on the market and the hope of selling.
[22] It's a very common way that content gets sold in the entertainment industry.
[23] Well, studio and streaming producers told the reporter that that's not happening, that there's been very little new material to buy.
[24] So the theory that some analysts have is that while the Guildstrike did allow writers to continue writing those spec scripts during the strike, so long as they didn't then try to sell them, very few did that.
[25] They say that now that it's a return to business as normal, there's just not a lot of options for studios to choose from.
[26] Now, is there possibly some trepidation among writers about the kind of deals that they're going to get post -strike?
[27] Yeah, that's absolutely what I'm hearing.
[28] Some writers and content creators are telling me that the softening market for content is a bigger factor than a lack of scripts.
[29] Basically, they're suggesting that big streamers like Netflix and big studios like Disney are signaling that the spending frenzy is over, so new content may not get the high bids it once did, and that means that people are being very careful about what they bring onto the sales circuit.
[30] I asked N .D. Wilson, who is the creator of the popular Netflix kids series, Hello Ninja, about this seeming content, And he told me that while it's always slow this time of year and he does expect to see more deals being made in the first quarter of 2024, streamers and studios are making it clear that they're not interested in returning to the pre -strike world.
[31] They're actually taking this as an opportunity to reset some expectations.
[32] So Wilson said that the current lack of pitching has more to do with agents and reps telling writers what the temperature is than with writers holding anything back.
[33] So what does all this mean for audiences?
[34] Can we expect there's just going to be a severe content drought coming up?
[35] Well, you know, maybe not drought, but I think it is safe to say that we're going to see something of a drier spell.
[36] Everyone seems to be trying to figure out how this strike is going to impact the power balance going forward.
[37] The writers, as we all know, flex their muscles in a very big way during that strike.
[38] And some writers' reps say that they're now more able to take advantage of possibilities outside the studio system, working with some independent backers.
[39] So they're not as willing to settle for lower offers.
[40] But as we've talked about before, studios have taken advantage of the strike in resetting some creator deals.
[41] And they've got a backlog of series that were paused during the strike that they can now return to immediately.
[42] As for consumers, it primarily means that we could see less variety and fewer options.
[43] And the reporter's story said that HBO in particular has made few offers this year and is reportedly quoting here, encouraging writers to hold their pitches for the new year.
[44] Their sources say that Apple and Netflix are doing the most deals right now and that Amazon is still willing to pay top dollar for competitive projects.
[45] But overall, that era of an easy sale is over.
[46] And they quoted Universal Studio Group's chair saying it is quality over quantity time now.
[47] Well, as a consumer, I don't actually hate that.
[48] Right.
[49] I feel like Netflix got really overwhelming.
[50] Megan, thanks for reporting.
[51] Anytime.
[52] UNRWA, a controversial United Nations agency that provides education to hundreds of thousands of children in the Gaza Strip, is under renewed scrutiny.
[53] The UN -funded agency is accused of employing staff with ties to Hamas and disseminating anti -Semitic and anti -Israel content to young Palestinians.
[54] Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo.
[55] Hey, Amanda.
[56] First, if you would, give us a brief background on this agency and who's funding it.
[57] Hey, John, so UNRWA, or UNRWA as it's known, is an acronym for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East.
[58] As implied in its name, the agency claims to support Palestinian refugees in places like Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip.
[59] Specifically in Gaza, UNRWA has 183 schools with around 300 ,000 students, and it employs 13 ,000 staffers.
[60] The agency is mainly funded by Western nations.
[61] So more than 60 % of its budget comes from the U .S., Germany, the EU, and Sweden.
[62] And it also collects money from other nations, groups, and individuals.
[63] Now, UNRWA has been viewed as controversial for some time now, but since the Hamas terror attacks in Israel in October, there's really been renewed criticism, underscoring the agency's ties to terrorism in particular.
[64] Tell us about that.
[65] Yeah, I mean, it's pretty clear why there's this new focus on the agency.
[66] There have been reports that 100 Hamas terrorists have been confirmed as UNRWA graduates.
[67] And just this past week, one of the released Israeli hostages said his captor was an UNRED teacher.
[68] The hostage was held for nearly 50 days in an attic and barely provided food and medical attention.
[69] Other UNRED teachers openly praised the 10 -7 attacks.
[70] According to UN Watch, for example, one teacher celebrated the terrorism with, exclamation marks and a heart emoji.
[71] That same teacher in 2021 posted that he hoped rockets would strike Zionists, quote, wiping them entirely off this earth.
[72] Critics of UNRWA are really not surprised by this, and they see the agency as what some have called an internationally funded Hamas Front.
[73] A report published last year from a watchdog group called Impact C found that UNRWA materials contained texts that glorified waging war and sacrificing one's life to liberate the motherland.
[74] Texts also described the IDF as demonic and Jews as inherently treacherous and hostile to Islam and Muslims and impure.
[75] This sort of anti -Semitism from UNRWA was even acknowledged by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken back in June of 2021.
[76] That was before that watchdog report.
[77] Here he is speaking before Congress.
[78] We are also determined that UNRWA pursue very necessary reforms in terms of some of the abuses of the system that have taken place in the past, particularly the challenge that we've seen in disseminating in its educational products, anti -Semitic or anti -Israel information.
[79] But the U .S. is still funding UNRWA despite these concerns.
[80] Correct.
[81] Last year, the U .S. was the largest donor to the agency handing over $344 million to Unra.
[82] And Blinken actually visited the agency this past week, praising the group for its humanitarian efforts.
[83] I'll note, though, that the U .S. under President Trump stopped funding UNRWA in 2018.
[84] Trump vowed at the time that the funding would remain turned off unless the Palestinians came to the table for a peace deal with Israel.
[85] That was a pretty short -lived bargaining chip zoe since Biden turned that spiket back on soon after he took office.
[86] Well, it's important to know where are money's going.
[87] Amanda, thanks for reporting.
[88] You're welcome.
[89] The college football playoff committee made its final decision on the top four teams this past weekend, which led to much controversy when an undefeated team was left out of the final four.
[90] Here to break down, the football fiasco is David Cohn.
[91] Hey, Dave, let's go ahead and acknowledge off the bat here.
[92] We've got one of us whose team is in the playoff, number one, in fact, and the other whose team was robbed, I meant did not make it.
[93] So please explain the playoff committee's decision and why they left my Florida State's Seminoles off the list.
[94] Oh, John, this is easily the most controversial decision the playoff committee has made since it was first founded.
[95] So let's set the stage here a little.
[96] The college football playoff committee was established 10 years ago and is made up of athletic directors, administrators, former coaches and players from all around the country.
[97] And their duty is to select the four best teams to compete in college football's playoff.
[98] That language is key.
[99] The four best teams rather than the four most deserving teams, needless to say, tasking a committee with deciding which teams are or are not invited to participate in postseason play is incredibly bureaucratic and seems to always leave several teams unsatisfied, but nothing like the contention seen this week.
[100] So the four teams selected this past Sunday were two unbeaten conference champions.
[101] That's Michigan and the Big Ten.
[102] That's my alma mater.
[103] And Washington in the PAC 12.
[104] The other two teams each had one loss, but won their conferences.
[105] That's Texas from the Big 12, and then the final spot went to Alabama, the SEC champion, which just defeated the number one ranked Georgia Bulldogs, but who lost to Texas earlier this season.
[106] The drama lies with the fact that Florida State, your alma mater, which was both undefeated and a conference champion winning the ACC, was left out of the 14 playoff.
[107] It's the first time in history of the college football playoff that an unbeaten Power 5 team didn't earn a spot.
[108] the committee has its weekly show where they try to explain their decisions.
[109] What reasoning did they provide for leaving out FSU?
[110] So the college football playoff chairman, Boo Corrigan, who also serves as the athletic director for North Carolina State, pointed to the impact of Florida State losing its star quarterback Jordan Travis, who broke his leg a few weeks ago.
[111] Corrigan said, and here's a quote, Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks.
[112] It was an incredible season, but as you look at who they are as a team right now without Jordan Travis and without the offensive dynamic that he brings, they are a different team, unquote.
[113] Now, one thing to keep in mind, injury to key players is part of the criteria that the committee does take into account.
[114] The frustration for many, and you can speak to this if you'd like, is that there is no objectivity when it comes to weighing that criteria.
[115] Record, strength of schedule, head -to -head matchups and eye test are all taken into account, but there is no set standard for how these metrics determine the final selections of what takes priority.
[116] And many who were outraged by the decision point to the glaring inconsistency of the committee.
[117] Why did they rank Florida State at number four going into the weekend after Jordan Travis had already broken his leg weeks ago?
[118] So how can they defend flip -flopping like that?
[119] Right.
[120] There's obviously a lot of money on the line with decisions like this, is there any recourse for a team that feels the system was rigged to favor one program over another?
[121] That seems highly unlikely.
[122] Even though Florida Senator Rick Scott did send a three -page letter to the committee chair asking for detailed information about the process used to deny Florida state a spot in the playoffs, Scott called the decision to slide FSU out of the playoffs, shocking, and he demanded total transparency for how the selection committee reached its conclusion.
[123] As I noted, the team had been ranked fourth just the week before.
[124] Despite these efforts, the Florida State football team will most certainly move forward and accept their invitation to the Orange Bowl, where they will meet up with the Georgia Bulldogs.
[125] Michigan and Alabama will face off in the Rose Bowl while Washington and Texas compete in the Sugar Bowl.
[126] One final aspect to consider for fans that have grown frustrated with college football, next year the sport will move to a 12 -team playoff.
[127] That will help.
[128] help prevent another situation like this for two reasons.
[129] One, obviously, the number of teams will be tripled.
[130] But more importantly, the metrics for entry should be more objective.
[131] The big conference champions will have automatic bids to the playoffs, while the other wildcard spots will be selected based on ranking.
[132] Well, we FSU fans are still recovering from the letdown, but looking forward to the next season's new format.
[133] Dave, thanks for coming on.
[134] Thank you for having me. That was Crane & Company co -host, David Cohn.
[135] Thanks for waking up with us.
[136] We'll be back later this afternoon with an extra edition of Morning Wire.