Morning Wire XX
[0] A race once seemingly out of reach for Republicans is now in play, the Michigan's governor's race.
[1] We take a closer look at Michigan's key contests in its polarizing abortion measure.
[2] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor -in -chief John Bickley.
[3] It's October 22nd, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
[4] Controversy has erupted and more questions are raised after a Pfizer executive acknowledged this month that the COVID vaccine wasn't tested by the company to see whether it's the spread of the virus before it was pushed to the public.
[5] We had to really move at the speed of science to really understand what is taking place in the market.
[6] And from that point of view, we had to do everything at risk.
[7] We discussed the fact checks and the fallout.
[8] And a Virginia lawmaker says parents who don't affirm their child's gender transition should be prosecuted.
[9] We talked to an investigative reporter about controversial legislation and activism in the state.
[10] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[11] Stay tuned.
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[21] As temperatures fall, Michigan's election season is heating up.
[22] The Great Lake State's governor's race and a controversial congressional race have drawn national attention.
[23] On the ballot is also a measure to make abortion a constitutional right.
[24] Joining us to talk about the state of Michigan politics is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
[25] All right, Tim, we've got this governor's race between Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Tudor Dixon.
[26] How is that shaping up?
[27] Whitmer is favored to win in most polls taken to this point, but some experts think the race could go either way.
[28] Real clear politics ranks the race as a toss -up.
[29] Over at the Cook political report, they say Whitmer is likely to hold on.
[30] The race could shift some after last week, though.
[31] The candidates met for the first debate of the campaign.
[32] It gave voters a chance to see Whitmer and Dixon debate the issues one -on -one.
[33] The economy is far and away the top issue for Michiganders by polling.
[34] Whitmer has faced criticism for her lockdown policies during the pandemic, and her state was the battleground for several high -profile legal fights over shutdown businesses.
[35] Here's the governor on Michigan's economy.
[36] Let's talk about a few stats.
[37] Michigan's economic recovery is the fastest than any we've seen in our history.
[38] We have one of the strongest economic recoveries in the country.
[39] We know that we are seeing small business growth that's outpaced any year that we've seen in the last 23 years.
[40] We've made record investments when it comes to securing the future of the auto industry here.
[41] Dixon questioned the governor's rosy outlook.
[42] She referenced federal jobs data that showed Michigan has struggled to regain jobs lost during the lockdown.
[43] If the governor could just be honest, the report came out today showing that Michigan is in a terribly slow recovery.
[44] In fact, we've lost more small businesses than any other state except for New York.
[45] We're tied for losing the most small businesses.
[46] We've also lost 82 ,000 jobs while grandkids.
[47] Richmond Whitmer was in office.
[48] Right.
[49] Some intense protests against Whitmer happened in Lansing during the pandemic.
[50] What about the ballot question over abortion?
[51] Was that addressed during the debate?
[52] Yes.
[53] It's known as Prop 3 and would amend the state constitution to include an unlimited right to an abortion up to the point of viability, which is somewhere around 23 to 24 weeks.
[54] After that point, the state could regulate abortion, but not if the pregnancy threatens the mother's mental or physical health.
[55] Critics say those vague limits effectively legalize abortion up to the point of birth.
[56] Parallel to the Prop 3 debate, Whitmer is trying to keep on the books laws that regulated abortion before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
[57] She failed to win support for her position in the legislature, so she's trying the courts.
[58] Her administration is sued to block a 1931 law from taking effect that would ban abortion except to save the life of the mother.
[59] Dixon is pro -life, but she said last week that she would respect the outcome of either decision.
[60] I am pro -life with exceptions for life of the mother, but I understand that this is going to be decided by the people of the state.
[61] state of Michigan or by a judge.
[62] As the governor's already stated, a judge has already ruled in this case.
[63] Let's go to Michigan's third congressional district in the race between Republican John Gibbs and Democrat Hillary Shulton.
[64] What's the latest there?
[65] Pulling on the head -to -head matchup between Gibbs and Shulton is sparse.
[66] Most election watchers seem to give the edge to the Democrat after the district's boundaries were redrawn last year.
[67] Gibbs and Shulton are competing to replace Republican Congressman Peter Meyer.
[68] He lost his primary to Gibbs, in part because Democrats spent a load of money on primary ads that effectively boosted Gibbs' name recognition and his conservative bona fides.
[69] Right.
[70] Now Democrats are attacking Gibbs as an election denier and threat to democracy, but they wanted Gibbs to win that primary.
[71] Meyer is a moderate in one of 10 House Republicans who backed former President Trump's impeachment.
[72] Democrats believed Gibbs would be less electable in a purple district because of his strong support for Trump.
[73] But in aiding Gibbs candidacy early on, Democrats have blunted their attacks and, ironically, given him a better shot at winning.
[74] All right, good stuff, Tim.
[75] Thanks for joining us.
[76] Thanks for having me. That was DailyWire's Tim Pierce.
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[81] An executive of Pfizer acknowledged to a European Union conference this month that the COVID vaccine, which was mandatory in many parts of the world, was never tested by the company to ensure that it prevented infections or blocked transmission of the virus before it was pushed to market.
[82] Pfizer's admission raises questions about the veracity of information shared with the public by the drug manufacturers and politicians.
[83] Here to discuss the situation is Daily Wire Senior Editor Ash Short.
[84] So, Ash, this admission from one of Pfizer's executives seemed like a bombshell to a lot of people, essentially saying that the drug was never tested to do the thing that we were all told it would do, which is stop the spread, but Reuters addressed it in a fact check recently, and they say that the company actually did not mislead the public.
[85] What was Reuters argument for saying that this statement is not inconsistent with what we were told?
[86] Well, Reuters used a narrow fact check to avoid addressing statements made by politicians, including Democrat President Joe Biden, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Wilensky, an infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci, who all said repeatedly that the vaccine would prevent people from catching COVID.
[87] Instead, Reuters spoke only to Moderna and Pfizer's past statements, saying that all the companies needed to do to get emergency approval was, quote, to show the vaccines were safe and prevented vaccinated people from getting ill, end quote.
[88] But they did not have to prove the vaccine would prevent people from transmitting the virus to others.
[89] So Reuters use social media postings to claim that people were wrongly implying that, quote, national restrictions such as vaccine passports were based on a promise of vaccines blocking virus spread that neither the companies nor EU regulators made before the vaccines were marketed, end quote.
[90] So Reuters is basically saying that people mistakenly believed that these vaccine mandates were based on preventing the spread of COVID, but that the drug companies themselves never explicitly made those promises.
[91] Correct.
[92] But again, Reuters did not address the fact that people believe those things because of statements from government officials.
[93] The Daily Wire's own Greg Wilson wrote recently that Reuters was missing the point of people's posts.
[94] He explained that government seized upon the notion that vaccines protected against the spread of COVID in order to, quote, compel people to get vaccinated.
[95] Now, here are a few clips of that now disputed information being spread.
[96] You're not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.
[97] And here's CDC director, Rochelle Walensky.
[98] vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don't get sick.
[99] And most people were listening to politicians, not necessarily reading the fine print from drug companies, correct?
[100] Right.
[101] And even beyond that, the very fact that these were called vaccines was pretty misleading, since the medical definition of vaccines says they're supposed to provide immunity against one or several diseases.
[102] At first, the conversation compared the COVID vaccines to childhood vaccines that prevent polio or smallpox.
[103] But these COVID vaccines aren't that and never were that.
[104] Now, some of the policies based on these premises are still in effect.
[105] Is there any movement now to reevaluate those?
[106] Right.
[107] So for example, COVID vaccine mandates are still in fact for the military, but many have now been dropped.
[108] For example, Canada just stopped requiring vaccines for travelers on October 1st.
[109] And there are about 80 countries that have discontinued vaccine requirements, but that's little comfort for the thousands of people who lost their jobs over this, some of whom lost pensions.
[110] All right.
[111] Well, Ash, thanks so much for the update.
[112] You're welcome.
[113] That's Daily Wire senior editor, Ash Short.
[114] A lawmaker in Virginia says she'll introduce a law that would allow teachers and social workers to call child protective services on parents who don't support their child's gender transition.
[115] Now this issue is playing a critical role in one of Virginia's most competitive congressional races.
[116] Here with the details is Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Roziak, who broke this story earlier this month.
[117] Luke, thanks for coming on.
[118] So take us back to the beginning.
[119] How did this start?
[120] Sure thing.
[121] Well, on October 3rd, I published internal documents of a Virginia activist group called the Pride Liberation Project.
[122] The group was offering to send cash and transportation to gay or trans teenagers who didn't like their parents and placed them in homes with new guardians.
[123] The document read, quoting here, we can provide you with emergency housing from a supportive, queer -friendly adult.
[124] We anticipate that we can secure someone to take you in within one to two days, and we will work with other supportive adult organizations in the region to find you someone who can provide you with a kind and affirming home.
[125] All right, so this organization is working to help teens leave home and be rehomed with queer -friendly adults.
[126] Now, critics are describing this as a potential form of kidnapping.
[127] Yeah, and that's exactly what the reaction was.
[128] all sorts of parents.
[129] Many on the left were relegated to casting doubt on the story.
[130] It just seemed too extreme to be real, except that the same materials encouraged students to contact a woman named Amy Kanava, the head of the National Association of School Psychologist, LGBTQ Committee, who was involved in the group.
[131] And two days later, I unearthed a podcast in which Knava states that she was working with the Virginia lawmaker to get the state involved.
[132] Here's Amy.
[133] I've been working with a senator, or no, a representative in a small district that I'm not a resident of.
[134] And she's a former social worker and has her clinical degree and recognizes the abuse and the long -term harm caused by not affirming your kids.
[135] And so we were working on a child protection bill that would make it illegal to not affirm.
[136] That led the unnamed lawmaker to come forward and discuss her plans on a local news station.
[137] Here's Elizabeth Guzman.
[138] a Virginia state delegate representing Falk Year in Prince William counties.
[139] We consider a senior, a top protective service was charged.
[140] You know, it could be a felony, it could be a misdemeanor.
[141] But we know that a CPS charge could harm, you know, your employee, but harm your education.
[142] Okay, so this activist group that's working to rehome queer kids with queer friendly adults as allies in the state legislature in Virginia, has Guzman put forward an actual draft of this bill?
[143] She says she plans to introduce it in January, but it turns out she already introduced a very similar bill back in 2020.
[144] So we have a very good idea of what it will look like.
[145] That bill redefined the term abuse to include mental injury associated with how a parent responds to a child's gender identity.
[146] So it winds up being every bit as radical as what that activist group initially proposed.
[147] And I imagine a bill like this would be pretty unpopular with many parents.
[148] Yeah, that's what's causing a pretty big problem heading into election.
[149] season.
[150] Prominent Democrats have supported Delegate Guzman, including Congressman Abigail Spanberger, who's now facing a tough challenge from Yesley Vega in one of the closest house races in the country.
[151] Spanberger has actually been campaigning with Guzman this month.
[152] Has Spanberger made an effort to distance herself from Guzman since this came out?
[153] It looks that way.
[154] On Monday, Spanberger abruptly dropped out from a planned debate against Vega, and Vega is saying that's because she doesn't want to be confronted by questions on this issue.
[155] For her part, Spamberger is saying she doesn't support the state bill and that it won't pass.
[156] But that podcast I mentioned, it's been deleted from the internet.
[157] But I guess the internet is forever.
[158] Luke, thanks for reporting.
[159] Absolutely.
[160] That's DailyWire's Luke Roziak.
[161] Other stories were tracking this week.
[162] On Thursday, the UK's defense minister said a Russian fighter jet released a missile close to a British aircraft that was not armed.
[163] A Mississippi State University football player died suddenly on Wednesday, days before he turned 19.
[164] The university is working with a continuing investigation over the incident.
[165] Thanks for listening to our episode today.
[166] And quick shout out to regular listener, Jen Hudson.
[167] Jen reached out to us with such an encouraging email this week about listening to our show with her kids.
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[173] And before we go, we wanted to let you know about a new show, ElectionWire, airing on this feed, YouTube, and Dailywire .com this Sunday.
[174] ElectionWire, which features me and Cabot Phillips, offers the latest election news and will air every week leading up to the election.
[175] Thanks for waking up with us.
[176] We'll be back tomorrow with more of the news you need to know.