Morning Wire XX
[0] If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, legal authority on abortion goes back to the states.
[1] In Oklahoma, I've been very clear.
[2] I don't believe in abortion.
[3] We're trying to do everything we can to get it out of our state.
[4] Which states are poised to limit abortion access and which states are expanding it.
[5] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire, editor -in -chief, John Bickley.
[6] It's May 7th, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
[7] A growing number of employees at companies such as a...
[8] Amazon and Starbucks are choosing to unionize.
[9] It's employees' choice whether or not they want to join a union.
[10] We happen to think they're better off not doing so.
[11] What's motivating the unionization efforts, and are they working?
[12] And the U .S. State Department has declared that Russia has wrongfully detained American pro basketball player Brittany Griner, and the department has called on its top hostage negotiator to secure her release.
[13] We have the latest on the case.
[14] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[15] Stay tuned.
[16] We have the news you need to.
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[26] Several states have moved to limit abortion in the past few years, while others have passed laws expanding access.
[27] These actions may prove significant if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as the court is poised to do.
[28] Here to break down how state laws could change if the court overturns Roe v. Wade, is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
[29] Charlotte, welcome.
[30] Hey, Georgia.
[31] So, as you all reported on Morning Wire, Politico released the document titled Opinion of the Court.
[32] It was written by Justice Samuel Alito and was joined by the four other conservative -leaning justices.
[33] Alito Rowe, we hold that Rowe and Casey must be overruled, adding it is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives.
[34] So if this decision becomes final, it will be up to each state to legislate whether or how they want to limit abortion access.
[35] So where do states stand right now on the issue?
[36] Well, states have really moved in both directions on this over the past year or so in anticipation of a possible ruling on Roe.
[37] According to a Gutmacher Institute report, 23 states have legislation that could be utilized to limit abortion.
[38] As the New York Times points out, some states had abortion bans in place before the Roe decision took effect in 1973, including Michigan, Alabama, Arizona, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
[39] If Roe is overturned, as is expected, those old laws could become active again.
[40] But Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer actually already filed a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to clear up the issue, and she's openly pro -choice.
[41] And Wisconsin's governor, Tony Evers, a Democrat, has vetoed pro -life bills in the past.
[42] Other states put abortion bans on the books after row, with the intention that they would likely go into effect if the Supreme Court let them.
[43] These are often called trigger laws.
[44] They have different parameters, but those states include Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
[45] According to Guttmocker, seven states have said that they want to limit abortion as much as is allowed if row is gone, and nine states have post -row limitations that are currently blocked in the courts.
[46] Four states, including Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia have amended their state constitutions to specifically exclude the right to abortion.
[47] Now, which states have moved in the opposite direction to actually expand access to abortion?
[48] Right.
[49] So some states have definitely done that and have made abortion even more accessible to women, especially for women who may travel from more restrictive states to obtain the procedure.
[50] Four states have moved to allow abortion throughout the full term of pregnancy, including Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon, and Vermont.
[51] D .C. also has this provision.
[52] Colorado and California in particular have some of the most permissive laws.
[53] Colorado recently passed a bill that specifically states that a fetus does not have human rights prior to birth.
[54] California Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed a goal for California to become a destination for abortion if and when women are restricted in neighboring states.
[55] California Democrats in the state legislature have also pushed for a bill that bars the state from fully investigating perinatal deaths, including infant deaths within the first week of birth.
[56] Earlier this year, Newsom also signed the Abortion Accessibility Act, which in most situations makes abortion taxpayer funded.
[57] So it sounds like there's a lot of variability between the states.
[58] Right.
[59] If Roe is overturned, local voters will be able to decide their own rules based on their values.
[60] Based on opinion polling, the majority of Americans, almost 7 and 10, do favor having some access to abortion.
[61] But more than half of voters think the limit should be about 15 weeks, which that's comparable to the standard throughout most of Europe.
[62] So it's likely we will see a lot of diversity among the states with a handful of banning it outright, but most falling somewhere in the middle.
[63] All right.
[64] Well, Charlotte, thanks so much for reporting.
[65] That's Daily Wires, Charlotte Pence Bond.
[66] Coming up, Amazon workers in New York vote to unionize.
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[76] Amazon workers at a Staten Island warehouse in New York City have overwhelmingly rejected an attempt at unionization.
[77] Just weeks after a different Amazon warehouse on Staten Island voted in favor of it.
[78] The move comes as unionization efforts ramp up across the country since October of 2021, a stark increase from efforts hampered by the pandemic.
[79] Here to discuss the issue is Daily Wire's senior editor, Ash Short.
[80] So, Ash, what's going on at Amazon?
[81] Why the different unionization outcomes?
[82] Well, it looks like the organization behind the unionization effort, the Amazon Labor Union, was stretched thin and put more effort into the first warehouse vote than the second.
[83] The second warehouse also had about a third of the organizers as the first warehouse and relies more on part -time workers who labor experts say may not support unionization because they're not as committed to the company.
[84] And how did Amazon respond to the unionization efforts?
[85] The company held mandatory meetings during which it attempted to persuade workers against unionization.
[86] Amazon also posted flyers and launched a website advocating against unionization.
[87] So what was Amazon's argument?
[88] to workers about why they shouldn't unionize.
[89] Amazon said it already provided most of what unions have demanded.
[90] For example, the company already pays a $15 minimum wage and committed hundreds of millions of dollars toward upskilling its American workforce.
[91] The company also says it has competitive benefits and career training programs.
[92] But workers at the other warehouse did vote to unionize.
[93] So what happens next for them?
[94] It's not guaranteed they'll actually be able to form a union, since Amazon has disputed that election, claiming that organizers and the National Labor Relations Board's Brooklyn Regional Office tainted the vote.
[95] Union supporters, of course, see this as Amazon's attempt to delay, if not put a stop to contract negotiations.
[96] So why was there such a sudden push for unionization at Amazon?
[97] It's not just Amazon.
[98] According to the National Labor Relations Board, unionization efforts across the country have increased 57 % in the first six months of the fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2021.
[99] The increase comes after prolonged pandemic lockdowns forced workers out of their jobs.
[100] Now, many businesses are struggling to hire employees, and we've seen reports of employers offering higher wages and better benefits in order to retain existing employees or to attract new ones.
[101] So workers may feel like now is a good time to flex their power.
[102] But what's interesting is the proposed union demands aren't necessarily about more money.
[103] It seems they're focused on ensuring that.
[104] that those at the top of the company don't make so much more than the employees.
[105] That kind of sentiment has been gaining steam in recent years in left -wing political circles, and it looks like workers are taking it to heart.
[106] Now, aside from concerns about the discrepancy and pay between workers and execs, what else do they want?
[107] Well, some employees may also want to unionize to feel a sense of community, especially after the isolation of COVID -19 lockdowns.
[108] It also appears that having someone on the ground like Chris Smalls, a former Amazon employee who's leading the unionization effort at the company is more effective at energizing workers to unionize than politicians in Washington, D .C. Where else are we seeing this?
[109] At Starbucks, for one, multiple locations have unionized following a win in December in Buffalo, New York.
[110] Apple employees from two store locations have also filed unionization paperwork, and Google employees formed the Alphabet Workers Union in 2021, which now has 800 members.
[111] interesting.
[112] Well, Ash, thanks so much for keeping us informed.
[113] You're welcome.
[114] That's Daily Wire senior editor, Ash Short.
[115] The U .S. government has announced that U .S. citizen and WNBA star Brittany Griner is now considered wrongfully detained by Russian authorities, signaling a major shift in the way her case will be treated.
[116] Here to tell us more is Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
[117] Joe, we've talked about this case before and now things have really escalated.
[118] Catch us up here, if you would.
[119] Yeah, thanks for having me on, John.
[120] So the biggest development is that the Biden administration will now consider WMBA star Brittany Greiner is wrongfully detained, as you mentioned, by the Russian government.
[121] It should be noted that the move followed former U .S. Marine Trevor Reed being freed from a Russian prison last week in a prisoner exchange.
[122] Following the news, U .S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told CNN that Greider's case was a, quote, top priority for the government and that they were in regular contact with their team.
[123] And remind us of the details of her case.
[124] Sure.
[125] So as we discussed, Griner has been in Russian custody since February, after Russian federal customs service officials say they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.
[126] In mid -March, it was reported that Griner's detention for drug charges had been extended.
[127] A Russian state news agency, TAS, reported that a Moscow court made the decision to extend the detention until May 19th.
[128] So from what we've been told, Griner's hearing is coming up in the next couple of weeks.
[129] The decision by the U .S. to label Griner as wrongfully detained is a significant moment in Griner's case.
[130] What it means is that the Biden administration will no longer wait for her case to play out in Russian court.
[131] And we're told that Griner's Phoenix Mercury teammates, along with the rest of the WMBA, of course, will be encouraged to speak out on her case.
[132] So wrongful detainment.
[133] Is she then considered effectively a hostage by the U .S. government?
[134] No, she's not.
[135] The classification of wrongfully detained is actually different from hostage.
[136] However, the new classification now means that the U .S. will take action and attempt to negotiate her release.
[137] It's also been reported that former U .S. ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, who is an international hostage negotiator, has agreed to work on Greiner's case.
[138] As we noted on this show before, Greiner's cases largely remained under the radar.
[139] This decision by the government should change that, correct?
[140] Yeah, it should.
[141] And, you know, I've actually written about this for the past several weeks, but WMBA, Great Lisa Leslie, said in Marsh that she was told not to make a, quote, big fuss over Greiner's arrest, less Greiner be used as a pawn by Russia.
[142] However, as WMBA training camps have commenced, Griner's Mercury teammates have stated that she is on their minds as they prepare for the 2022 regular season.
[143] I really would expect a lot more focus on Griner's case with this new classification, John.
[144] Yeah, you'd think so.
[145] Thanks for the update, Joe.
[146] Yeah, absolutely.
[147] Anytime.
[148] That was Daily Wire Sports Reporter, Joe Morgan.
[149] Other stories were tracking this week.
[150] Justice Samuel Alito canceled appearing at a public event on Thursday after the unprecedented leak of his draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
[151] Pro -Roe activists have held demonstrations protesting against the ruling in major cities.
[152] A government official in Canada has claimed that American women who want to get an abortion will be permitted to do so in Canada if the High Court overturns Roe.
[153] And five days after a building in China partially collapsed, a woman was retrieved alive, according to government media on Thursday.
[154] Ten people survived the tragedy so far.
[155] with five people losing their lives and potentially dozens missing.
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