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--:-- Host (John Bickley): The NFL is back, and FanDuel's got everything you need to play your game. From same-game parlays to live betting. Right now, new customers bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. 21-plus in president select states. 18-plus in Kentucky and Wyoming. Must be first online real money waging. $5 deposit required. Bonus issued is non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See full terms at FanDuel.com slash sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): An exclusive new poll for Morning Wire shows that support for Dr. Anthony Fauci is eroding among a diverse group of Americans. We have the numbers. Plus, we talked to Dr. Marty McCary about the new CDC guidelines on school activities. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, January 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Russia has built up troops at the Ukraine border, and the U.S. Secretary of State warns Putin could attack on short notice. We have a full report. And the FDA now says that a patient's race or ethnicity should be considered when deciding whether to administer certain COVID treatments. We'll look at the FDA's controversial guidance. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): This show is sponsored by CrowdHealth. In honor of cancel culture, it's about time you cancel your health insurance. CrowdHealth is a new way to pay for health care. It's a community of people who care about enhancing freedom and reducing health care costs. No enrollment periods, no doctor networks, no surprises. Go to CrowdHealth.com and enter code DAILYWIRE for a special offer of $99 a month per person for six months. CrowdHealth is not health insurance. It's a community-powered alternative. Terms and conditions may apply.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): As many Americans signal that they're ready to move on from restrictive COVID policies, the CDC continues to roll out new guidelines. There's a new poll by Trafalgar Group and Convention of States Action provided exclusively to Morning Wire. It shows that an increasing number of Americans now think the man who helped head up federal COVID policy, Dr. Anthony Fauci, should resign from his post.
--:-- Guest (Cabot Phillips): So, Cabot, what did we learn from this poll?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, we learned that a growing number of Americans are starting to sour on Dr. Anthony Fauci. While he was generally held in high regard at the start of the pandemic, his popularity has really started to wane in the past year. And now 46.3% of Americans say he should resign his position and allow new leadership.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): That's according to a new poll from the Trafalgar Group exclusively from Morning Wire. Now, one point worth noting is how stark the divide is between political parties on the issue. While just 17% of Democrats say Fauci should resign, 76% of Republicans want him out.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And many people have tried to say the displeasure with Fauci is based entirely on party affiliation. But if you look at the people who say they don't identify with the party, the independents, 58% said they think he should resign.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): So, even a majority of independents want him out. According to this poll, yeah. And that's about 25% of respondents. So pretty significant chunk.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So what do we know about why people have started to tire of Dr. Fauci? Well, the poll doesn't get into specifics on that, but there are a few theories. First, a lot of the frustration aimed at Dr. Fauci stems from what a lot of Americans perceive to be shifting standards. The main examples people point to are his rhetoric on masks, vaccines, and social distancing.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): And his popularity also seems to have taken a hit after his contentious appearances before Congress, where he seemed to lie about the government role in funding gain research in China Right we covered that a good bit
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And in general many Americans said they feel like Dr Fauci and the CDC have moved the goalposts on what it going to take to end the pandemic Their initial message when the vaccine was introduced was that as more people got the shot, cases would go down and things would start opening back up. But just last week, as millions of Americans continue to test positive for the virus, the CDC issued new guidelines, which really upset a lot of people.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): On that note, I talked to Dr. Marty McCary of Johns Hopkins University for his thoughts on new CDC guidelines, which urge schools to cancel after-school activities, things like football, basketball, and marching band.
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: So no, I don't think we should be adjudicating on school activities when we know kids have been suffering the worst from all of this. Adults get more privileges than kids, and it's nothing more than a power abuse, in my opinion.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): I also asked Dr. McCary for his take on the shifting views nationwide when it comes to Dr. Fauci.
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: Dr. Fauci has a distinguished career with HIV in some other areas. But I think there's been a frustration that is building in the medical profession about why don't you ever talk about natural immunity? Why have you never said the word fluvoxamine once, an effective treatment that's already FDA approved and around? We see good data come out on many different ways to approach COVID that we don't hear about from public health officials. And as a result, careers are being ruined.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Right, it seems so. We're definitely going to keep covering this. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): That's Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips. Coming up, tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine. You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. Even if you're not a Daily Wire member, you'll be first to know what's trending with mobile notifications for the latest news. And you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding meetings in Ukraine this week as European leaders unite against the threat of an impending Russian invasion. Here to give us an update on the latest with this potentially volatile situation is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So Ian, last time we spoke, Russia was mobilizing along the border of Ukraine. What's happened since then?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, first off, Russia has continued to move military equipment and personnel to the border. There's around 100,000 troops there now, with no immediate signs of changing course. What's making matters worse is that diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions are hitting dead end after dead end. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week that the threat of a Russian military invasion is high, And also that both the U.S. and its allies are prepared for any contingency.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): That's Daily Wire's Ian Howarth. The FDA recently released guidance saying healthcare providers should factor in a patient's race when deciding whether to administer certain COVID treatments. The agency said that a patient's race or ethnicity may put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19.
--:-- Guest (Marietta Elordi): So Marietta, it sounds like the FDA is saying to prioritize people for healthcare by their race. What's going on here?
--:-- Marietta Elordi: That's definitely what they're saying here. And the implication appears to be that if you're a minority, you're at greater risk for severe COVID symptoms, and you should be prioritized for treatment.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): So as you said, the FDA released a fact sheet recently on certain COVID treatments, including monoclonal antibodies. The fact sheet discusses the emergency use authorization of the drug Sotrovimab, which is a monoclonal antibody, for treatment of mild to moderate COVID cases.
--:-- Marietta Elordi: The FDA listed some conditions that place people at higher risk for developing severe COVID, things like being 65 or older, pregnancy, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, cardiovascular disease, or neurodevelopmental disorders like cerebral palsy. But then the FDA added, quote, other medical conditions or factors, for example, race or ethnicity, as a risk factor too.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Now, the FDA is not the only government entity advising this. There's others telling doctors to factor in race for COVID treatments, right?
--:-- Marietta Elordi: That's right. At least three states have issued similar guidance at the state level about considering race as an indicator of the risk of severe COVID, New York, Minnesota, and Utah.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): In New York, the health department released guidance in December saying that only COVID patients at a certain risk level were eligible to receive monoclonal antibodies or oral antiviral treatment. Race was listed as one of the factors that increases a person's risk, and that's supposedly because of, quote, systemic inequity.
--:-- Marietta Elordi: So the guidance from New York stated, quote, non-white race or Hispanic slash Latino ethnicity should be considered a risk factor as longstanding systemic health and social inequities have contributed to an increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID Okay so in this case they came right out and said that they prioritizing minorities effectively because of systemic racism
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Yeah, they did. Now, what about Minnesota and Utah? So we have a similar situation in both states. In Utah, health officials use a point system to calculate a COVID patient's risk score to determine whether to administer a monoclonal antibody treatment. Being of, quote, non-white race or Hispanic slash Latinx ethnicity bumps a patient's risk score up two points.
--:-- Marietta Elordi: That's the same amount the risk score is raised for highest risk comorbidities like diabetes, obesity, or being severely immunocompromised.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The Minnesota Health Department cited the FDA specifically in their state guidance, saying healthcare providers may consider whether a patient has heightened risk of severe COVID due to their race when determining whether to give them monoclonal antibodies.
--:-- Marietta Elordi: The CDC, which has been having trouble maintaining public trust lately, has also echoed the FDA. The CDC said that COVID has, quote, unequally affected many racial and ethnic minority groups, putting them more at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Prioritizing health care by race seems like a civil rights violation that stands on shaky scientific ground. We'll have to watch to see if these policies face legal challenges. Thanks, Mairead.
--:-- Marietta Elordi: Thanks, John.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Daily Wire investigative reporter Mairead Elordi. Other stories we're tracking this week. President Biden gave a speech Wednesday on the eve of his first year in office. He admitted that more needs to be done in handling COVID, but said it's been a year of great progress. When questioned, he insisted he is a mainstream Democrat and that he doesn't believe the negative polling about his handling of the job.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): How do you plan to win back moderates and independents who cast a ballot for you in 2020, but polls indicate aren't happy with the way you're doing your job now?
--:-- President Biden: I don't believe the polls.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch issued a joint statement Wednesday, saying that a recent report from NPR was, quote, false. The report stated that Sotomayor, who has diabetes, is socially distancing from the courtroom because Gorsuch won't wear a mask after the justices were asked to do so.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): The statement reads, quote, Reporting that Justice Sotomayor asked Justice Gorsuch to wear a mask surprised us. It was false. While we may sometimes disagree about the law, we are warm colleagues and friends.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Chief Justice John Roberts also put out a statement saying, quote, I did not request Justice Gorsuch or any other justice to wear a mask on the bench.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament on Wednesday that as of next Monday, nearly all COVID restrictions will be lifted, saying, quote, Our scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): This week, Starbucks announced that it will no longer be making its workers get the COVID-19 vaccination, following the Supreme Court ruling against President Biden's vaccine and testing mandate for private businesses.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): And Texas, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho have regained all of the jobs that were lost at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Some attribute this to the lighter lockdown policies in those states and the fact that many people have recently moved to these areas.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): If you liked 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. That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): If you liked this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter, available exclusively to Daily Wire members. Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe. Use code MORNINGWIRE to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
