--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Black Rifle Coffee. Start your morning with America's coffee from BlackRifleCoffee.com.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Biden administration has introduced a new immigration rule that could prohibit illegal migrants from seeking asylum. What's in the new rule and what effect does it have on Title 42? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, February 23rd, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: The White House quietly signed an executive order last week relating to environmental justice. But some on the right are raising flags about the group that has been contracted to spearhead the effort.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We have to break down the monopolies. We have to de-link money in politics. We have to build up local systems. And amid backlash, a State Department-funded nonprofit has cut ties with a group accused of blacklisting conservative news outlets. Taxpayer money ought not to be going in this.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- John Bickley: This week, the Biden administration introduced their strongest immigration order to date, cracking down on asylum seekers and empowering border officials to deport those caught entering illegally. Here with the details on that rule and what it means for those coming here illegally is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, what can you tell us about this new measure?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, this is without a doubt the most aggressive action on the border that we've seen since President Biden took office. Remember, last fiscal year, we saw 2.76 million illegal immigrant crossings that broke the previous record by more than a million. For context, if you put 2.7 million people anywhere in America, they would become the third largest city in the country.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The White House took a few minor steps last year to try and stem that flow of illegal immigration. But clearly more substantive action was needed. On Tuesday, the Biden DOJ and DHS jointly proposed a new rule that would make migrants ineligible for asylum if they enter the country illegally. And the rule would also allow border agents to deport anyone who failed to officially request protection from other countries that they'd passed through on the way to the US.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So some pretty major changes. Now, not the kind of thing that we typically see suggested from the left. How is the White House framing this new rule?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, you're right. It's definitely not something that we typically see from the Democrat Party. And that should kind of give an idea of the sense of urgency that comes with this border crisis. The White House is well aware that 70 percent of Americans say there is a crisis at the border and that an overwhelming majority, 62 percent of the latest Rasmussen poll, blame President Biden for that crisis.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, the White House says this new rule will hopefully direct migrants to seek asylum at designated border crossings or through other legal channels. At the moment most migrants coming up from Mexico don't apply for asylum with officials there because they prefer to try their luck in the US. This law will punish those who do so.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The White House says it will also reduce the reliance on human smuggling networks that exploit migrants for financial gain. Now, we've talked a lot on this show about Title 42. That was the Trump-era immigration law that's set to expire this spring. How does that play into the timing of this new rule?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: It is a huge part of this. Remember, Title 42 had allowed border officials to immediately deport illegal immigrants caught at the border, but it's set to expire in early May. It's no coincidence this rule will go into effect right after that order expires. The White House had hoped that Congress would take action on immigration before it expired, but that has not happened.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So their hand was kind of forced and they've been open about that. The White House official put it bluntly, telling reporters, "to be clear, this was not our first preference or even our second, and that this new rule is, quote, intended to fill the void that Congress has left by taking no action and to ensure the secure and humane processing of migrants when Title 42 does end."
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So the White House is essentially putting the blame for this new rule on the inaction from Congress. And what's the response been? Is the White House getting bipartisan support for this?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Not exactly. So Republican members have generally favored measures like this in the past because they, again, do give border officials more power to deport those coming here illegally and can also prevent abuse of the asylum system. But generally, their main critique is that rules like this still don't really mean that much if the border itself is not secure.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's worth pointing out, Biden has actually gotten more pushback from the left on this, particularly the far left. They say the rule is anti-immigrant and that we should welcome those in search of a better life. For example, over 300 immigrant and humanitarian groups sent a joint letter to Biden calling the role, quote, Trump-like and inhumane.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Other groups like the ACLU have already promised to sue the Biden administration once it goes into effect in May. So we're likely going to be hearing quite a bit more about this in the coming months.
--:-- John Bickley: Sounds like it. Cabot, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- John Bickley: That was Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. Coming up, President Biden partners with a controversial group to implement his new DEI executive order. If you love your morning coffee while you're listening to the show, you have to check out Black Rifle Coffee. They're constantly coming out with new roasts to try like their most recent. Beware the Delaware roast. Black Rifle Coffee is roasted by a veteran-led team of brilliant coffee graders here in the U.S. Go to blackriflecoffee.com and use promo code WIRE for 10% off your purchases and your first coffee club order. That's blackriflecoffee.com, promo code WIRE. Black Rifle Coffee, America's coffee.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Biden administration recently issued a new executive order it says is designed to address environmental justice. But the group that the White House is partnering with to implement these new policies, Justice 40, is being described as openly Marxist. Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham joins us now to explain what this executive order does, as well as why Justice 40 is considered controversial.
--:-- Megan Basham: So, Megan, what does the order accomplish?
--:-- Megan Basham: So this order piggybacks off of another one from 2021 that directed all federal agencies to initiate really a host of DEI programs that resulted in billions of dollars of federal spending being directed to a lot of different social justice groups and race-based initiatives. Well, this latest order goes even further. Among other things, it requires every federal department to establish what they're calling agency equity teams within 30 days. And they'll have to submit annual plans to officials in a new White House steering committee on equity. So really, this is the creation of a whole new DEI bureaucracy. And again, this was done via executive order, so without any input from Congress.
--:-- Megan Basham: But then buried within it is a particular initiative related to climate change and infrastructure. And it mandates that at least 40 of federal spending addressing climate change and clean infrastructure must go to what they calling marginalized communities. Basically, the administration's argument for that is that climate change and environmental issues impact minorities the most. So to that end, it said it's implementing an initiative with this group called Justice40.
--:-- Megan Basham: So what's so controversial about Justice40? Well, if you look on their website, you'll find a lot of Black Power imagery, for example, that raised fist icon. One of the leaders of the group, Jackie Patterson, has said that the U.S. needs massive systemic overhaul. Our core issues with patriarchy, with racism, with classism, with the need to amass wealth and power of a few, all are what gets us to where we are today. So we really need massive kind of systems change, system by system.
--:-- Megan Basham: And then you also have some of her comments here on capitalism. Capitalism is predicated on the notion of winners and losers. And capital really is at the root of it, the way capital is used now and the way it's inextricably connected to our political system and who makes the decisions and who makes the rules. But I do believe deeply that we need to have much better distribution of wealth and means of production and so forth. So things like redistributing wealth and the means of production derive directly from Karl Marx's political philosophies. And that's what's really raising eyebrows.
--:-- Megan Basham: Jeff Cunningham, former publisher of Forbes and global management professor at Arizona State, described the Justice40 initiative as, quote, an executive order partnering with Marxists. Well, it's definitely something we will look further into.
--:-- John Bickley: Megan, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Anytime.
--:-- John Bickley: That was Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. The National Endowment for Democracy, a State Department-funded nonprofit, has cut ties with the Global Disinformation Index, or GDI, a group accused of blacklisting conservative news outlets with the goal of starving them of advertising dollars. The move comes in response to explosive reporting detailing how GDI received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the State Department-funded group. Joining us to discuss is the investigative journalist behind the reports, the Washington Examiner's Gabe Kaminsky.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: So Gabe, you first broke the story on GDI's blacklisting efforts, and there's been a new development here with the National Endowment for Democracy. Can you catch us up?
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: That's right, John. We learned, the Washington Examiner, that the National Endowment for Democracy will no longer be providing grants to the Global Disinformation Index, according to a spokeswoman. The organization said that, quote, we recently became aware that one of our grantees, the Global Disinformation Index, was engaged in an initiative funded by a different donor that focused on specific U.S. media outlets. Given our commitment to avoid the perception that NED is engaged in any work domestically, directly or indirectly, we will no longer provide financial support to GDI.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: And so this will impact future grants, but not current money that was given to GDI in 2020 and 2021. Right. How much money did the NED, the State Department funded group, give to GDI?
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: Between 2020 and 2021, NED provided $545,750 to the Global Disinformation Index. And this money was earmarked for overseas activity to develop risk ratings for advertising companies. And NED's attempts to distance itself from GDI according to its statement were based on the fact that NED is intended to operate foreign and overseas as that is primarily its focus not domestically.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: But the argument here is that this money is ultimately fungible so giving for one particular endeavor might leak over to other endeavors like this domestic blacklist. That's a very fair argument. Money is certainly fungible. Anytime you're going to be providing financial resources to an organization. And look, many people, First Amendment lawyers and members of Congress have been arguing that even though the financial resources that the NED gave to GDI were earmarked for foreign activity, it does not absolve NED from funding a group that is heavily involved in domestic affairs and attempting to censor outlets like the Daily Wire and the Washington Examiner.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: I think there is a fair role to be argued for the United States and affiliated groups in the United States to be involved in countering legitimate disinformation initiatives that the U.S. determines to be a national security threat. And that's something the NED attempts to do in places like China and Russia, in which there are authoritarian-aligned governments that are contrary to the United States. It does come another question when an organization that receives taxpayer dollars is funding a group that is so heavily trying to put its finger on the pulse of what Americans who maybe listen to this podcast can read on a daily basis in their own country.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: Indeed. Now, there's been some congressional activity around this. What kinds of actions are being taken by congressional leaders?
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: The latest update we've heard so far is that Representative Matt Gaetz and Representative Jim Jordan, the chairman of the new weaponization Subcommittee in Congress. Both of those individuals told us last week late that they intend to include investigations into State Department funding of GDI in their subcommittee investigations. Similarly, Representative James Comer of the House Oversight Committee had said he does intend to press the Biden administration over this funding.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: Ultimately, we've heard a lot of word from lawmakers, including in the Senate, such as Eric Schmidt, Marsha Blackburn, Senator Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Marco Rubio, to name a few. Now, the State Department is quickly backing away from GDI, but of course, GDI is not the only player in this industry. There's other companies like NewsGuard, for example, creating their own ratings and advertiser lists and that are coming under more scrutiny now.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: What other groups are involved in this industry?
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: There are several organizations similar to the Global Disinformation Index. We've reported on some of those, including Double Verify, which is a publicly traded company. Integral Ad Science, which is also a public company. And look, GDI, they're certainly an influential group given their ties to the U.S. government. But there's a whole industry of groups doing similar activity, and we fully anticipate trying to reach out to those groups and also reaching out to the government to better understand if they're financially supporting other groups involved with the downranking of American outlets.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: Well, this is an extremely important First Amendment issue here, particularly when government funds are involved. We'll definitely keep following the money.
--:-- John Bickley: Gabe, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Gabe Kaminsky: Thanks, John.
--:-- John Bickley: That was Washington Examiner reporter, Gabe Kaminsky. That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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