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--:-- 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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--:-- John Bickley: New questions have emerged about the origins of the now infamous school board letter comparing parents to domestic terrorists. Evidence now suggests that members of the White House cabinet may have been behind the inflammatory letter from the start. I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, January 12th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Amid a crisis of confidence with our public health leaders, Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci squared off once again in the Senate. Do you really think it's appropriate to use your $420,000 salary to attack scientists that disagree with you? We'll hear from them both and discuss what new information came to light in the fiery Senate hearing.
--:-- John Bickley: And Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled new plans for the Golden State. But the price tag could send even more residents packing. What's on the agenda and why is the fate of California so consequential to the nation? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: This show is sponsored by Birch Gold Group. Inflation is destroying the dollar. Birch Gold Group can help protect your IRA or 401k with a precious metals IRA. Text WIRE to 989898 to claim a free info kit on physical gold and silver. There's zero obligation. Text the word WIRE to 989898 to protect your savings today.
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--:-- John Bickley: Back in October, a letter from a national school board group was used by the Biden administration to justify the mobilization of the federal government against parents protesting school policies. But based on newly released emails, it looks like the Biden administration may have played a key role in the production of this contentious letter. Here to tell us more is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, according to a recently uncovered email exchange, the letter at the center of the controversial comparison of protesting parents to domestic terrorists appears to have been solicited by Miguel Cardona, who's Biden's education secretary. The reason this is so important is because it puts the original story into an entirely new and much more concerning light.
--:-- John Bickley: Let's first rewind back to October of last year. A letter was sent by two members of the NSBA, and that's the National School Boards Association, which compared parents protesting against issues like CRT and transgender policies to domestic terrorists. They suggested, quote, As these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.
--:-- Ian Howarth: The letter asked federal law enforcement to assist local law enforcement and to use federal law, including the Patriot Act, to, quote, examine appropriate enforceable actions. And after a pretty heavy backlash, the NSBA actually apologized for this language. But the Department of Justice continued to use that letter. I'm citing it to justify its memo mobilizing the FBI.
--:-- John Bickley: Right. During a committee hearing, Senator Chuck Grassley asked Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland whether he would rescind the DOJ memo based on this information. But Garland refused to do so. Senator the memo which is referred to as one page it responds to concerns about violence threats of violence other criminal conduct That all it about And all it asks is for federal law enforcement to consult with, meet with, local law enforcement to assess the circumstances, to strategize about what may or may not be necessary to provide federal assistance if it is necessary.
--:-- Ian Howarth: According to a newly uncovered email from early October, the NSBA's Secretary Treasurer said their interim CEO told officers he was writing a letter to provide information to the White House following a request by Education Secretary Cardona. These emails were obtained by the parents group Parents Defending Education in a Freedom of Information Act request.
--:-- John Bickley: I spoke with Nicole Neely, who is president and founder of this group. She added the following. One of which contained an exchange between NSBA Board Secretary Treasurer Christy Sweat and board member Marty Maldonado. In the emails, Sweat stated that Chip told the officers he was writing a letter to provide information to the White House from a request by Secretary Cardona. Chip was, at the time, the interim executive director of the NSBA.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Should this allegation be true, it would demonstrate that this administration's war on parents came from the highest level. Neely also points out that the original timeline given was that the NSBA sent a letter which was used to mobilize the FBI and other federal law enforcement against protesting parents. But if Secretary Cardona was as involved as he appears to be, then the entire crusade against parents may have originated from within the Biden administration. And this would, as she put it, be a significant breach of public trust.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, there's lots of unanswered questions here, including why they would choose to do this. Yeah, that's true. Thanks for the breakdown, Ian. Thanks, John.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire's Ian Howarth. Coming up, Dr. Fauci and Senator Rand Paul once again clash in a Senate hearing. 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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--:-- Georgia Howe: Top U.S. health officials testified before the Senate on Tuesday amid criticism that their messaging has been confusing and contradictory. The Senate Health Committee heard from Dr. Anthony Fauci, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, and the acting FDA commissioner. The hearing became heated at several points as frustrated senators peppered the officials with questions about the Biden administration's handling of Omicron.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi is here to tell us more. So, Maraid, there were several spicy moments yesterday.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Oh, yes, indeed. Republican senators in particular were quite motivated in their search for answers. As usually occurs, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was particularly aggressive in his questioning of Dr. Fauci.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Paul rebuked Fauci for claiming to represent, quote, science itself, and cited emails which he says proves Fauci conspired with a colleague to destroy the reputations of dissenting scientists, including three prominent epidemiologists at Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Instead of engaging them on the merits, you and Dr. Collins sought to smear them as fringe and take them down. And not in journals, in lay press. This is not only antithetical to the scientific method, it's the epitome of cheap politics. And it's reprehensible, Dr. Fauci.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Fauci shot back that Paul was, quote, distorting everything about me and accused Paul of making personal attacks on him for political purposes instead of focusing on how to tackle the virus.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: What happens when he gets out and accuses me of things that are completely untrue is that all of a sudden that kindles the crazies out there Wow So lots of friction there Very much so
--:-- Georgia Howe: And it didn't stop there. Another GOP Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas also hit Fauci on gain grants demanding he go on the record with all related documents. Will you commit today to release all records fully unredacted by the end of this week so Congress and the American people can know the truth about NIH's role and the origins of COVID-19?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Marshall also questioned Fauci about whether his financial disclosure is available, specifically whether Fauci has disclosed all of his investments to Congress. Fauci, who's the highest paid federal employee with a salary of more than $400,000, said he's disclosed his investments for decades.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That intense round of questioning appeared to rub Fauci the wrong way. Fauci was actually heard mocking Marshall afterwards, calling the senator a, quote, moron.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So it sounds like it got pretty personal there. Yeah, it did. Now, the point of this hearing was to find out what the U.S. health agencies know about Omicron. Did we learn anything new about Omicron?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it was light on new information, but we did get an interesting peek into Fauci's thinking for the future. At one point, Fauci said there's an urgent need for a super vaccine, presumably a new COVID vaccine that would be effective against all variants of the virus.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Now, the Biden administration is also under fire for a supposed shortage of testing and as well as some other communication issues. Is that correct?
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right. And that's part of why this hearing was called to get an update on some of the snags in this administration's pandemic response, like the nationwide COVID test shortage over the holiday travel season, even as infections were rising.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: The Biden administration is still promising millions of new at-home tests, but contracts with the manufacturer were only signed on Friday, so it may still be some time before they're available.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, if recent polling is correct on this, Americans' patience is really wearing thin at this point, with really everything related to this virus. Mairead, thanks for reporting. Thanks, Georgia.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi. Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom is proposing a plan for the state to provide health care coverage for everyone residing in the state. Joining us to discuss the Democratic governor's new progressive agenda is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond, who happens to be one of California's residents.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Yep. So Charlotte, what is Newsom trying to do here?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the short answer is he's trying to do a lot. The governor outlined some of his goals for the future in a budget proposal on Monday. In his presentation, Newsom called several issues California's existential threats. These included, quote, fighting COVID with science, combating the climate crisis, confronting homelessness, tackling the cost of living and keeping our streets safe.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: OK. But probably the most controversial aspect of the proposal was not on that list. And it's the one you mentioned. His expansion of Medi-Cal, that's California's health care service for low-income individuals. He wants to provide this to even more people, including all illegal immigrants.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Newsom made the announcement on Monday. California is poised to be, if this proposal is supported, the first state in the country to achieve universal access to health coverage. California started including immigrants 26 years of age and under in the Medicaid program a few years ago. Last year, it expanded to people 50 years old and up. Newsom is now calling on state legislators to broaden that even more to all low-income immigrants.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: One point of contention is that Medi-Cal also covers abortions, so this move would fund abortions for citizens and non-citizens, all at taxpayer expense.
--:-- Georgia Howe: These new proposals wouldn't start until 2024, but it's still a pretty big step for a state to take. Apart from the controversy, this also sounds expensive. How will all this be paid for?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Well, that remains unknown but these types of proposals of course typically fall on the taxpayers. The entire budget plan would cost billions and the health care expansion is said to cost over billion per year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And there's another element to this as well. Assembly members in California are proposing a state constitutional amendment that could potentially double California's already high taxes. The amendment would increase multiple taxes to finance universal single-payer health care coverage, as well as a health care cost control system.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: According to the Tax Foundation, the average household's taxes would go up by $12,250. Keep in mind, the median household income in California is approximately $80,000. Over $12,000 per household. That's a steep increase.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And as we've reported here before, this massive proposed tax increase comes at a time when people are already leaving California because of this deep cost of living, which, of course, includes the already high taxes.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Right. Lots of people have left California specifically because of the taxes and crime and other issues. Yet we've often heard Newsom and others present California as the future and a national leader.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, we hear that a lot. And for better or worse, Newsom is correct in pointing out that the nation tends to follow in California's footsteps. So whether it's taxes or a new model for health care, we can learn a lot by keeping an eye on how things in California are going. I'm not sure that's a welcome thought for a lot of Americans.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Charlotte, thanks for the reporting. Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond. Other stories we're tracking this week. After four days of closures, Chicago schools reopened today after the Chicago Teachers Union reached a deal Monday night with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: And a poll from the Associated Press found that Americans are becoming less concerned about the virus and more concerned about the economy. This month, just 37 percent of Americans named the virus as one of their top five issues, down from 53 percent a year ago. By contrast, 68% of respondents named the economy as a top issue, including 14% who said inflation was a top concern, up from 1% who were concerned about inflation last year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll unpack more surprising findings from this poll tomorrow. The federal government is suing convicted murderers, including the Boston Marathon bomber, for COVID stimulus money, which the government says should not have gone to the inmates and rather should go towards victim restitution.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In March, Senate Republicans attempted to include an amendment which would block imprisoned felons from receiving COVID stimulus funds, but the amendment failed on a party-line vote.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And flight cancellations have continued this week, with United Airlines being forced to cut more flights as a result of around 3,000 of its employees calling in sick.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And a 57-year-old man in Maryland became the first-ever patient to receive a heart transplant from a genetically modified pig. The eight-hour operation took place at the University of Maryland Medical Center on Friday. And as of Monday, the patient was doing well with no signs of organ rejection.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Heart valves harvested from pigs have been successfully used in humans for over three decades.
--:-- 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.
