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--:-- Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, December 23rd.
--:-- John Bickley: Good morning, Georgia. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We've got a lot to cover today. New polling shows a seismic shift in American politics among a reliably democratic constituency, Hispanic voters. We'll discuss the latest numbers and what's driving the significant movement away from President Biden.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. And we'll also talk about the growing overdose epidemic at our southern border. Fentanyl has become the nation's leading killer of young people. And an Ivy League transgender swimmer is sparking controversy with her victories on the women's team.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right. We've got a packed show for you today. Let's start with the polling numbers. New polling shows President Biden's approval rating is at an all-time low among Hispanic voters. Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips is here to break it down for us.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks, Georgia. So, a new NPR-PBS poll has President Biden hitting new record lows with just 41% approval and 55% disapproval. That's a 20-point jump in disapproval in under a year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Wow. And if you look at the numbers more closely, two things really jump out. First is the president's performance with independents. They were crucial for Biden in 2020. But right now, he's at just 29% approval there with 66% disapproval. That's a 30-point drop among independents in the last six months alone.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That's right. And second, and most surprising for a lot of people, is just who the president is struggling most with. And in this case, that's Latino voters. Of every demographic, it is Latinos who have the highest disapproval rate at 65% and just 33% approved. That's a huge, huge shift.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. And typically, Latino voters have been a stronghold for Democrats. So, just how far have things shifted there?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, for some context, in 2020, exit polls showed Biden winning 66% of Latino voters nationwide. In 2016, it was 65% for Hillary, and in 2012, it was 71% for Obama. But since President Biden took office, we've really started to see Latino support for Democrats starting to erode like never before.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This poll is far from the only proof of that, too. Another poll from the Wall Street Journal this month showed that for the first time in decades, Latino voters are now evenly split among Republicans and Democrats.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And electorally, we've seen that trend play out. For example, in the Virginia governor's race this year, exit polling showed that Republican Glenn Youngkin won the Latino vote by nine points.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And at a more local level, in the Democratic bastion of McAllen, Texas, for example, a border town which is 85% Latino, Republicans just won the mayor's race for the first time in decades.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And we saw similar examples in Arizona, Nevada, California. So, there appears to be plenty of evidence to back up what we're seeing in these polls.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, do we know what's causing this shift? On that point, I spoke to Daily Wire's young Carlos Sopo, who led the Trump campaign's Hispanic advertising in 2020.
--:-- Carlos Sopo: There are a few reasons for this shift. Policy and cultural factors are driving the shift. For instance, in my hometown of Miami, the emergence of an openly socialist wing of the Democratic Party is alienating voters who fled communism in Latin America.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Over in Texas and in Arizona, it's more about concerns over the economy, COVID shutdowns, and border security that are really hurting the Democrats.
--:-- Carlos Sopo: And in major metropolitan areas, you see soaring crime and rising costs of living in Latino neighborhoods. And these are issues that Republicans are just really leaning into.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He also said the economic success of Latino voters over the last decade has played a role here as well. Look, from 2010 to 2020, the poverty rate among Hispanics decreased by 36 percent, and Latinos lead the nation in small business creation.
--:-- Carlos Sopo: And during that decade, the Democrats also moved away from a Clintonian third-way style message that emphasized economic growth to more of a focus on income inequality and racial equity. Those messages are just unappealing to people who don't view themselves as victims, believe in the American dream, and are on their way to the middle class.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And one other point is that in polling, Latino voters do list COVID as their number one priority right now. And many feel like President Biden has let them down in that regard.
--:-- Carlos Sopo: Remember, he campaigned on ending the pandemic. And during one debate, when asked about COVID, actually said, quote, 220,000 Americans are dead. Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But now almost twice that number of Americans have died during his first year in office.
--:-- Carlos Sopo: So that inability to follow through on the promise to end the pandemic seems to be playing a role in the shift that's going on right now.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips. Coming up, amid a growing overdose epidemic, a record number of drugs are seized at the southern border.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Thanks for having me on the show, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Ben, the number of overdose deaths has been climbing for several years, but 2021 saw a record number of overdoses, many of them caused by fentanyl.
--:-- Ben Johnson: For the first time in U.S. history, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses between May of 2020 and this May. That's nearly double the number of overdose deaths just five years ago.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And the CDC announced that 64 of all overdoses are related to fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Overdoses have reached such a breaking point that fentanyl has now exceeded car accidents and suicides as the number one killer of young people, age 18 to 45.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's according to an analysis of CDC data performed by a non-profit group called Families Against Fentanyl.
--:-- Ben Johnson: That organization says 78,795 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses over the last two years, 37,000 in 2020 and 41,500 in 2021.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That means this year, fentanyl has claimed the life of an American every 12 and a half minutes.
--:-- Ben Johnson: With the increase in the smuggling of fentanyl, are we seeing an increase in deaths as well?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Absolutely. The amount of fentanyl seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection nearly tripled this year over last year.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Two milligrams of fentanyl is enough to kill someone. Border Patrol agents seized 11,201 pounds in fiscal year 2021 and another 2,158 pounds of fentanyl since the beginning of this fiscal year, which began in October.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's enough to kill 3 billion people or more than one-third of the Earth's population.
--:-- Ben Johnson: So far this year, DEA agents have seized 20.4 million counterfeit prescription pills that contain the deadly opioid.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Drug traffickers often disguise the pills as popular prescription drugs like OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Xanax, and Adderall, which they pretend to sell at a discount over the internet.
--:-- Ben Johnson: But it's not just phony prescription drugs. Other narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, have been found to contain traces of fentanyl.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In fact, over four months this year, in the state of Connecticut, 39 people overdosed on marijuana that secretly contained tiny specks of fentanyl.
--:-- Ben Johnson: According to the DEA, international drug traffickers import fentanyl from China or India to Mexico. Then they transform it into counterfeit pills or traffic it directly across the border.
--:-- Georgia Howe: America's uncontrolled southern border makes drug smuggling that much easier.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Yeah, we recently heard from DEA chief Ann Milgram that fentanyl is really unlike any other drug.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's what she told CBS. We have to understand that there is an unlimited amount of synthetic fentanyl that the criminal drug cartels in Mexico can make and that they will stop at nothing to get them into the United States.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Is there any one region of the country that's struggling with this more than others?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Not really. In all, 45 states experienced more deaths by overdose this year than last year, most of them by double digits.
--:-- Ben Johnson: To give you an idea, the states with the largest increases in overdose deaths this year were Vermont, Mississippi, and California.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So every part of the country is dealing with this. So this is very much a national problem.
--:-- Ben Johnson: How has the president reacted to this?
--:-- Georgia Howe: For the most part, President Biden appears to be fixated on another topic, COVID-19.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Critics like Texas Governor Greg Abbott say the administration's priorities are misplaced and that our southern border is wide open.
--:-- Georgia Howe: As we've reported, Abbott's now heading up the construction of a border wall funded by the state and private donations.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Well, let's hope this growing drug crisis gets the attention it deserves. We hope.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for bringing us that report, Ben.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Thanks for spreading the word.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire reporter Ben Johnson.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up, an Ivy League transgender swimmer is sparking controversy with her victories on the women's team.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks for having me on the show, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Maraid, some of Thomas's own teammates have expressed concern. What are they saying?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: That's right. Some of the women who swim against Leah on the University of Pennsylvania swim team have said they feel extremely defeated.
--:-- Georgia Howe: One swimmer told sports website Outkick that the girls on the team feel discouraged because, quote, no matter how much work they put in, it's going to lose.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: And it's not just the student athletes. The parents and fans are also discouraged.
--:-- Georgia Howe: One U Penn swimmer described the recent match in which Thomas beat the next fastest female swimmer by a whopping 38 seconds.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: According to her, when Thomas finished first place, the crowd on the sideline was silent. When the second place finisher came in, the crowd erupted in applause.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 38 seconds of silence, that sends a message.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: It does.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, Leah is not the first transgender athlete to play on a women's team. This controversy has been going on for a few years now.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Correct. Earlier this year in August, Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hubbard competed on the women's weightlifting team in the Tokyo Games.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: In 2019, Rachel McKinnon, a transgender cyclist, won a world championship.
--:-- Georgia Howe: McKinnon later wrote in a New York Times op-ed that it's a, quote, human right to be able to compete.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Another transgender athlete, Cece Telfer, won an NCAA title on the women's track and field team at Franklin Pierce University.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Telfer actually claimed to be the one at a, quote, disadvantage, since Telfer's body was going through so many medical changes related to taking hormones.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: But studies have shown that biological males still have a significant advantage over females even after hormone therapy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. Here's an interesting common theme, too. Some of these transgender athletes, including Leah Thomas and Cece Telfer, originally competed on the men's teams.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: But it was only when they switched to the women's teams that they started breaking records and becoming stars.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In general, many trans athletes and their advocates argue that access to the sports league of their choice, based on gender identity, is a fundamental right.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Unfortunately, that puts them squarely at odds with the women they compete against.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right, and there's been some pushback. A lot of people are saying this isn't fair to female athletes.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Yeah, many female athletes have spoken out against this, which isn't always easy to do.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the case of high school sports, it's sometimes been the girls' parents who have pushed back.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: In April, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the families of high school girls in Connecticut who sued over two transgender athletes who were easily defeating their competition in girls' track events.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thus far, biological females haven't had much success in the courts.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, certainly a passionate issue for women and girls who feel cheated out of their ability to shine in athletics.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Mairead, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Another story we're tracking this week. The Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will hear challenges to the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for private employers.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. And we'll have more on that story coming up.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you like this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening.
--:-- John Bickley: And give us a five-star review.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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.
--:-- John Bickley: If you like this podcast, get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at DailyWire.com slash subscribe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Use code MorningWire to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And thanks for supporting the Daily Wire.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back tomorrow.
