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--:-- Georgia Howe: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visits East Palestine 20 days after the Norfolk Southern train derailment. In terms of the timing of the visit, I'm trying to strike the right balance, allowing NTSB to play its role, but making sure we're here in that show of support. What was Buttigieg's message to locals? And what do we know about the cause of the disaster?
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, February 24th, and this is Morning Wire. A coalition of Democrat state governors headed up by California Governor Gavin Newsom have banded together in order to promote their abortion access agenda. We break down the details on their goals. And hundreds of New York Times employees are condemning the paper's coverage of transgender medical procedures, while key voices are pushing back. We discussed the battle taking place inside America's most influential newspaper.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- [Sound effects: Coffee brewing]
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--:-- John Bickley: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg arrived in East Palestine, Ohio early Thursday morning, 20 days after a train derailment prompted a controlled burn of thousands of gallons of highly toxic chemicals. The release of the toxic chemicals and fumes has residents of the small Ohio town fearing for their health and safety. Here to discuss is Daily Wire managing editor Greg Wilson.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Hey, welcome on.
--:-- John Bickley: So we have a visit from the highest profile member of the Biden administration yet, and it comes a day after President Trump visited. How'd the trip go?
--:-- Greg Wilson: Well, it'd be fair to describe it as a bit rocky. As you mentioned, he arrived early Thursday to the town, which to remind listeners is a small city of just under 5,000. Buttigieg had been dogged by critics for not coming sooner, and he appears to have wanted to keep the trip as low-key as possible. But that was hard to do coming just a day after Trump arrived with truckloads of supplies and to a raucous welcome.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, very much so. Trump signed MAGA caps, handed out Trump brand bottled water, and bought Big Macs for townspeople. Buttigieg donned a hard hat and met with federal investigators and first responders and mostly sought to avoid tough questions from reporters.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Here was one of the moments that caused a bit of a stir online. Mayor Pete, why did it take you an entire two and a half weeks to actually get here to respond to East Palestine? Will you apologize to the residents of this city for the slow response to the government's slow response? Do you have any apology? I'm this press person. I can help you. What was his personal time off while there was a tragedy happening here And so he also asked you why he waited until President Donald Trump came here to actually make an appearance This is a very important question that people across America would like to know. I'm happy to have a conversation with you. I do not want to be on camera.
--:-- John Bickley: Buttigieg has become something of a scapegoat for many critics of the Biden administration's response to this whole thing, although other agencies, including FEMA and EPA, have important roles here as well. A lot of the critics of the administration noted last week that FEMA had turned down help until the day that Trump announced he was going.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Yeah, there's a lot of commentary on that online. Right. Republicans have also noted Buttigieg's tenure as transportation secretary has been marred by supply chain and air travel crises. And his handling of this catastrophe has now spurred demands for his ouster. Florida Senator Marco Rubio called for him to be fired. I don't know what the guy needs to do to get fired. I mean, this is it's been one string of transportation meltdown after another. And at some point, we have to figure out what does he do all day except give speeches about racism and construction.
--:-- John Bickley: What sort of reaction to the visit did we see from the town, the people of East Palestine? Well, it's all anecdotal, of course, but video and online reactions so far suggest they were mostly indifferent. Again, a stark contrast from the rock star treatment that Trump got.
--:-- Greg Wilson: If you were in office right now, what would you have done to help the people of East Palestine? FEMA would have been here a long time ago. Thank you, sir.
--:-- John Bickley: Buttigieg did inspect the charred rail cars around the tracks accompanied by federal investigators, and he seemed very aware that he was following up Trump and even tried to lay some of the blame for the derailment on the Trump administration, accusing them of allowing companies to undermine safety regulations. The Biden administration has vowed to make Norfolk Southern pay the full cost of the cleanup, which could approach a billion dollars. It's a hefty price tag.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Now, we also had a major report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. What did we learn?
--:-- John Bickley: Right. This was a preliminary report about the derailment, and the basics were already known. But the report confirmed that a wheel bearing on the 23rd of 149 cars had overheated, causing it to glow and throw sparks. The tracks are equipped with so-called hot bearing detectors that warn train crews when wheels get too hot. and the last sensor the train passed over recorded the wheel bearing at over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and that alerted the crew to stop the train. But the car derailed as the train slowed, which caused cars to smash into each other, and that in turn caused some of the five cars carrying vinyl chloride to ignite. Firefighters extinguished that initial blaze, but the chemicals in at least one car continued to heat up, and that was why officials decided to conduct the controlled burn that since sparked so much controversy.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Well, three weeks after the crash, and it seems we're still far from seeing this disaster resolved.
--:-- John Bickley: Greg, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Sure thing.
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--:-- John Bickley: That was Daily Wire Managing Editor Greg Wilson. Coming up, 20 blue state governors have formed an alliance to protect abortion access. Looking for a reliable and safe propane supplier for your home or business? Look no further than Cinch. Cinch delivers propane grill tanks right to your door on your schedule. No long-term commitment or subscription required. Plus, delivery can be completely contactless. Go online to cinch.com, that's C-Y-N-C-H dot com, or download the Cinch app to order. Use promo code WIRE to get your first tank exchange for just $10. Visit cinch.com slash offer for details.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A group of Democrat governors have formed an alliance to promote their abortion agenda in the wake of Roe v. Wade's downfall, a move that comes as Republicans work to pass pro-life measures. About 20 Democratic governors are launching a network to help each other work to prevent abortion from being restricted Daily Wire investigative reporter Mairead Elordi is here with the details for us.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Hi, Georgia. So the alliance is called the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. It was started by California Governor Gavin Newsom and includes the Democrat governors of 20 states, as you mentioned. The alliance calls itself nonpartisan, but all the governors are Democrats. Several Democrat governors have not yet joined, including Arizona's new governor, Katie Hobbs. The governors accuse judges who restrict abortion of, quote, advancing their ideological agenda. Essentially, the country's most progressive states and several others are teaming up to help each other prevent abortion from being restricted.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Critics of the move argue that these progressive politicians are trying to impose radical policies, often allowing abortion till birth. And what does this progressive alliance look like exactly? Do we have any specifics on how they plan to promote this agenda?
--:-- Mairead Elordi: We do, yes. Organizers say the Alliance will do things like share model statutory language and executive orders that enshrine abortion access, as well as share ways to shield abortion providers from prosecution. The Alliance will also share ways to get more federal money for things like birth control. It'll also work to support manufacturers of abortion medication and contraceptives. The governors have reportedly already started working with pro-abortion advocacy groups. Staffers from the governor's offices are supposed to meet at least once a month, and the governors themselves are planning to meet once or twice a year to discuss their strategies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Of course, this comes after some states have introduced new pro-life laws limiting abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, some states are working to codify abortion access. Are there currently any abortion laws in these blue states?
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Well, Michigan had a pre-existing ban on the books from before Roe, but Governor Whitmer is working to lift it. A similar trigger law exists in Wisconsin. Then there are some purple to blue states like Pennsylvania that don't currently have laws on the books regarding abortion but will probably move to prevent any restrictions on it. But the coalition also has to think about lawsuits from red states that cross state lines. For example, Texas pro-life groups have sued in federal court to end the sale of the abortion pill Mifer-Priston across the country. Meanwhile, states like Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, and others are taking action to protect the unborn, including heartbeat laws and other near-total abortion bans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it is a state issue now.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Thanks, Georgia.
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--:-- John Bickley: Last week, 200 writers for The Times signed an open letter that, along with a letter from the activist group GLAAD, condemn the outlet's reporting on transgender issues, specifically as it relates to children. Here to discuss is columnist David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey, Dave.
--:-- John Bickley: So what is the state of play at the paper of record? As you said, the original letters accused the gray lady of using biased sources and other malfeasance in reporting that expressed some criticism of medical intervention for kids who believe they are trans. Unlike previous newsroom revolts at the Times, this time the paper held firm and basically said this is a newspaper, not an activist organization. In fact, the day after the letter, they ran an opinion piece defending transcritical Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, which likely infuriated the offended staff even more.
--:-- David Marcus: After that, the News Guild of New York weighed in on the side of the letter signers saying that they had a right to criticize, quote, workplace conditions, unquote. And now another letter by 80 Times staffers is rejecting this and defending the times for standing firm So it a lot of letters Yeah it sounds like And all of these letters are going public How did this go from being about the coverage of the trans issue in the paper to being about workplace conditions What conditions are the letter signers actually talking about
--:-- John Bickley: So this goes back to 2020 when the Times staff rebelled against then-opinion editor James Bennett for running a piece by Senator Tom Cotton, arguing that it could be time to call in the National Guard to quell the George Floyd riots. The protesting staff argued that the column made Black people, including those who worked for the Times, less safe. Bennett was basically forced to resign. And I think that's the gist here, that working for a newspaper that doesn't entirely affirm trans ideology makes people who work there feel unsafe or bad, and they want the Times to change their coverage on that basis.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, the 80s signatories of the counter letter are basically calling this nonsense, saying that editorial policy has nothing to do with workplace conditions, which generally means things like physical safety or harassment. So it's really a mess.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, it seems so. What specifically were the offended staff members upset by in the Times coverage? They were criticizing straight news reports, not opinion pieces. So what did they allege the paper actually got wrong? The harshest critique was probably that they alleged the paper didn't disclose, that some people interviewed for articles on the trans issue could be considered activists who are trans critical. But that's a pretty subjective complaint.
--:-- David Marcus: More broadly, the signers feel that any negative coverage of the trans movement or what they call gender affirming care for kids makes trans people less safe, either through violence against them from others or from self-harm brought about, again, by what they call denying the existence of trans people. The bottom line message really seemed to be toe the line on this issue or shut up about it.
--:-- John Bickley: As you mentioned, in the past, the Times has buckled under this kind of pressure from its own staff. Why did it decide to stand up to them this time?
--:-- David Marcus: I think two things are different. First, as you said, this is about straight news, not opinion pieces. Even a left-leaning newspaper like the New York Times really can't enforce this kind of moral code on straight news reporting. They promise to report news without a whiff of bias. And clearly, giving in to the demands of the offended writers would be a declaration of bias on this very divisive issue.
--:-- John Bickley: Also, culturally, the trans issue is well transforming as it runs into public policy on girls' sports, men and women's prisons and shelters and proper treatment for children. Leadership at the Times knows this and they felt they could hold firm.
--:-- David Marcus: I think it clearly does. Initially, trans identity was something a lot of Americans accepted out of kindness or politeness, and it didn't impact their lives. That's changing, right? We see videos of teachers who encourage gender bending. Parents see kids who believe they are trans in their own kids' school. And more and more, their own kids saying they identify as transgender. It's just not an issue that can be waved away anymore out of that kindness.
--:-- John Bickley: And it seems like the leadership at The Times knows and understands this. Yeah, the implications of this movement, particularly when it comes to children, makes it one that must be covered and covered honestly because, well, the stakes are so high.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for joining us. That was Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. Thanks for listening to Morning Wire. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation. If you love our show and you stand with our mission, please consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, that's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
