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--:-- Georgia Howe: Several blue states have dropped their mask mandates in a matter of days, despite the White House and CDC still calling for widespread masking. Is the shift driven by politics or the science? We'll discuss all the factors playing into the blue state pivot.
--:-- John Bickley: And at this time, we say that is the right decision to lift this mandate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, February 10th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new Florida education bill is being slammed as hateful and anti-LGBT. But many lawmakers and parents say it's about protecting children and transparency.
--:-- John Bickley: To get into situations where you're hiding things from the parent, you're rejecting these concepts about choosing your gender, that is just inappropriate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What's in the bill and what exactly does it prohibit?
--:-- John Bickley: And there's double trouble in the housing market. As prices increase and supplies dwindle, the middle class is finding itself left out of the American dream of owning a home.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- 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.
--:-- Georgia Howe: As the Biden administration continues to urge strict mask mandates in schools and indoor spaces, several Democrat governors are reversing course, opting to lift mandates as fears of the Omicron variant recede.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, where exactly are we seeing restrictions lifted?
--:-- Georgia Howe: In places you wouldn't expect. On Monday, there appeared to be a coordinated shift in messaging on COVID among Democrat leaders and to a certain extent, the legacy media as a whole.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The governors in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware all announced on the same day Monday some form of rollback on indoor mask requirements.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Delaware will drop its indoor mask mandate altogether, and New Jersey and Connecticut will drop their mask mandates for schools.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And then on Tuesday, the really surprising one, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the state would be dropping their indoor mask mandate as well. So even in New York?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, New York.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Republican states have had measures like this for quite some time, but a lot of people were surprised to see this coming from deep blue states, especially considering the fact that the Biden administration does still call for universal masking in schools, as well as indoor masking for high transmission spaces.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And the Biden administration, how has it responded to these moves?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So far, they've been pretty measured in their response, which, again, was surprising given how strongly they reacted when Republican governors like Ron DeSantis or Greg Abbott passed similar measures earlier in the year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Republicans say that shift in response now has only happened because public opinion is shifting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki actually appeared to hint at that point on Monday when she was asked about loosening mask mandates.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Do you think it signals that perhaps the public believes it's time for a change in the federal guidelines, the CDC's guidelines?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, we certainly understand and have seen in polling that the public is tired of COVID.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so why is this happening now?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, there are two sides to this: the political and then the medical.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On the medical front, when Omicron first came on the scene, we had multiple doctors here on the show who said it could actually be a blessing in disguise and serve as a sort of natural immunizer because it was incredibly contagious but also incredibly mild compared to the Delta variant.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it appears there was a lot of truth to that. Cases are dropping in almost every state. And more importantly, hospitalizations are falling.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For the first time in over a month, there are now fewer than 100,000 Americans currently hospitalized for COVID.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And a big reason, again, appears to be natural immunity.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So medically speaking, things have really started to improve.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, they really have.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So what about the political side?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, there's always a political side. The fact that we're seeing governors and Democrat strongholds like California and New York start to mirror the actions of Republican states says a lot about where the general public is on these issues now.
--:-- Georgia Howe: With midterms approaching, elected officials are obviously trying to get a sense of where the political winds are blowing.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And polls have started to show just how unpopular these measures have become with the majority of Americans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: One recent poll, for example, found that just 44% of Americans support keeping current COVID measures in place, while nearly 75% said COVID is here to stay and we need to learn to live with it.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So after two years of pushing strict mask mandates and lockdowns, it's pretty unlikely that these governors just all of a sudden changed their minds and went against the advice of the Biden administration.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's a lot more likely it has to do with shifting public opinion.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it definitely appears that way.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Cabot, thanks for the reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up, a new Florida education bill is sparking serious debate.
--:-- John Bickley: You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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.
--:-- John Bickley: And you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We've seen instances of students being told by different folks in school, oh, you know, you know, don't worry, don't pick your gender yet, do all this other stuff. They won't tell the parents about these discussions that are happening.
--:-- John Bickley: That is entirely inappropriate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis discussing a new education bill in his state that's generating a lot of media buzz.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Georgia, you've been following this. What's in this bill and why is it such a flashpoint?
--:-- Georgia Howe: So in cases like this, I found it's usually good practice to just read the bill rather than rely on headlines.
--:-- John Bickley: Right. Always the case.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So anyways, this bill is HB 1557, and it focuses primarily on parents' rights regarding information about their child.
--:-- John Bickley: But it does include a section prohibiting districts from encouraging classroom discussions of sexuality in primary grade levels.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And that's where the controversy is.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So what exactly does the bill say teachers are not allowed to talk about?
--:-- John Bickley: Nothing. It definitely does not ban the word gay or lesbian or transgender or any other words.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The exact language of the bill is, quote, a school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.
--:-- John Bickley: So the way it's written, it doesn't prohibit discussion of LGBT topics, but it prohibits districts from encouraging teachers to discuss those topics in class, in especially primary grades or in an inappropriate manner.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So in terms of age appropriateness, what are they defining as primary grade levels?
--:-- John Bickley: So that term is a little bit flexible because each district defines it differently but primary grades generally refers to elementary schools but in some districts it could include middle school.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So we talking mostly kids 10 and under but sometimes 13 and under.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, President Biden has also weighed in on this bill.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What did he have to say?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, so he issued a tweet about this bill on Tuesday night.
--:-- Georgia Howe: He said, quote, I want every member of the LGBTQI plus community, especially kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill, to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are.
--:-- John Bickley: I have your back and my administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hateful bill. Strong words.
--:-- John Bickley: When he refers to protections for LGBT students, what is he referring to?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Is there anything else in this bill that could be construed as a loss of protections for these students?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, the majority of the bill talks about parents' primacy in decisions relating to the upbringing of their child and transparency regarding information about their child.
--:-- Georgia Howe: At various points, it talks about parents' rights to access information and school records about their kids and the right to be notified of anything going on with their kid in terms of mental, emotional, or physical health.
--:-- John Bickley: So it mandates transparency on these issues.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes. So on the surface, the bulk of the bill is not directly related to LGBT issues.
--:-- John Bickley: That said, some language in the bill could be read as a coy attempt to prevent schools from keeping secrets from parents about student sexualities or gender identities.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For example, the bill requires schools to, quote, adopt procedures for notifying a student's parent if there is a change in a student's mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.
--:-- John Bickley: Obviously, that's a really broad umbrella, but it would certainly include a child's decision to, say, change gender or access gender-related medical treatment.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So taken as a whole, the bill does allow parents greater access to information about their children and especially their children's emotional state, which some activists think they ought not have.
--:-- John Bickley: So it really boils down to this red-hot culture war issue about who has primacy to guide your child through emotional identity issues, you the parent or the state?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, that really is the question, isn't it?
--:-- John Bickley: Yes, yes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: How will this bill be enforced?
--:-- John Bickley: So like several bills we've seen this year, it includes a provision allowing parents to file civil suits against school districts if they feel the law has been violated.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But that said, it's going to be some time before we know how much teeth this law really has.
--:-- John Bickley: Right.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So last, the key question, do we actually expect this to become law?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, it's already passed the Florida House and it's expected to pass in the Senate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Governor DeSantis has already signaled pretty strong support for the bill.
--:-- John Bickley: So for now, it looks like a shoo-in.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right. Well, Georgia, thanks for reporting.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, no problem.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The middle class is having an increasingly difficult time buying homes in the current market, which could make millennials and young families hesitant or even unable to make what's typically their largest investment.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Well, home prices are definitely surging nationwide and it's affecting the middle class and young millennial families disproportionately.
--:-- Georgia Howe: One study from the National Association of Realtors, released on Monday, showed how the rise in the cost of homes and a steep drop in supply is impacting Americans.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: What the study found was that at the end of 2021, there were around 411,000 fewer houses on the market in the price range for buyers earning between $75,000 and $100,000 compared to before the pandemic.
--:-- Georgia Howe: There was only one affordable listing for every 24 households at the end of 2019
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: But by the end of 2021 the options were even worse with only one available listing for every 65 households
--:-- Georgia Howe: So the middle class was really squeezed
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: What about other groups?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah the middle class got hit hard but so did nearly every income group
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: The study by the National Association of Realtors saw that housing affordability got worse over the past two years for every income group except the wealthiest Americans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And while the pandemic had some other potentially positive effects on the real estate market, including low mortgage rates, the number of houses for sale dropped while at the same time new home construction slowed.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: These hurdles are having a negative impact on how people feel about home buying.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The group most negatively affected is first-time homebuyers.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: That group is mostly made up of millennials who are now in their early 30s.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A monthly Fannie Mae poll found that only 25% of Americans said it's a good time to buy a house, while 69% said it's a good time to sell a house, which is another record high in the survey that goes back to more than a decade ago.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Now, I know a lot of my peers are concerned about buying at the top of the market.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So is there any indication that the prices could level off or even dip?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: According to the experts, prices will probably continue to rise.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Zillow said last month that it's anticipating the value of homes to go up 16.4% from December 2021 to December 2022.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: But the National Association of Realtors said these increases will continue, but at a slower rate by the end of 2022.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I spoke with Nadia Evangelu, who is a senior economist and director of forecasting at the National Association of Realtors.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Here's how she explained it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And for the home prices, as home buying activity was slow down, we also expect home prices to rise, but at a slower pace.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So we expect to increase about 5% to 6% in 2022 nationwide.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So this is good and useful for the VA.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This housing issue is also specifically affecting families.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: A Zillow Group report looked at 421 counties in the U.S. And it discovered that prices went up faster in zip codes with a higher proportion of people under 18.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And the rental market isn't offering any relief.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Here's real estate consultant John Burns.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The rental market is actually stronger than the for sale market right now.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: The rent increases are something like I've never seen before in my life.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That could mean that this housing crisis isn't going away.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Houses in family-friendly locations are likely going to be even more competitive.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And those house prices could go up even quicker as the younger generation starts looking to upsize.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Right.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Charlotte, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: That's Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Other stories we're tracking this week. Truckers in Canada earned their first significant win this week in the province of Alberta.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: As of Wednesday, Alberta citizens will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination to enter businesses and engage in other normal life.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And Sweden is closing all large-scale government testing facilities for COVID-19.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The Swedish public health agency chief announced this week, quote, we have reached the point where the cost and relevance of the testing is no longer justifiable.
--:-- 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, and give us a five-star review.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you like this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter.
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