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--:-- Georgia Howe: Good morning. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's April 15th, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: Good morning. I bring greetings from the free state of Florida.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Governor Ron DeSantis has racked up an impressive list of conservative policy wins in Florida, fueling popularity on the right and criticism from the left. Will the governor announce a presidential run? And if so, when?
--:-- John Bickley: And a new Harry Potter series has been greenlit by HBO. But the involvement of Potter author J.K. Rowling already has LGBT activists calling for a boycott. What do we know about the show and what is HBO saying about the controversy?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has asked to be temporarily removed from the Judiciary Committee amid growing calls for her to step down after decades holding the seat and reports of health concerns. Here with more is Daily Wire managing editor Greg Wilson.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Hey, John. So a lot of attention falling on Feinstein this week and growing pressure from her fellow Democrats to take some action. What do we need to know here?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, Greg, Feinstein, who will be 90 in June, has held her seat since 1992, and she's the oldest member of the Senate, or the House for that matter.
--:-- Greg Wilson: She's been on leave since March as she recovers at home from shingles. And earlier this week, she asked the Democrat Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, to temporarily replace her on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
--:-- John Bickley: Democrats have complained that her absence from that panel has delayed confirmation of some of President Joe Biden's judicial nominations. And this comes after she's already announced that she's going to retire, correct?
--:-- Greg Wilson: Right. She said she's finally going to hang it up when her current term ends in 2024.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, I haven't made that decision. I haven't released anything. It will be my plan.
--:-- Greg Wilson: You put out the statement? I didn't know they put it out.
--:-- John Bickley: Okay. So it is what it is. I think the time has come. I have a whole other year. I have things that are underway. I expect to achieve them. I hope. And so we'll see.
--:-- Greg Wilson: And that has several California lawmakers, including Representatives Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee, and Katie Porter, all scrambling for her seat. Two other House Democrats, Ro Khanna of California and Dean Phillips of Minnesota, this week called for Feinstein to quit.
--:-- John Bickley: California Governor Gavin Newsom would appoint someone to finish Feinstein's term should she step down. He said he would choose a black woman and that he has, quote, multiple names in mind.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Should that happen, Newsom's choice would have a leg up in the 2024 race. But Feinstein's old friend Nancy Pelosi defended her colleague and suggested calls for her to resign were sexist.
--:-- John Bickley: The two go way back. Feinstein was mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988 and Pelosi chaired the California Democratic Party during much of that time.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Now, aside from shingles, does Feinstein have any other confirmed health issues?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, you may recall that back in 2020 during confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and for Brett Kavanaugh two years before that, there were questions about her cognitive state after she made some confusing statements.
--:-- Greg Wilson: That's right. But what really made Democrats mad at her then was her praise for Republican Lindsey Graham's handling of Barrett's confirmation. They pressed her to step down as the top Democrat on the committee, which cost her the chance to lead the panel when Democrats took the Senate in 2021.
--:-- John Bickley: It's also worth noting that earlier this year, Feinstein was passed over for the job of President Pro Tempor of the Senate. That's a post that typically goes to the longest serving senator of the majority party.
--:-- Greg Wilson: It would have placed her in the presidential line of succession right after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. And there have been some accusations of ageism, with some critics pointing to Republican Chuck Grassley as someone who's also up there in age but getting far different treatment.
--:-- John Bickley: What's the sort of buzz on that?
--:-- Greg Wilson: Right. That seems to actually be the counter to the ageism claim. While Feinstein's age is certainly a factor, she's only three months older than Grassley.
--:-- John Bickley: And Grassley is known for his early morning jogging routine, his annual tours of all 99 counties in Iowa, and his sharp questioning of those who testify on the Hill.
--:-- Greg Wilson: So people defending the calls for her to step down point to her performance, not her age.
--:-- John Bickley: One other note about Feinstein, last week she sold her 36-acre vacation estate in Aspen for a cool $25 million dollars. She's said to be worth about $100 million. Not too bad.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Speaking of senators who have been out of commission recently, what is the latest on Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, Fetterman was, of course, just elected in November after a campaign in which he suffered a stroke. He stepped away from the job for a month and a half, citing depression.
--:-- Greg Wilson: He was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on March 31st and says he'll be back when the it goes into session again next week.
--:-- John Bickley: He's expected to chair the subcommittee on food, nutrition, specialty crops, organics, and research. Not exactly a plum assignment.
--:-- Greg Wilson: No. But then again, unlike Feinstein, Fetterman is just beginning his career in Washington.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, a lot of eyes will be on him next week.
--:-- Greg Wilson: Greg, thanks for reporting.
--:-- John Bickley: Sure.
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--:-- John Bickley: That was Daily Wire Managing Editor, Greg Wilson. As he mulls a potential presidential run, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will first finish his state's legislative session, hoping to build on a series of conservative policy wins.
--:-- Greg Wilson: On a wide range of issues from his handling of COVID to education, DeSantis has made conservative wins his political calling card.
--:-- John Bickley: Here to discuss is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Good morning. So let's talk quickly first about COVID, which really put DeSantis on the map. How did his approach differ or stand out from the rest of the crowd?
--:-- John Bickley: So DeSantis was not the only Republican governor who, as we put it, opened their state. But he was as aggressive as any in doing so.
--:-- David Marcus: He didn't just refuse to have state mandates on things like masks and vaccines. He also forbade cities from enacting many of their own restrictions.
--:-- John Bickley: This made him a huge target for the left. I mean, you might recall the nickname Death Santas.
--:-- David Marcus: But with the results now in, Florida's thriving. And he just won reelection by 20 points.
--:-- John Bickley: Even before his reelection win last year, which turned out to be a landslide, DeSantis was focused on issues of education. How has his education agenda played out in Florida and nationally?
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, there's a lot. The big newsmaker was a bill that forbids the teaching of gender ideology and sexual orientation to the youngest of public school students. A bill his opponents farcically called the Don Say Gay Bill.
--:-- John Bickley: There's also been extensive movement in the area of school choice, which is enormously popular and a unique focus on state colleges.
--:-- David Marcus: He brought the Manhattan Institute's Christopher Rufo in to help revamp the very progressive state school system.
--:-- John Bickley: Rufo is a well-known champion against wokeness and is already moving to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs across state universities.
--:-- David Marcus: Right. There was a lot of outcry about that from Democrats.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, another recent win for the governor was on gun rights, where he signed legislation allowing more Floridians to carry guns.
--:-- David Marcus: It's a big change, and I think in large part he's going to get a lot of credit because it was a campaign promise fulfilled.
--:-- John Bickley: In addition to this measure, he fired a George Soros-backed prosecutor who was refusing to enforce Florida law.
--:-- David Marcus: He's taken a hard line on illegal immigration. It was DeSantis, you recall, who flew the migrants to Martha's Vineyard, which really was sort of the first time that Democrats began admitting there was a problem there.
--:-- John Bickley: You know, all of this, it points to some pretty strong political instincts.
--:-- David Marcus: So if DeSantis runs for the presidency, is it fair to say that he'll focus his campaign on what you've highlighted here, run as a sort of policy candidate?
--:-- John Bickley: For sure. Look, DeSantis endorsed Trump for president in 2020. He can't turn around and say, well, actually, Trump's awful.
--:-- David Marcus: What he can say is that Trump's bombast and outsider qualities transform the GOP in populist ways, but that he has the specific skills to actually advance that agenda into laws and policies.
--:-- John Bickley: Sort of an ability to get things done with less drama involving porn stars and indictments.
--:-- David Marcus: That's really central to his pitch to voters.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, for his part, Trump has gone really hard after DeSantis, who hasn't even announced that he's running yet. Is this a sign that the former president fears a DeSantis run?
--:-- David Marcus: Possibly. Pro-Trump PACs have been running anti-DeSantis ads, specifically on Fox News, at some considerable costs.
--:-- John Bickley: It seems like with his upswing in polling, including a post-indictment bounce, Trump would like to land a knockout blow that keeps DeSantis from announcing.
--:-- David Marcus: If he can get DeSantis into single digits by the end of May when Florida's legislative session ends, maybe the governor might view Trump's lead as insurmountable and forego a run.
--:-- John Bickley: But I wouldn't count on that. DeSantis' polling is still in the low to mid-20s.
--:-- David Marcus: And if he can keep his hands up and stay on his feet, he'll be in a position to fight, possibly with even more policy wins firmly notched on his belt.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, most people at this point would be very surprised if DeSantis doesn't jump in and soon.
--:-- David Marcus: David, thanks for joining us.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: That was Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. HBO is moving forward with a Harry Potter series and author J.K. Rowling has signed on as an executive producer. The announcement is drawing outrage from trans activists.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham joins us now to discuss.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Megan, obviously HBO knew that the minute they announced this series, they would face some blowback. How much has there actually been?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, you know, there's definitely been some online chatter, but nothing really internally from HBO employees.
--:-- Megan Basham: And that's really the kind of thing that typically gets those big headlines.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Transgender entertainment journalist Zoe Rose Bryant said a Potter reboot is, quote, absurdly unnecessary, given Rowling's, quote, hateful rhetoric.
--:-- Megan Basham: A former fan site that now agitates against Rowling says it will also call for a boycott.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But so far, there really hasn't been much more.
--:-- Megan Basham: How is HBO responding?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it seems pretty obvious that they don't think there's going to be much of a drawback for the series in the long run.
--:-- Megan Basham: At a press conference announcing the show, CEO Casey Bloys said he thinks that this kind of controversy is mostly going to stay online and it's not something the company is going to get into.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those were his words. He also said his priority is what's on the screen.
--:-- Megan Basham: And let's be clear, what they've announced here is not just a trial run. It's a 10-year, massively expensive commitment to a long series with an entirely new cast.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Obviously, as an executive producer, Rowling is going to be playing an integral role in what viewers see.
--:-- Megan Basham: Her name is very prominently attached.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And this comes just as she's starting to speak more openly about the controversy surrounding her position that women have a right to politically advocate for themselves as women, separate from biological men who claim to be women.
--:-- Megan Basham: And she argues that they have a right to demand women-only spaces.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On a recent episode of the podcast, The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, she talked about the moment she decided to speak out about the transgender issue.
--:-- Megan Basham: I was angry. I was getting really angry. What happened was I flipped open Twitter and I saw this article. Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So I was angry and I was flippant. You'll notice there was no courtesy call to my management at this point.
--:-- Megan Basham: And I tweeted in quotes, people who menstruate. I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wombun, wimpund, woomad.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And that was like dropping a hand grenade into Twitter.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Warner Brothers has clearly weighed the pluses and minuses of that hand grenade and any future hand grenades and decided it's still worth it to have Rowling on board.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Is there any sign that Rowling now regrets kind of getting into this political fray?
--:-- Megan Basham: No, I really don't think so. On that same podcast, she said, frankly, that anyone who thought she was especially invested in protecting her legacy doesn't understand her.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I never set out to upset anyone. However, I was not uncomfortable with getting off my pedestal.
--:-- Megan Basham: And what has interested me over the last 10 years, and certainly in the last few years, the last two, three years, particularly on social media, where you've ruined your legacy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Oh, you could have been beloved forever, but you chose to say this.
--:-- Megan Basham: And I think you could not have misunderstood me more profoundly.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So while I don't think Rowling is going to become a full-time activist anytime soon, she has continued to speak out in support of feminists who are arguing that the trans movement is damaging women's rights.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And it doesn't sound like she has any plans to stop doing that.
--:-- Megan Basham: All right. Well, I am a Harry Potter fan, so I'm looking forward to this.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, anytime.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation.
--:-- John Bickley: If you love our show and stand with our mission, consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with an extra edition of Morning Wire.
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