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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, and I'm here with Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for having me, John.
--:-- John Bickley: Today's news: the Biden DOJ is suing the state of Tennessee over a new law that bans the medical transitioning of children. What's the federal government's argument, and how are Tennessee lawmakers defending the new law?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Let's go to our reporter, Amanda Presa-Giacomo, who's been following this story.
--:-- Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Thanks, John. The Biden administration is suing Tennessee over the Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act, which prohibits transgender surgeries and hormones for minors. The DOJ claims the ban violates the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, arguing that it discriminates against trans-identifying kids by denying them sex change services while allowing non-transgender minors access to similar procedures.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. And what are supporters saying about this lawsuit?
--:-- Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Governor Lee has already responded directly to the lawsuit, calling it federal overreach at its worst. Republicans in Tennessee argue that gender-confused children need mental health treatment, not surgery or puberty blockers. They also make the distinction between using puberty blockers for medical reasons, like precocious puberty, versus psychological or ideological reasons.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's interesting. And what's the background on this law?
--:-- Amanda Presa-Giacomo: The law was sparked by reporting from the Daily Wire about Vanderbilt's transgender clinic in Nashville, which offered these controversial trans surgeries to minors. We uncovered video and screenshots showing that the medical center gave hormones to kids as young as 13.
--:-- John Bickley: Wow, that's disturbing. And what about other states with similar proposals?
--:-- Amanda Presa-Giacomo: There are lawmakers in at least 14 states now that have proposed measures restricting or banning gender surgeries and puberty blockers for minors. Two of the first states to move on this were Arkansas and Alabama.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a growing movement. And what about the Biden administration's decision to intervene here?
--:-- Amanda Presa-Giacomo: It clearly follows a pattern of focus on the trans issue. We'll see what the courts do.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, Amanda, for reporting on this important story.
--:-- Amanda Presa-Giacomo: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up next, the GOP-led House moves to slash spending in a new debt ceiling bill.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. Let's go to our reporter, Tim Pierce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks, John. The Limit Save Grow Act packages together a debt ceiling hike alongside spending cuts and reforms that would cut the national deficit by about $1 trillion over 10 years. Most of the cuts will come from returning the government discretionary spending to fiscal year 2022 levels in 2024.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That sounds like a significant reduction. And what about the reaction from Democrats?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Democrats trashed the bill pretty heavily, and Biden has so far refused to reach out to McCarthy. He's still saying he won't negotiate on the debt ceiling.
--:-- John Bickley: That's interesting. And what about the prospects for a final deal?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Most lawmakers expect concessions on both sides before a final deal is reached.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks, Tim, for reporting on this story.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Anytime.
--:-- John Bickley: The Supreme Court heard a case on Wednesday of a 94-year-old woman who had her condo seized by the state due to her failure to pay $2,500 in back taxes plus $15,000 in late fees.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a shocking story. Let's go to our guest, David Dearson, an attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation and a member of Geraldine Tyler's legal team.
--:-- David Dearson: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: So, David, can you lay out the points of this case?
--:-- David Dearson: The case involves Geraldine Tyler, a 94-year-old woman living in Minnesota. She fell behind on her property taxes, generating a principal debt of $2,300. After statutory interest, penalties, and fees, the government foreclosed on her home and sold it for $40,000, keeping every penny, including the extra $25,000 they weren't owed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's outrageous. And what's the argument against this practice?
--:-- David Dearson: We're arguing that the government can't take more than it's owed in taxes. If they foreclose on your home for a relatively small tax debt, the Constitution requires them to pay you back for the difference.
--:-- John Bickley: That makes sense. And what about the impact of this practice?
--:-- David Dearson: At least 8,950 homes were sold between 2014 and 2021 due to unpaid taxes, and the former owners received little or nothing in those dozen states with these equity theft laws on the books.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a staggering number. And what's the outlook for this case?
--:-- David Dearson: I'm feeling optimistic after the argument. The justices seemed interested in the finer technicalities of our theory.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, David, for explaining this complex issue.
--:-- David Dearson: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
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