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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, along with my co-host Georgia Howe. It's Friday, September 3rd.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Good morning, everyone. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, we're covering the latest developments in politics, culture, education, sports, and more. Let's dive right in.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Supreme Court has upheld a new pro-life law in Texas, banning nearly all abortions in the state. Our creatives endowed us with the right to life. In Texas, we work to save those lives. That's exactly what the Texas legislature did this session.
--:-- John Bickley: How has the White House responded to the ruling, and what does it mean for the future of Roe v. Wade?
--:-- Georgia Howe: We're joined by Daily Wire managing editor Cabot Phillips to break it all down.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So, this has actually been in the works for a bit. Back in May, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law outlawing abortion once a doctor could detect activity in the heart of the unborn child. But this isn't a heartbeat bill. This actually goes beyond that.
--:-- John Bickley: So, Cabot, give us a little background here. How did this end up in the Supreme Court?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So, this has actually been in the works for a bit. Back in May, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law outlawing abortion once a doctor could detect activity in the heart of the unborn child. But this isn't a heartbeat bill. This actually goes beyond that. As the language says, cardiac activity, which starts before an actual heartbeat at around the six-week mark of pregnancy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, other states have attempted to pass similar laws in the past, but federal courts have usually blocked them, but not this time. Abortion providers in Texas filed an emergency appeal, but the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that it would not be overturned.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, they didn't explicitly state whether the law was constitutional in their eyes or not, just that they could not block it. Justice Sotomayor was among those who voted to reverse the law. She called it stunning and said her fellow justices who voted to uphold the law have, quote, opted to bury their heads in the sand.
--:-- John Bickley: Why was this law upheld when other similar ones were struck down? That's a good question. From what we're told, this law was actually intentionally crafted in a way that would make it difficult to overturn in court.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So traditionally, the state would prosecute anyone who violated a law like this. But in Texas, the state has now opened the door for individuals to sue those who take part in the abortion. So now doctors and anyone else who, quote, aids and abets illegal abortions can be sued by private citizens.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Legal experts say the fact that the suits will be civil as opposed to criminal will actually make it harder to overturn in court.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So abortion providers in the state say they worried about challenging the law because they would be financially liable and could open themselves up to having to pay massive sums of money in court.
--:-- John Bickley: So, the fact that lawmakers made this a civil issue rather than a criminal one is key here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That's the key point, yeah.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What sort of response have we seen from the White House? As you can expect, President Biden immediately denounced the court's ruling. He called the law extreme and unconstitutional.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: He followed that up on Thursday morning by announcing a whole-of-government effort to fight the law. He'll be ordering the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services to find ways to overturn the law.
--:-- John Bickley: The White House is also encouraging Congress to pass a bill codifying Roe v. Wade. That would make it almost impossible for abortion bans like this one to stand up in court.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But it's unlikely at the moment, as it would take 60 votes in the Senate, though it is noteworthy that the White House is calling for that in the first place.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. So what sort of impacted this ruling has on the ground in Texas?
--:-- Georgia Howe: On Tuesday, there were reportedly huge lines at many clinics as women rushed to get abortions before the window closed. Some providers said they performed more abortions Tuesday than any other day in memory.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But by midnight, they began turning patients away as the law went into effect.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now we're seeing reports of women going to other states in search of abortions, and some companies, including the dating app Match.com, have actually said they'll offer funds to employees who have to leave Texas to get an abortion.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Really? Yeah, and on the other side, pro-life groups are celebrating the verdict. They simultaneously called on Texans to donate to crisis pregnancy centers and other resources for expectant mothers who otherwise would have had an abortion.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Pro-life clinics in the state said they're already seeing a surge in the number of patients coming through their doors.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So clearly, this is a massive ruling. What does it mean for the broader abortion discussion?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, this is really just the start. This fall, we're going to be hearing a whole lot more about the abortion debate. The Supreme Court will hear a separate case this fall out of Mississippi where they could decide the fate of Roe v. Wade and whether it should be overturned.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Those in the pro-life camp are hoping this week's ruling is a sign that the court will rule in their favor this fall.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I just spoke with Lila Rose. She's the founder of pro-life group Live Action. And she had this to say about the ruling.
--:-- [Lila Rose's quote plays]
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The fact that the Supreme Court allowed, at least for now, Texas's heartbeat law to remain in effect is unprecedented. And it reveals that the court is perhaps beginning to see what they should have seen all along, which is that human rights don't begin at birth, they begin before.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So we're very hopeful to see how the court will rule next year on the Dobbs versus Mississippi case.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Cabot, thanks for the rundown.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Absolutely. That's Daily Wire managing editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- John Bickley: Coming up, what China stands to gain from the Afghanistan crisis. If you're with Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, you're paying too much. Switching to Pure Talk saves the average family over $800 a year.
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--:-- John Bickley: With U.S. forces now withdrawn from Afghanistan, experts are warning about the power vacuum created by America's absence. Here to discuss the global implications of the U.S. withdrawal is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Morning Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Morning. So we've been covering the news on the ground in Afghanistan and what it means for the Biden administration, but you're suggesting that there are much broader implications here.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yes, exactly. While the withdrawal itself has received a lot of focus and understandably so we should remember that there are other factors at play on the global stage when it comes to Afghanistan and the vacuum left behind by the U withdrawal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Most notably how China will look to capitalize on this change in the region.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So how does China play into all this?
--:-- Georgia Howe: There are several key things to consider here. First, in terms of territory, we should remember that the countries actually share a border with a 57-mile boundary in the far northeast of Afghanistan.
--:-- Ian Howarth: With this in mind, China will obviously be delighted that the U.S. no longer has forces placed so close to Chinese territory on the west of the country.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Then we need to understand that Afghanistan is sitting on natural resources worth at least $1 trillion, including what many think will be the largest lithium reserves in the world, all yet to be mined.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Unlike the U.S., China may look to capitalize on these resources while demanding far less from Afghanistan's leadership in terms of basic human rights, whether from the Taliban or any other group.
--:-- Georgia Howe: There's also a financial edge to this battle with DC freezing billions in Afghanistan's reserves and the International Monetary Fund cutting off funding for Afghanistan.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So Chinese investment might be welcomed as at least some form of partial solution to this problem.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And we also have to consider this in the context of China's global strategy of extending their influence. They have already invested billions of dollars in Pakistan and Iran, and Turkey is eyeing Chinese support as their relationship with the US and EU falls apart.
--:-- Ian Howarth: This basically means that China has a corridor of influence from the Far East to the Mediterranean Sea. And as time goes on, Chinese influence is only spreading further into areas of Europe and Africa.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Interesting. So geographically, Afghanistan is kind of a key puzzle piece for China.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yes. And let's not forget, there's also the saber-rattling aspect here. China is looking to assert their dominance both economically and militarily.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A military embarrassment for the U.S. followed by an expression of strength by the Chinese would be a win for their propaganda efforts, especially as they look to put pressure on both the West and nearby territories.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Are there any downsides for China with the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the only major factor which will concern Beijing will be the threat of terrorism posed by a resurgent Taliban and the groups they will likely harbor, including al-Qaeda and ISIS.
--:-- Ian Howarth: The Chinese communist regime will almost certainly be keeping a close eye on their western border with Afghanistan.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We should remember that this border is located along the Xinjiang province, where the CCP is violently cracking down on Uyghur Muslims in the region, in what many are calling an act of genocide.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Right. A lot to be concerned about there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Ian, thanks.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Florida state officials are continuing to battle it out with school boards, defying the state's ban on universal mask mandates in schools. Here to tell us more is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So Charlotte, what's happening now in Florida?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Actually, a lot has been happening. Just this Monday, the Florida Department of Education announced it withheld monthly salaries from school board members in Alachua and Broward County.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: The department said that the districts have implemented a mandatory face mask policy that violates parental rights by not allowing parents or guardians to opt out their child.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It also said that this withholding of funds is going to continue monthly until each school board complies with state law and rule.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: For those not tracking this, can you explain how this all got started?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, this goes back to Governor Ron DeSantis' executive order in July that connected mask wearing to the Parents' Bill of Rights passed by the legislature earlier this year.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: His order essentially gives parents the right to decide whether or not their children wear masks at school.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Last week a Circuit County judge ruled that DeSantis executive order was without legal authority.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: DeSantis promised to appeal the ruling on Monday, saying the way the judge ruled actually gives the state grounds to appeal, since it has to do with the school boards, which weren't parties to the case.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And look, at the end of the day, what the Parents' Bill of Rights requires, in our judgment is that parents be given the right to opt out if they think that's in the best interest of their kids.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So districts can actually have policies, but you got to opt for parent the right. They basically taken away the right of parent and say you don't have any say in it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So what's the latest from the Biden administration? We've noted before that they've gotten involved in this.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Yes, they have. And they're getting more involved. President Biden recently asked his education department to see what legal action they could take against governors pushing back on mask mandates in schools.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On Monday, the Federal Education Department's Office for Civil Rights sent letters to chief state school officers of Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: The office is looking into whether statewide limits on indoor masking discriminate against students with disabilities at heightened risk for severe illness by preventing them, as they put it, from safely accessing in-person education.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's also going to closely monitor several other states, including Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Arizona. But it has not opened investigations into those states because state actions and court rulings have blocked their bans from being enforced, for now.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So the Biden administration is claiming those mask mandate bans could discriminate against certain kids.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, that's what they're looking into. However, in Florida and other states, those who oppose universal masking for kids in schools often point to the health risks and disadvantages of masks, especially for children with disabilities.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: In fact, DeSantis' order was also actually aimed at protecting children with disabilities or health conditions who would be harmed by rules like mask mandates.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Interesting. We'll be watching as the court battles continue.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Other stories we're tracking this week. New York and New Jersey have experienced intense flooding as the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the area on Wednesday, killing more than 20 people.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Both governors have declared states of emergency. The rains affected subway lines and canceled hundreds of flights.
--:-- John Bickley: Videos on social media show rivers forming in the streets in New York City, with water reaching as high as the headlights of some cars.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And in Louisiana, thousands of people still remain without power as a result of the storm, which was a Category 4 hurricane when it hit New Orleans on Sunday.
--:-- John Bickley: Officials say power outages could last for weeks for some residents.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you liked 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.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
