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--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
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--:-- John Bickley: As Russia's war with Ukraine rages on, U.S. energy independence is becoming a priority on both sides of the aisle. Why is energy independence so critical to domestic security, and why is the U.S. still importing oil from Russia? I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, March 4th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Russia is gaining ground in Ukraine and more than a million people have already fled the embattled country. We speak to a reporter who's on the ground in Kiev. And the White House announced a new COVID strategy, this time highlighting therapeutics. We have more treatments available for the American people than ever before. Millions of treatments each month. We have the details on the new plan.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- John Bickley: [Returning from commercial] of their amazing products and join the Tessa Mays family today. Use promo code WIRE to get 20% off your purchase.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: With the United States still dependent on Russia for fossil fuels, the military invasion of Ukraine has underscored the importance of U.S. energy independence as a matter of domestic security. A bipartisan group of legislators says this proves the U.S. has to make energy independence a priority. Here to guide us through the data is Daily Wire reporter Ben Johnson. Thanks for joining us, Ben.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Thanks for the invitation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So we've all been tracking the battle in Ukraine and seen all the horrifying reports. How important is oil to this war?
--:-- Ben Johnson: It's extremely important. Like most of the world, Russia's economy runs on fossil fuels. Russia produces 11% of all the oil in the world. Last year, oil and petroleum exports accounted for more than one-third of the country's budget. There's no doubt that oil is fueling Vladimir Putin's war machine.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Americans may have been surprised to learn their country imports a significant amount of oil from Russia. How much do we buy exactly?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Well, the amount of oil the U.S. imported from Russia reached a record high under President Biden. Last May, we imported more than 26,000 barrels of oil in one month. Russia today supplies about 7% of all energy imports and is America's number one supplier of imported gasoline.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Congressman Steve Scalise gave a dollar figure on Tuesday when he and other Republicans called on the administration to move toward energy independence. Between the United States, the UK and the European Union, every single day we are sending $700 million a day to Putin by buying his oil.
--:-- Ben Johnson: President Biden needs to stop financing Putin war with Russian oil because he shut off the spigots of American energy. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also separately called on the president to increase U energy production. We producing the energy in our country to be independent but also be able to support our allies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, the U.S. actually gained energy independence in 2020, right?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Right. So how unusual was that?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Well, when it happened in 2020, it was the first time in 70 years. And how have Biden's policies affected U.S. reserves?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Well, Biden's taken several steps that could reduce U.S. energy production. In his first week in office, President Biden signed an executive order to pause new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or in offshore waters. A federal judge in Louisiana overturned that order last June, but Biden once again halted all federal energy leases last month. Of course, the administration canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and has yet to approve any other pipeline. He also ordered federal regulators to invent a new measure that he called the social cost of carbon, which would factor in the harms that the environmentalist movement claims are created by fossil fuels. All of that caused U.S. gas and heating prices to rise even before the current war, which has only made matters worse. The price of a barrel of oil reached a near record level this week of more than $106 a barrel. That's a 60% increase in one year. All of this hits average Americans right in the wallet.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Since January, the cost of gasoline in Michigan's increased 33 cents a gallon.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Yeah, none of this is good news for Americans. Could U.S. oil supplies actually ease the hold Putin has over the rest of Europe?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Absolutely. The Russian energy industry gives Putin tremendous leverage over our allies. For example, even without the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Germany already imports 55% of its natural gas from Russia. And global demand is going to surge. The U.S. government estimates that global energy use will increase 50 percent by 2050. And despite that vulnerability, last month, 10 senators, including Elizabeth Warren, wrote a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stating, quote, we urge you to take swift action to limit U.S. natural gas exports.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Critics like Manchin and Scalise say we have to start looking at energy independence as a geopolitical asset, as well as a way to ease the pressure on the middle class. Economic prosperity and abundance affect national security. They certainly do.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Thanks for delving into all this for us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: My pleasure. That's Daily Wire's Ben Johnson.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: [Returning from commercial] You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. 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. And you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
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--:-- John Bickley: The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, and new reports are streaming in of Russian gains in southern port cities. Here to give us the latest on Ukraine is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth. All right, Ian, what's happened over the last 24 hours?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, one major change since we last spoke is news that Russian forces have entered Kurson, a port city in the south of Ukraine along the Black Sea. As many as 300 people have been killed, according to the city's mayor. Some reports seem to suggest they've captured the city, while Zelensky is saying that Ukrainians are still fighting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If Russia does hold this position, it would be a major win for them, with Russian forces laying siege on other seaports, while also bombarding Kiev and Kharkiv.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But when it comes to Kiev, it looks like the vast majority of violence is still limited to missile attacks. We spoke to Holly McKay, a journalist on the ground in Ukraine, and she said that the massive convoy just north of the capital city of Kiev we been tracking is still at a standstill. My understanding is that is because the Russians are not quite prepared. They don't have their fuel resources. They don't have the degree to weaponry that they want. So they are sort of trying to get their supplies in before they go in for that sort of final move.
--:-- Georgia Howe: When we spoke with Holly McKay, she also said that she talked with some military personnel in Ukraine and she was told that the concern of a weaponry is just as important to the Ukrainian resistance forces as the Russians. Generally, the response is we don't necessarily need bodies. We don't, you know, we don't expect the US to send troops. However, they are very welcoming of foreign fighters, especially anyone that has skills when it comes to javelins or stinger missiles. I think that's something that's still very new to Ukrainians. But I think really what they're desperate for right now is anti-tank missiles. So something that can cut the supply line, something that can sort of destroy this ring that is being formed around the capital right now.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But as the conflict continues to rage, the number of Ukrainians fleeing the country continues to rise. The United Nations is saying that a massive one million refugees have now fled Ukraine, with evacuations being slowed down or even stopped by Russian army blocking or damaging things like railway lines, trains and bridges.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And the horror is going to increase after reports that Russia's Federal Security Service, their intelligence branch, has apparently drafted plans to carry out public executions in captured Ukrainian cities. Just horrific.
--:-- Ian Howarth: It is. And the mass exodus isn't limited to just Ukraine, though. When we look at what's going on in Russia, or at least the small amount we're able to see, it looks like Putin is having to crack down harshly on dissent there too. For example, two independent news outlets in Russia have been shut down for refusing to fall in line with the Kremlin. They've been accused by the Russian government of pushing false information. And so now we're seeing reports that Russian journalists are trying to escape Russia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yesterday, you mentioned that peace talks were due to take place. Are there any updates?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yeah, the second meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegates took place on Thursday night. It was reported that talks ended without any deal being reached. But then an advisor to Zelensky, who took part in the talks, said that a tentative agreement was reached to organize safe corridors for civilian evacuation, as well as the delivery of humanitarian supplies. Under this agreement, and ceasefires would be observed where corridors are created. But we will have to wait to see if these ceasefires are respected. And then there's Zelensky himself, who is calling for a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin. Sit down with me to negotiate, just not at 30 meters, he said. I don't bite. What are you afraid of? Any words are more important than shots.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hard to imagine the two of them sitting down. I know, certainly at this point.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Thanks for the update, Ian.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks, John. Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
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--:-- John Bickley: In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Biden announced a new COVID strategy, which he says will bring about a new normal for the United States. The plan has several aspects. Protect people against disease and prepare for new variants, while also working to avoid shutdowns. The biggest change? Treatment for COVID-19, something that hasn't been at the forefront of past policy. Here to talk about the new policy is Ash Short. She's a Daily Wire senior editor. Ash, my first question is, what's prompting this pivot on COVID policy from the White House?
--:-- Ash Short: The short answer, Georgia, is politics. People are tired of the restrictions and they're bothered by the hypocrisy. We had heard that cases were on a downturn. Is that true or false?
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's true, but after a spike over the holidays, the numbers are about where they were a year ago. Also, the average for deaths in that same time period is actually higher than it was at this point last year. And the seven average for hospitalizations is about where it was at the start of the pandemic So these changes feel less like a response to the virus and more like a response to the politics of unpopular policies Politicians want to take credit for opening the country back up in time for the midterms.
--:-- Ash Short: Right. Let's talk about specifics. What's in this new plan?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, Biden said during his State of the Union address that he would start a test to treat initiative that would provide antiviral medications to people who test positive. One interesting tidbit, the president completely rejected the idea of living with the virus. He compared it to living with AIDS or cancer. Critics, though, were quick to observe that we don't shut the country down for those diseases.
--:-- Ash Short: And another item in the plan is more money for schools and businesses. The initiative would provide guidance, tests, and supplies to help them stay open and improve ventilation and air filtration. Keep in mind, this is in addition to the tens of billions of dollars given to schools during the pandemic, much of which has yet to be spent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The president also brought up fighting the virus overseas. So what exactly would that entail?
--:-- Ash Short: The key takeaway is that the United States will be funding vaccination efforts for poor countries. That includes the vaccine itself and also the infrastructure to deliver those vaccines. The plan also promotes emergency health care to address COVID surges overseas. Biden committed to donating 1.2 billion doses to other countries, saying, quote, for free with zero strings attached.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. There's also been a big push to ramp up the production of pharmaceuticals here in the U.S. as well. Tell us about that.
--:-- Ash Short: Yeah. The Biden administration wants to work with drug manufacturers to produce a billion more doses of the vaccine and work on a universal vaccine to protect against all variants. The administration also partnered with Pfizer to produce more than a million antiviral pills this month for people who test positive. This would also be paired with the PR campaign to inform people that the pills are available for free in pharmacies as soon as they test positive.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right. Well, Ash, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Ash Short: Of course.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire senior editor, Ash Short.
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--:-- John Bickley: Other stories we're tracking this week. Melinda French Gates sat down with CBS this week to explain the details of her divorce from Bill Gates. Gates stated directly that Bill's ongoing friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was one of many factors that played a role in their divorce and that she was vocal about her disapproval of Epstein. And you shared that with Bill and he still continued to spend time with him?
--:-- Ash Short: Any of the questions remaining about what Bill's relationship there was, those are for Bill to answer. But I made it very clear how I felt about him.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A recent poll showed that Canadians were more than twice as likely to say that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's handling of the Freedom Convoy protests worsened rather than improve their impression of him.
--:-- Ash Short: And after President Biden's State of the Union address, moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said he has not changed his stance on Joe Biden's spending plan, and he pushed back on the effort to combat inflation and higher prices with additional government spending.
--:-- 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.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back next week with the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you like this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter, available exclusively to Daily Wire members. Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe. Use code MORNINGWIRE to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
