--:-- Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: And I'm John Bickley, Daily Wire editor-in-chief.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's Thursday, November 2nd. We have a lot to cover today, including the latest on the war in Israel and Gaza.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. And we'll also be discussing the growing trend of homeschooling in the US.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But first, let's start with the situation in Gaza. The Rafah Gate has temporarily opened, allowing hundreds to flee into Egypt.
--:-- John Bickley: But how many Americans remain trapped in the region, and how much humanitarian aid is ending up in the hands of Hamas?
--:-- Georgia Howe: We're joined now by Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce to talk about Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Capitol Hill and the latest on the war in Israel.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, what can you tell us about Blinken's testimony before Congress on Tuesday?
--:-- Tim Pierce: He was there to push President Biden's spending priorities, one of the most controversial of which is continued aid to Gaza.
--:-- John Bickley: And what did Blinken say about the aid?
--:-- Tim Pierce: He said that the aid is important because a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza would destabilize the Middle East and put Israel in a tougher spot than it already is.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But he also acknowledged that some of that aid is likely to be diverted by Hamas for terrorist activities.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right. He called it "spillage." But he said the benefits outweigh the risks.
--:-- John Bickley: Republicans were skeptical, and Senator Bill Haggerty of Tennessee asked if the US had unintentionally helped create the conflict by indirectly supplying terrorists in Gaza.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right. And Blinken said that the US takes every possible precaution to ensure that these resources are not diverted.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza has really intensified recently. What's the latest on the war?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, things have really ramped up. Israel has brought a lot of firepower against Hamas recently.
--:-- John Bickley: And that in turn has led to more calls for a ceasefire over the amount of Palestinian civilian casualties.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Can you tell us more about the situation on the ground?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Israel has mixed ground operations with heavy bombardment to take out terrorist strongholds.
--:-- John Bickley: And it's an unfortunate fact of this war that those targets are almost always in civilian areas.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right. And that's why Israel struck the Jabalia refugee camp with coordinated ground and airstrikes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the civilians who have been caught up in the war? Some are now getting out of Gaza.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right. The Rafah crossing in Gaza's south is now open for critically injured Palestinians and some foreign nationals to leave Gaza.
--:-- John Bickley: And it's the first time any significant number of people have been allowed to leave Gaza since the war began.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Notably, there are still hundreds of Americans stuck in Gaza.
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's right. One estimate is around 500 Americans still trapped in the region.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for joining us, Tim.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up, we'll be discussing the growing trend of homeschooling in the US.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. Since the pandemic, states across the nation have seen explosive growth in homeschooling.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We're joined now by Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo to talk about the latest numbers and trends.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, what do the numbers look like in 2023?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Recent analysis from the Washington Post found that there was a stunning 51% increase in homeschooling in the 2022 to 23 school year.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the total number of homeschooled kids?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The last federal numbers we have are from 2019, and those indicate that 1.5 million children were homeschooled.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But the Post analysis found that now there are anywhere from 1.9 to 2.7 million.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big jump.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And there was also a recent Household Pulse survey from the US Census that estimated as much as 3.6 million homeschooled kids.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Where are we seeing this growth, and what kind of demographics are most affected?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: We're seeing New York and Washington, D.C. with the highest rates of increase in homeschooling since 2018.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about demographics?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Census data shows that Black households had the largest rate of increase out of any racial group.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what are some theories as to why the trend has continued?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Parents were concerned about a range of issues from school safety to bullying to curriculum.
--:-- John Bickley: And some listeners might not realize how new the homeschooling movement is.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: It wasn't even legal to educate your own child at home in all 50 states until 1992.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for reporting, Amanda.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: You're welcome.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up, we'll be discussing California Governor Gavin Newsom's claim that he let local school districts make lockdown decisions during the pandemic.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. And we'll be talking to Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham about the controversy surrounding Newsom's claim.
--:-- Megan Basham: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, what exactly did Newsom say in that interview?
--:-- Megan Basham: He said that in certain parts of the state, schools were open, and that he gave local control.
--:-- John Bickley: But that's not entirely accurate, is it?
--:-- Megan Basham: No, it's not. The governor's office issued multiple school closure orders, and those were statewide.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the fact that California was the first state to implement statewide lockdowns and curfews?
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. And Newsom also issued orders that ensured school districts would continue receiving funding, even if they stayed closed.
--:-- John Bickley: So, it's really just very difficult to see how Newsom can now claim that these were local decisions.
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. And I think it's also worth noting that California's state of emergency declaration that gave Newsom the power to suspend or change laws only came to an end this past February.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the economic impact of Newsom's COVID policies?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, the governor boasted in that interview that California performed much better economically and in loss of life than some of these other large states that were red and didn't lock down, like Florida.
--:-- John Bickley: But a major study that was published in The Lancet actually contradicts that claim.
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. And some outlets like the Wall Street Journal have tracked and found that non-lockdown states saw much stronger recoveries.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for reporting, Megan.
--:-- Megan Basham: Anytime. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: And don't forget to check out our sponsors, Black Rifle Coffee and Shopify.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
