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--:-- John Bickley: The NFL is back, and FanDuel's got everything you need to play your game. From same-game parlays to live betting. Right now, new customers bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. 21-plus in president select states. 18-plus in Kentucky and Wyoming. Must be first online real money waging. $5 deposit required. Bonus issued is non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See full terms at FanDuel.com slash sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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--:-- John Bickley: As Donald Trump pulls ahead in the GOP primary race, Nikki Haley vows to stay in. Some of you came here today to see if I'm dropping out of the race. Well, I'm not. What else did we learn from Haley's State of the Race address?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Daily Wire, Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, February 21st, and this is Morning Wire. Reports of more female athletes being injured by transgender-identifying males ratchet up the trans sports debate.
--:-- John Bickley: My life has forever been changed, but I'm not here for me. I'm here for every biological female athlete behind me. And Senator Joe Manchin announces he will not run as a third-party presidential candidate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm trying to do everything I can to make sure that we have a pathway forward where the center of this country is going to be represented, and that's the center left and center right. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- [Music transitions to a commercial break]
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--:-- John Bickley: As the Republican presidential primary heads to South Carolina this weekend, Nikki Haley, the state's former governor and lone remaining challenger to Donald Trump is vowing to stay in the race until the very end. Here with the latest on the GOP primary and looming general election is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, former President Trump appears well on his way to the Republican nomination, but Nikki Haley says she's gonna hang in there.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. So on Tuesday, Haley offered what she called a state of the race address from her home state of South Carolina. Now, some had wondered if she was gonna take that opportunity to drop out, But instead, she vowed to remain in the primary until voters in every single state had spoken, despite the fact that Trump is just running laps around her in the polls and has already secured dominant victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: It's worth noting he's also ahead by nearly 30 points in South Carolina ahead of this Saturday's primary. But speaking of Greenville, Haley, who referred to herself as a, quote, brown girl in a black and white world, struck a defiant tone, claiming Republican leaders loathed Trump behind closed doors, but feel obligated to support him publicly because they think he's inevitable.
--:-- John Bickley: I feel no need to kiss the ring. I have no fear of Trump's retribution. I'm not looking for anything from him. My own political future is of zero concern.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, Haley's team says that her remaining in the race is simply about giving a voice to Republicans in every state And there might be some truth to that but there are plenty of folks who say that she just sticking around in case Trump is forced off the ballot due to those pending court cases or some other reason
--:-- John Bickley: For his part the former president was also in Greenville yesterday where he appeared at a town hall hosted by Fox News. I'm the leading candidate. I never heard of being indicted before. I got indicted four times. I have eight or nine trials, all because of the fact that I'm, and you know this, all because of the fact that I'm in politics.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, let's get to the general election where, barring some kind of black swan event, we are going to see a rematch between Trump and Biden. What's the latest there?
--:-- John Bickley: So from a polling perspective, Trump appears to be in a very strong spot for a challenger. He trails Joe Biden in just three of the last 20 national polls taken in the last month. And more importantly, based on polling averages, he's ahead in six of the seven key battleground states. He's up by seven in Georgia, four and a half in Arizona, five in Michigan.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: You get the idea. But despite those negative polls for Biden and data showing his approval rating historically low for an incumbent heading into reelection, the president did get some positive news this week. On Tuesday, it was announced that the Biden campaign had raised $42 million in January alone, meaning Democrats now have a $130 million war chest. That is the most ever for a Democratic presidential candidate at this point in a race.
--:-- John Bickley: And while Trump has proven to be a historically strong fundraiser in his own right, especially among coveted small dollar donors, there's just no denying that he'd rather be spending his money on campaigning and not legal fees. To this point, over the last two years, Trump and his alliance super PACs have spent $76 million on attorneys and other legal fees.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And while you could argue that these cases have actually benefited Trump politically and rallied the GOP base behind him. There's really no question that they are draining him financially, which certainly benefits President Biden leading up to November.
--:-- John Bickley: Right. Well, we've seen this matchup before, but even so, it's really hard to predict how this race will go. Yeah, a lot can happen from now to November.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: All right, thanks for reporting.
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--:-- John Bickley: New reports of females suffering injuries while competing against transgender athletes has brought renewed focus to the trans sports debate. Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Hey, Amanda. So there was a specific incident this month that's drawing a lot of attention to policies that permit biological males to compete against girls. Tell us about that situation.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, so a girls' high school basketball game in Massachusetts ended in a forfeit after three players were injured by halftime. And one of those injuries was captured on video and went viral online. According to sources, one of the players involved in that injury is a biological male who was six feet tall and has facial hair.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: There was so much controversy surrounding the game that a spokesperson for a collegiate charter school of Lowell released a statement addressing the decision to forfeit. All right, so enough scrutiny that the school felt the need to officially address this. What did that statement say?
--:-- John Bickley: So it was a bit mixed on message. the school made clear that it stands by the coach decision to call the game and even admitted that some of the girls on the team did express concerns to their coach about fearing injury The release though also stressed the school commitment to equity and inclusivity In this context those terms are typically associated with support or promotion of trans athletes in girls' sports. Really trying to walk a fine line there, it seems.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Yeah, a bit of a tightrope. Are we getting lots of reports about injuries like this connected to trans athletes, specifically biological males?
--:-- John Bickley: I think they're starting to add up, and that's why there's this shift in focus towards safety. Opponents have generally highlighted concerns about fairness when it comes to allowing males in girls sports, but with more of this so-called transgender inclusion, there are more examples of injury.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: In one such case, a high school volleyball player in North Carolina suffered a concussion and extensive trauma to her head and neck after a trans-identifying player from the other team spiked a volleyball at her head. That female athlete, Peyton McNabb, has since become an advocate to protect girls and women's sports.
--:-- John Bickley: Other injuries I still suffer from today include impaired vision, partial paralysis on my right side, constant headaches, as well as anxiety and depression. I was unable to play the rest of my last volleyball season. My ability to learn, retain, comprehend has also been impaired, and I require accommodations at school for testing because of this.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: There was also another injury that garnered a lot of attention back in November, And this was also in Massachusetts. A male field hockey player on a girls' high school team took a shot on goal and hit a female player in the face, appearing to knock out some of her teeth.
--:-- John Bickley: And we really have yet to see this full impact when it comes to combat sports. As we've covered here, USA Boxing's new transgender guidance does now allow males who identify as female to compete in the women's division if they meet certain qualifications.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville sounded off on that earlier this month. Boxing says, oh, yes, we're going to allow biological men to box against women in the Olympics. Somebody's going to get hurt and they're going to get hurt bad. And there's no common sense.
--:-- John Bickley: What kind of response are we seeing in terms of the two different political parties? Are we seeing a divide on this issue?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Yes and no. I mean, polling does show that the American people do not support males and female sports. I mean, we're talking upwards of 70 percent there. So conservative politicians are aligning the same way and just last year passed around 80 laws that either protect girls and women's sports or added restrictions to the medical transitions of minors.
--:-- John Bickley: Democrats, on the other hand, they aren't really talking a lot about sports in particular. They seem to understand this isn't a winning issue for them. So instead, they're speaking about this issue in terms of equality and lumping it together as part of LGBT rights. rights.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: I'll also note that the Biden White House is currently working to rewrite Title IX so that it includes gender identity. If that takes hold, any public school, college, or university limiting girls or women's sports to only females, including combat sports, they could lose funding.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, certainly a very significant revision of Title IX looming. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: You're welcome.
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--:-- John Bickley: West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, announced last week he will not run for president as an independent. The moderate lawmaker who is not seeking re-election to the Senate had teased a potential run with the No Labels Organization. Here to discuss Manchin's decision is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Hey Dave First Manchin choice not to run and his rationale for it has generated a lot of buzz What has he said so far about why he not jumping in this go at least Morning John
--:-- John Bickley: In an interview with CNN he said that part of the reason is the dysfunction that he sees in Congress, specifically citing the recent failure of the Senate's bipartisan border bill. He sounded almost despondent, arguing that the current state of polarization means that, as he put it, quote, we're not fixing anything in Washington, end quote.
--:-- David Marcus: But it's important to No, there's also electoral math and reality at work here. Not with standing polls that show Americans are not exactly thrilled by the prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch. A potentially winning lane has not emerged for a third-party candidate. And both Manchin and the No Labels Organization have said they will not participate unless they think they have at least a puncher's chance at winning. Right now, they don't.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, Manchin was asked if he would endorse his fellow Democrat, Joe Biden. Here's what he said. I'm not endorsing anybody right now. We're going to see what all happens. We've still got plenty of time here.
--:-- David Marcus: How surprising of a snub is that? It's significant. The assumption is always that an incumbent president is going to have the support of elected officials in his party, especially when running all but unopposed in the primary. But Manchin was blunt, saying that he has told Biden directly that the president's policies are too far to the left.
--:-- John Bickley: They've pushed him and pulled him and whatever. But that's not where America is. That's not where our country is. So I'm hoping the Joe Biden that we saw in 2020 will be the Joe Biden we see in 2024, if that can be done. If not, it's going to be a long road for everybody.
--:-- David Marcus: Manchin has stressed that he thinks most Americans are in the center ideologically and that they aren't being served by either party. He views Donald Trump as an extremist and Biden as noted as to beholden to the far left. So he's left the door open to endorse a potential third candidate or conceivably come home to Biden as we get closer to November. But he might need to see some changes on energy policy or the border, something to get him back on board.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, it makes sense. Now, Biden has also faced criticism from his left in recent weeks, particularly among Muslim voters and progressives for his position on the conflict in the Middle East. Is he getting pinched from both sides?
--:-- David Marcus: Yes, absolutely. And it's a problem for Biden because he's facing this similar pressure from his left on Capitol Hill, with Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib going so far as to urge Democrats in her state to vote uncommitted in the primary in protest of Biden's fairly firm support of Israel in its war against Hamas.
--:-- John Bickley: So the president is being pulled in two opposite directions, and it isn't clear that there's any way for him to thread this needle and please both sides.
--:-- David Marcus: With the election projected to be very close and with Biden trailing in the polls, he can't afford to lose the support of either of these rather disparate wings of his party.
--:-- John Bickley: Finally, this comes on the heels of a much-talked-about article in the New York Times suggesting that liberal anti-Trump activists are really burned out. How could that play into all of this for Biden?
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, the Times article points out that there's some real fatigue among the activists who have now spent almost eight years vociferously attacking Trump. like anything else, people get tired. And there's also a sense that they may have convinced everyone they are going to convince that Trump is some kind of existential threat to America.
--:-- John Bickley: This is very bad news for the Biden campaign because it's really put an emphasis on what it argues is the danger of another Trump presidency. If that feeling in regard to Trump is in fact dissipating, it throws a wrench in the whole Biden strategy.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, pretty significant one, too. Yeah.
--:-- John Bickley: Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
