Illegal Border Crossings, Plus "Where is Peng Shuai?"

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John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley.

Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe.

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Georgia Howe: A new Customs and Border Protection report shows border crossings surged in 2021, dwarfing numbers from previous years. It is kind of a black box because the administration isn't even telling the state governments where these people are going. Lawmakers are sounding the alarm as numbers continue to rise every month. What effect is the surge of migrants having on cities across the U.S.?

John Bickley: I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, January 26th, and this is Morning Wire. The Biden administration withdraws its emergency vaccine order, impacting 85 million Americans, but considers pushing for a permanent rule. How are private businesses reacting now that the Supreme Court has struck down the mandate? And the case of the Chinese tennis star who went missing for weeks continues to spark public outcry. Days after fans at the Australian Open were forced to remove T-shirts with the words Where is Peng Shui? Tennis Australia is reversing course. Meanwhile, some famous voices are weighing in on the controversy. Sports has always been kind of on the forefront of social issues, pushing them forward. And we are going backwards, I feel. Thanks for waking up at Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. This show is sponsored by Birch Gold Group. Inflation is destroying the dollar. Birch Gold Group can help protect your IRA or 401k with a precious metals IRA. Text WIRE to 989898 to claim a free info kit on physical gold and silver. There's zero obligation. Text the word WIRE to 989898 to protect your savings today.

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John Bickley: A long-anticipated report from the Customs and Border Protection Agency shines a light on the country's growing immigration crisis, with a record number of illegal immigrants apprehended at the southern border over the last three months. Here with more on what's causing the spike and the impact it's having on the country is Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.

Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, just how bad have these numbers gotten?

Cabot Phillips: It's like nothing we've ever seen. So over the last three months, we've already seen over half a million illegal immigrant encounters at the border. For context, that's more than the entire population of Miami, and more than double the previous record for a three-month span, which was set last year. And it's really not showing any signs of stopping. Each month since October has been worse than the last. And keep in mind, those numbers just represent those who were caught. Some estimates say that an equal number of people are slipping across the border without being caught, which would mean that number is actually closer to a million who've entered the country over the last three months. And again, it's worth pointing out, we also saw record amounts of drugs entering the country, with some areas at the border seizing 10 times more fentanyl this year than last.

Georgia Howe: We've looked at some of those numbers and they're stunning. Yeah.

Cabot Phillips: What do we know about what's being done with those who are caught?

Cabot Phillips: So according to the CBP, of the 178,000 people detained in December, roughly 78,000 were expelled from the country via Title 42. You'll remember that's a Trump-era public health order that allows for quick deportation on medical grounds, in this case due to COVID. The agency also claims that in December alone, roughly a third of those caught were subsequently released into the country But there is reason to believe those numbers could be even higher. Skeptics point to new footage from Fox News that shows busloads of migrant men being dropped off at a Texas airport and given plane tickets around the country. And on this show we've also covered some of those middle-of-the-night secret flights of migrants around the country that CBP appeared to try and cover up.

Georgia Howe: Right. So do we know what's causing the spike?

Cabot Phillips: Well, as always, it depends on who you ask. Democrats say the spike is a result of migrants fleeing climate change or other poor conditions in their home countries. And back in the spring, for example, many on the left and in the media said the spike was due to seasonal weather patterns and that illegal immigration always increased during warmer months. The Washington Post, for example, ran a headline saying the migrant surge at the U.S. southern border is actually a predictable pattern. And on that note, here's President Biden back in March. The reason they're coming is that it's the time they can travel with the least likelihood of dying on the way because of the heat in the desert, number one. Number two, they're coming because of the circumstances in country. But that just doesn't align with the data. From 2012 to 2020, it is true that there were seasonal patterns to illegal immigration. Each year, from the end of February until June, there were a clear increase in migrants, which came to be known as travel season. But that all changed in 2021. The numbers rose continually each month and really didn't slow down as the weather got colder the way it had in years past. And Republicans say it's not a coincidence that happened immediately after President Biden took office. They say migrants have been incentivized to come here illegally, with Democrat leaders promising free health care and other government benefits to everyone, regardless of immigration status. They also say that Democrat policies have incentivized migrant parents to send their kids alone because unaccompanied minors are often given preferential treatment in the process. To that point, of the 178,000 illegal immigrant encounters in December, 11,000 were unaccompanied children and two-thirds were single adults.

Georgia Howe: Look, obviously there are political ramifications here. With midterms coming up, what sort of impact do we expect this to have?

Cabot Phillips: Based on polling, it's going to be huge. A Wall Street Journal poll last month asked voters which issues they wanted Congress and President Biden to prioritize. And immigration was the number one most common response ahead of the economy and even inflation. As the trend of the border continues, you can certainly expect those numbers to rise even more. And if you look more broadly at general voter sentiment on illegal immigration, it's not actually as polarizing an issue as a lot of people expect. Most Americans, 72 percent, according to one poll last month, say illegal immigration is, quote, unacceptable. So a lot of agreement there.

Georgia Howe: Yeah, definitely something you're going to see Republicans try and rally independent voters on and bring up ahead of November. Yeah, definitely something we're going to be hearing a lot about as midterms approach.

John Bickley: Thanks for the reporting. Anytime.

Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.

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John Bickley: Coming up, the Biden administration formally withdraws one of its vaccine mandates, but considers more action. It's never been more important to rethink how we shop and choose brands that are aligned with our values. The Daily Wire's newest partner, Naturally It's Clean, is a home cleaning company that provides hospital-grade cleaning power while reducing the use of harmful chemicals. Try their powerful plant-based formulas for yourself. Today, you can receive 15% off your Essentials 4-pack at naturallyitsclean.com slash morningwire when you use the promo code MW15. That's naturallyitsclean.com slash morningwire.

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Georgia Howe: The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it's withdrawing an emergency order forcing companies to mandate COVID vaccines or regularly test their workers. The move follows the Supreme Court striking down the OSHA mandate, which prompted major companies including Starbucks and GE to drop their vaccine requirements. Despite the court ruling against its mandate the administration said it considering issuing a permanent rule. The initial order would have impacted some 85 million Americans. Here to tell us more is Daily Wire General Counsel Josh Herr.

Josh Herr: So what's just happened is that OSHA announced it will formally withdraw the emergency temporary standard, that is the employer vaccine or test mandate that the Daily Wire sued the administration over. However, the agency is not dropping the rule entirely. Its current plan is to keep the order as a, quote, proposed rule and to work towards potentially implementing it as a non-emergency mandate. So the administration is dropping the emergency order, but it's not fully giving up on at least some form of the mandate. That's correct.

Georgia Howe: Here's a direct quote from the memo. Although OSHA is withdrawing the vaccination and testing ETS as an enforceable emergency temporary standard, OSHA is not withdrawing the ETS to the extent that it serves as a proposed rule under the OSHA Act. In other words, the agency has signaled that it's intent to revise and perhaps reissue the rule under a non-emergency procedure.

Josh Herr: A spokesperson for the Labor Department told the press that the agency is, quote, evaluating the record and the evolving course of the pandemic, and, quote, made no determinations at this time about when or if it will finalize a vaccination and testing rule.

Georgia Howe: And if they do try to move forward, would that be in defiance of the court's ruling?

Josh Herr: OSHA's decision to withdraw the ETS is clearly intended to comply with the court's ruling. What they're saying here is U.N. will play by the rules, but that it might still try to implement a different kind of workplace vaccine mandate. In the meantime, the Biden administration is still asking, rather than illegally mandating, that companies impose vaccine mandates on their employees. Now, despite the Supreme Court's action, private companies still have the right to impose vaccine mandates. Is that correct?

Josh Herr: That's correct. But companies like The Daily Wire, who oppose a mandate, certainly have the right to not require a vaccine. In fact, as you mentioned, just days after the Supreme Court ruling, General Electric and Starbucks both suspended their vaccine mandates. Citigroup, on the other hand, will continue to enforce their mandate and says any employee who remains unvaccinated without exemption will be fired at the end of January.

Georgia Howe: Josh, thanks for breaking this down for us.

Josh Herr: My pleasure.

Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire General Counsel Josh Herr.

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John Bickley: The Australian Open has been all over the news lately, with the world's number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic, being deported from the country due to being unvaccinated. Now the tournament is once again in the spotlight, following their decision to force fans to remove T-shirts with the phrase, where is Peng Shui? A reference to the treatment of the tennis star by China's communist government. Here to tell us more is Daily Wire sports reporter, Joe Morgan.

Joe Morgan: Yeah, there is. What's the latest?

Joe Morgan: Well, thanks for having me on, John. So as we've discussed before, the safety of Peng has been a concern since her November 2nd social media post in which she accused a former vice premier of the Communist Party of sexually assaulting her three years ago following a round of tennis. She also said that his wife guarded the door. Her post was deleted nearly 30 minutes later, and Peng's account on Weibo, which is a Chinese social media platform, was blocked from searchers on the platform. Then on Saturday, fans sporting Where is Peng Shui t-shirts while attending the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne were asked by security to remove the shirts due to rules set by Tennis Australia. And what was the reason for banning the shirts?

Joe Morgan: In a statement Tennis Australia said and I quoting here under our ticket conditions of entry we don allow clothing banners or signs that are commercial or political But I guess that didn't fly with fans right It didn't The backlash was immediate, with 18-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova laying into the Australian Open Sunday on the Tennis Channel, with one of the hosts pointing out the Chinese signage at the tournament. We've had the issue with Peng Shuai. Where is Peng Shuai? And now there were fans at the tournament watching Naomi Osaka practice. They weren't even on the main court. They had worse Peng Shuai on their T-shirt and they were told to cover it up. I find it really, really cowardly. This is not a political statement. This is a human rights statement. I totally agree.

Joe Morgan: And when we watch these matches, you will note the Chinese signage at the Australian Open, which some might suspect has a lot to do with this beyond political speech. Where is Peng Shuai's political speech? We've just gone down the slippery slope.

Georgia Howe: Navratilova went on to say that Tennis Australia was allowing China to dictate what they do at their own slam. So very vocal pushback. Yeah, very much so. And now tennis officials have responded, right?

Joe Morgan: Right. They've reversed course. On Monday, Tennis Australia changed the stance on clothing containing political slogans. I'm quoting here, and this is from Tennis Australia's chief executive, Craig Tiley. What we've said is that if anyone comes on site with an intent to disrupt and use the Australian Open as a platform for themselves and really disrupts the comfort and the safety of our fans, then they're not welcome. However, if someone wants to wear a t-shirt and make a statement about Peng Shui, that's fine.

Georgia Howe: Well, so quite the change. Yeah, it is. But certainly the right call as well, as the Peng Shui situation has taken both the sports and political world by storm and highlighted the oppressive tactics of communist China.

Joe Morgan: Yeah, it really has. Before you go, what are the most recent reports we've heard regarding her?

Joe Morgan: Well, last thing we were, well, let's say, allowed to hear from her as a denial that she ever made the allegation against a Communist Party official. But of course, we know that she clearly made that claim publicly. Yeah, it's a troubling situation.

Georgia Howe: Yeah, it is. Thanks for the update, Joe.

Joe Morgan: Sure thing. Daily Wire sports reporter, Joe Morgan.

Georgia Howe: Other stories we're tracking this week. Attorney Michael Avenatti is on trial in Manhattan this week on charges that he stole nearly $300,000 from his then-client, Stormy Daniels. The U.S. attorney told jurors that Avenatti took the porn star's book proceeds. He represented Daniels in her 2018 lawsuit against former President Trump. This is Avenatti's third criminal trial in two years. Pfizer has started testing its vaccine that specifically targets the Omicron variant. The participants in the trial are adults ages 18 to 55. The company's CEO says it could have an Omicron-based vaccine ready by March. Starting in 2024, the SAT test will be entirely online for U.S. students and shortened to just two hours. The test will include shorter reading passages with one question for each passage. Students will also be permitted to use calculators for the math section. And Republican Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin has created an email tip line for parents to send in, quote, any instances where they feel that their fundamental rights are being violated, their children are not being respected, or there are inherently divisive practices in their schools.

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. That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know. 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.