--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Biden administration has authorized $10 billion to be released to Iran as the nation continues to sponsor attacks on U.S. troops around the globe.
--:-- John Bickley: Iran's proxies have launched over 52 attacks on U.S. troops since October 7th. We have a responsibility to our troops in the Middle East to cut off every possible resource that might go to terrorists and thugs.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, November 16th, and this is Morning Wire. President Biden and Chinese President Xi came face-to-face outside a cleaned-up San Francisco. What progress, if any, has been made at the APEC summit? And Spain erupts in protests after the socialist prime minister offers opponents a deal so he can stay in power.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden sparked controversy this week after approving a sanctions waiver that will allow Iran to access $10 billion in previously frozen assets. The move comes as Iranian-backed terror groups have stepped up their attacks on American military bases in the Middle East.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here with more on what it means for the regime amid escalating tensions in the region is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Kevin, walk us through the latest move from the White House.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, this week, the Biden administration extended a sanctions waiver that will allow the authoritarian regime in Iran to access $10 billion in funds that had previously been frozen. For context, Iran has been selling electricity to neighboring Iraq, but the money they've made on those sales has been held in an escrow account due to sanctions from the US.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So this waiver will allow them to access the $10 billion in that account, which will then be transferred to Oman and converted to other currencies, where Iran can then purchase non-sanctioned goods.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And that move resulted in a swift backlash in Washington, correct?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes, it did.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So while the waiver specifies that the money can only be used for humanitarian goods, critics say it will inevitably result in more money going towards funding terrorism.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They say while the $10 billion might only technically be used for humanitarian purposes, the move will free up $10 billion elsewhere, which can then go towards any number of terror groups currently being funded by Iran.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They say the money will benefit innocent people living in the country, even if it means freeing up funding for terrorism, which they essentially argue will happen whether we allow them access to these funds or not.
--:-- Georgia Howe: To that point, here's State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in a very heated exchange with a reporter questioning the logic of that position.
--:-- Matthew Miller: The Iranians are going to spend the same amount of money on their people as they did before, but now they've got another $10 billion or so.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I don't accept that argument. I what we what we believe.
--:-- Matthew Miller: No, you know what? No, what we believe is the Iranian regime is going to spend the same amount of money on destabilizing activities because it always has.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And we will take actions to hold them accountable for those destabilizing activities as we have from the beginning of this administration.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now this isn't the first time President Biden has faced criticism for his stance toward Iran. Right? Give us some more context there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, for years now critics have accused Biden of being soft on Iran and say his efforts at diplomacy are really only emboldening and enriching the regime there.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They point, for example, to Iranian oil production as a byproduct of that weakness.
--:-- Georgia Howe: During President Trump's tenure, the U.S. implemented a, quote, maximum pressure strategy, which placed strict sanctions on Iran and deterred other countries from buying oil and other goods from the regime.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That led to a significant dip in the country's oil revenue. But under President Biden, many of those sanctions have been lifted or softened in an attempt to open up relations.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, as a result, the regime has seen a huge boom in their oil revenue. For context, during Trump's term, Iran exported around 775,000 barrels per day. Last month, that figure was 1.4 million per day.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So we've seen an 80% increase in Iranian oil exports since Biden took office. And that has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in profit each month for a regime that, remember, is actively funding terrorism in Israel and attacking American troops across the Middle East.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, about that, we've seen major upticks in attacks on American bases across the region. What's the latest on that front?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, Iran has been careful to avoid directly going after U.S. troops. They've instead opted for a proxy war, funding terror organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah and also Islamist militant groups in Iraq and Syria, which then in turn wage war on their behalf.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And since the war in Israel began, we've now seen more than 50 rocket attacks targeting US bases in Iraq and Syria.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That's resulted in dozens of injuries to American service members. The Pentagon has responded with force to those attacks, launching three separate airstrikes on Iranian-type military facilities over the last two weeks alone.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But more broadly, on one hand, now you've got Iranian-backed groups trying to kill American soldiers. And on the other, you've got a deal that will now allow that same government access to billions of dollars.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, not hard to see why this move was so controversial.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Kevin, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up, President Biden meets with President Xi. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit kicked off in California on Wednesday. It marked the first time since 2011 that the U.S. has hosted the annual meeting.
--:-- Tim Pierce: It involves countries that have significant economic interests around the Pacific Ocean. Countries such as Australia, China, Japan, Russia, and, of course, the United States.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Once a year, top officials from each member country gather to promote sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. This year, it's being held in San Francisco.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, one of the biggest headlines to come out of this year's summit was the fact that San Francisco got a very serious cleanup leading up to this.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, Californians certainly noticed the sudden cleanup, and some wondered why city officials were willing to take action on the years-long problem of homelessness and filth for foreign dignitaries and not their own citizens.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's what Newsom said about that a few days ago.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Anytime you put on an event by definition you have people over your house you going to clean up the house You have 21 world leaders you got tens of thousands of people coming from all around the globe What an opportunity to showcase the world most extraordinary place San Francisco
--:-- Georgia Howe: So who were the big guests this year?
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Chinese president's presence at the summit has been the real focal point for the Biden administration. And San Francisco welcomed the communist leader with streets lined with Chinese flags.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was another thing that generated criticism online as some people saw it as a gratuitous display for China's communist regime.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, as you mentioned, one of the big questions heading into this summit is the relationship between the U.S. and China. Did they make any progress on any real issues?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, President Biden and President Xi were able to meet yesterday for the second time of Biden's presidency. That in itself is something that the Biden administration is looking on as an accomplishment.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's a bit from their initial meeting.
--:-- Tim Pierce: We've known each other for a long time. We haven't always agreed. That's why it's not a surprise to anyone. But our meetings have always been candid, straightforward, and useful.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I value our conversation because I think it's paramount that you and I understand each other clearly.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The hopes for the rest of the meeting are really quite low. Both countries are just trying to reestablish a basis on which to communicate again during what has been an increasingly frosty relationship over the past decade.
--:-- Georgia Howe: To that end, Biden and Xi will both be staying at a secluded estate south of San Francisco. Officials hope that the two leaders will get to know each other better in a more relaxed atmosphere and that that will lead to better communication later on.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, what are some of Biden's goals that he's bringing in?
--:-- Georgia Howe: For the United States, the Biden administration wants to lower tensions over Taiwan and establish a better conversation with China's military.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The U.S. also wants help combating the deadly fentanyl trade that begins in China and has seeped into the U.S. from Mexico over the southern border.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about China's interests?
--:-- Tim Pierce: The big issue for President Xi is economic. China's economy is still a long way off from recovery from a pandemic. China kept draconian lockdown policies in place far longer than most other countries, and it's still reeling from those effects.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On top of that, international business is divesting from China over longtime concerns of stolen data and supply chain issues.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, we aren't expecting any of these problems to be solved anytime soon, I don't think.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Nope.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards took to the street last weekend to protest a controversial amnesty deal that would keep their socialist prime minister in power. Joining us with the details is Daily Wire researcher Michael Whitaker.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: So, Michael, this was a huge protest. What were they upset about?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hey, Georgia. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez offered amnesty to Catalan secessionists in exchange for their political support.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Their party, Together for Catalonia, wants to break away from Spain. The Catalan homeland, Catalonia, is an ethnically distinct territory in eastern Spain.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Its regional capital, Barcelona, is one of the largest cities in Europe, and it's a major cultural and economic hub. Also, a very famous football team.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Spain as we know it today was created in the 1400s and Catalonia has always been an integral part of it but some Catalans have been pushing for independence for more than a century.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Those efforts culminated in an independence referendum back in 2017 which Spanish authorities cracked down on Spanish courts ruled that the referendum was illegal and charged the organizers for sedition.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Hundreds of people were arrested and many senior Catalan officials fled the country, including Catalonia's former president, Carlos Puigdemont.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Since then, Catalan independence has been a dead issue, although a lot of Catalans are still sympathetic to the cause.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: And pro-independence parties still have seats in the Spanish parliament.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So why is the prime minister offering amnesty now?
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Well, to put it simply, he needs the votes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Sanchez's Socialist Workers Party has controlled the Spanish government since 2018, but they underperformed in national elections back in July.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: And the government has been in limbo ever since. The People's Party, which is generally regarded as center-right, won the most individual seats.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But no party has a straight majority, and the conservatives have not been able to form a large enough coalition to take control.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Despite having fewer seats than the conservatives, the socialists won over some smaller nationalist parties by offering concessions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Catalan demands have been especially controversial, but if they couldn't break the deadlock, Sanchez would have had to have dissolved the government and held new elections, elections the socialists would probably lose.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: If the coalition holds, however, the socialist party would stay in power until 2027, hence the amnesty.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's worth noting that prior to those July elections, Sanchez had opposed amnesty for Catalonia's separatist leaders.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: He even said offering amnesty would be unconstitutional. But politics makes for strange bedfellows, and now he's changed his tune.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. Now, I assume, though, this is pretty unpopular with the rest of the country, hence the protest.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: That's an understatement.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay. Sanchez has been slammed as a traitor by some conservative critics who view the amnesty as a blow to the unity of the Spanish nation.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: They say the separatists are enemies of the state and that Sanchez effectively sold out the country for his own political gain.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here's one protester.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards have protested the deal en masse in front of local Socialist Party offices, in the Spanish capital of Madrid, and even in Barcelona.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Some of those protests became violent and were broken up by police.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Supporters of the deal argue that the traitors were non-violent. Their only crime was holding a local election without the federal government's permission.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: And they also say independence should be a legitimate political question.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They've also accused the government of lawfare, weaponizing the justice system to persecute its political opponents.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Many in the Spanish judiciary take exception to that characterization. They say that the amnesty deal violates the separation of powers by allowing Parliament to effectively overrule the court's decisions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: While the timing of the deal is unquestionably political, supporters argue that amnesty will let thousands of Spanish citizens move on with their lives and lower the temperature on a very divisive issue.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Well, we'll see if this issue is finally put to rest.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Michael, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Michael Whitaker: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire researcher Michael Whitaker.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thank you for listening this morning. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you love our show and stand with that mission, consider subscribing, giving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
--:-- [Theme music starts playing]
