--:-- [Upbeat music fades out, followed by the sound of a news theme]
--:-- Host (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.
--:-- [Sound of a coffee cup being placed on a table]
--:-- Host (John Bickley): This episode is brought to you by Black Rifle Coffee. Start your morning with America's coffee from blackriflecoffee.com.
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): In the wake of the Dublin stabbing, Ireland cracks down on free speech. We are restricting freedom, but we're doing it for the common good. How will Ireland enforce the law and what will now be out of bounds to say or read? I'm Daily Wire, Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, November 29th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Nearly 20 state attorneys general are suing the Biden administration over a new rule that could force adoptive parents to support kids' gender transitions. It's categorically excluding parents from the door because of what they believe and what they want to say, and that's wrong.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And Border Patrol has called for an all-hands-on-deck effort in Arizona to deal with a surging number of illegal crossings. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): Irish police are reportedly investigating former UFC champion Conor McGregor over his social media posts. The case is raising questions about the country's new hate speech bill that critics like Elon Musk call a massive attack against freedom of speech. Here with more is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): So Megan, just to start, What did McGregor post that drew so much attention from Irish police?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So this was all related to that incident in Dublin last week when an Algerian man who was reported to be an immigrant stabbed five people, including three children. In fact, a five-year-old girl is still in critical condition.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): Now, it's important to note that the backdrop for this is that Ireland's current immigration levels are among the highest per capita in the European Union, and they're reportedly at their second highest level in the country's history. So that's been causing some significant political tension.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So after the stabbings, riots broke out. And McGregor tweeted that he did not condone the riots, but he said that the response from Ireland's chief of police to five people being, quote, ruthlessly stabbed by a mentally deranged non-national was not enough.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): And I'll just read directly from McGregor's post. He said, there is grave danger among us in Ireland that should never be here in the first place. And there has been zero action done to support the public in any way, shape, or form with this frightening fact.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): He then said that a change in leadership is necessary, and he also said, Ireland, we are at war, apparently referencing immigration. He also said that Ireland needs a plan of action when it comes to its immigration policies.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): So those comments are what reportedly sparked this investigation. The Minister for Foreign Affairs said that speaking against mass immigration is essentially inciting hate. And he called remarks like McGregor absolutely disgraceful and said they quote incite hate and to some degree incitement is unacceptable
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So what law did that post violate exactly? You know it not entirely clear what current laws McGregor might have broken We'd have to wait and see what, if any, charges might be filed.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): But there's definitely little question that his comments would be illegal under a new hate speech law that Irish leaders are now pushing in the wake of those riots.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Immediately after McGregor's tweets, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar went on Sky News to argue that that proposed hate speech law needs to be passed immediately.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): I think it's now very obvious to anyone who might have doubted it that our incitement hatred legislation is just not up to date. It's not up to date for the social media age. And we need that legislation through and we need it through within a matter of weeks because it's not just the platforms who have a responsibility here and they do.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): There's also the individuals who post messages and images online that stir up hatred and violence. We need to be able to use laws to go after them individually as well.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): So this new law would cover not just a person's own comments, but also possession of materials that are, quote, likely to incite violence or hatred. So things like books, videos, even memes on your phone.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And the bill defines hatred as hatred against a person or group of persons on account of their protected characteristics. And protected characteristics actually includes national origin.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): National Review writer Nate Hockman wondered, would criticizing Ireland's open borders even be legal under this bill?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So it's certainly a wide-ranging law and would unquestionably be unconstitutional in the U.S., but European countries have been much more open to this kind of legislation.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): The free speech legal group Alliance Defending Freedom International told us that they're currently helping with a case in Mexico that involves current and former congressmen who have been convicted as violent offenders for tweeting against transgender ideology.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And they also point out that we've seen similar hate speech investigations in the UK and the Netherlands that stemmed from things like prayers and tweets relating to the Bible.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): Well, always grateful for free speech protections we have here. Yeah.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Guest (Megan Basham): Anytime.
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): 19 GOP attorneys general are pushing back against a proposed LGBT health and human services rule that Republicans say will discriminate against people of faith. Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): Hey, John. So let's get right to this proposed rule. What is the Biden administration seeking to do here?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So this new rule would require foster parents to affirm a child's preferred pronouns, their chosen name, and allow a child to dress in a way that reflects that gender identity.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): They'd also have to, quote, facilitate the child's access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support the child's health and well-being, all relating to gender identity.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So in other words, parents must support a child's gender transition.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): The administration claims this rule is necessary to protect LGBTQI plus youth who they say are overrepresented in the foster care system and often suffer from abuse.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): But now there's been some pushback to this rule. Tell us about that pushback.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): Right. So 18 state attorneys general signed on to a letter from Alabama AG Steve Marshall urging HHS to reject the proposed rule.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): These Republican states which include Georgia Virginia Tennessee Texas and Kentucky they all see this rule as discriminatory and a clear violation of the First Amendment both freedom of religion and freedom of speech
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): The letter argues that the rule would effectively remove faith-based providers who refuse to bend on their religious beliefs from the foster care system.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Got it. How do we expect this to go? What kind of court precedent is there for this?
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): Well, it was just two years ago that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious freedom in a case called Fulton v. the City of Philadelphia.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So in that case, the city refused a contract with the Catholic group that wouldn't certify same-sex couples as foster parents.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): The city was told they couldn't discriminate against this Catholic group based on LGBT opinions.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The Republican AGs also argue in their letter that this would hurt children in the foster care system the most, of which there are nearly 400,000, by the way, since Christians in particular and people of faith more generally are far more likely to become foster parents than the general public.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): So concerning the constitutionality of this, how is the Biden administration trying to get this to stick legally?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So the GOP AGs say that the administration is trying to skirt legal precedent by applying most of its requirements to the states instead of individual providers.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): So for example, religious parents or groups could, in theory, decline to be designated as a safe placement for LGBT youth if they aren't willing to agree to certain things.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And then as a result, they would not receive those placements. But that would cut them out from a huge portion of the foster care system.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): And Republicans say that's still discriminatory and unconstitutional.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): What about on a state level? Do any states have rules like this already?
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): So Oregon does, and there's currently an ongoing case right now challenging that rule.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): A Christian single mother of five named Jessica Bates felt called to adopt from the foster care system in the wake of her husband's tragic sudden death.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): The state's Department of Human Services rule, which is very similar to the proposed Biden rule, it states that caregivers must respect, accept, and support the sexual orientation or gender identity of any child that could be placed in their homes.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Bates, as a Christian, felt she couldn't adhere to that. She told the state and her application was rejected. She's now suing the state.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): All right, so she's filed a lawsuit here. What's her legal argument?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Well, I spoke to Bates' lawyer, Alliance Defending Freedoms, Johannes Evidmamdalfons, about this case.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): And he said that the rule means caregivers not only have to use preferred pronouns, but would arguably have to take the child to affirming events like LGBT pride parades, or even take them to receive cross-sex hormones as part of a gender transition.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That violates the First Amendment, violates her freedom of speech, and it also violates her free exercise by putting her to a choice of abandoning her religious beliefs or foregoing the chance of ever having even the opportunity to adopt a child.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): Like the Republican AGs pushing back on this Biden rule, Veed Mamdalfons really emphasized how much this would hurt the children in the foster care system.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): He said, quote, They're punishing religious homes and actually taking away homes that are open and needed to care for these children.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): For its part, the Oregon DHS said their child welfare division stands in support of transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, and other LGBTQIA2S plus children.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Well, a very consequential legal battle brewing here. Yeah, certainly is.
--:-- Guest (Amanda Presta-Giacomo): Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): You welcome
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): The Border Patrol has taken drastic action to meet a surge of illegal immigrants crossing into Arizona Agents have been taken off other assignments and flooded to the border to deal with what officials say is an unprecedented situation.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): So, Tim, tell us about this latest surge. It's an all-hands-on-deck kind of situation. That's according to a Border Patrol memo sent to agents in the Tucson sector on Monday.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The agency has paused most of its work not directly related to immigration enforcement. Those resources and manpower are needed to handle an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): Border Patrol leaders have paused training for skills such as the proper use of force and firearms, as well as taken people off of jobs such as running the agency's social media accounts.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): All the manpower it can spare has been diverted to jobs such as security, transport, and casework for illegal immigrants.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): And what are the actual numbers they're seeing in the Tucson sector? Thousands a day.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): According to the memo, since the fiscal year began in October, 100,000 immigrants have been arrested in the Tucson sector trying to cross the border illegally.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): Roughly 16,000 of those were arrested in the past week.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And on Monday, when the memo was sent out, Tucson sector Border Patrol agents reportedly arrested over 2,800 illegal immigrants.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): According to reporting from the Washington Examiner, the sector was over capacity on Monday morning with about 5,000 immigrants already in custody.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So what's going to happen as it gets colder and some of these northern cities tap out on space?
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): Well, it's unclear if places like New York and Chicago will continue to be magnets for migrants, but they're already at capacity in many instances.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): New York City, for example, has tried to suspend the state's so-called right to shelter law that obligates the city to provide housing for all single adults.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): Mayor Eric Adams told residents last week that the city will have to raise taxes and cut city programs to cover the costs of the city's new immigrant population.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): By law, we only have two ways that we could pay for the city services in this city. One is to raise taxes on property owners. And the second is to cut the spending that we're doing.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): That's it. That's what the law tell me. Eric, this is the only way as a mayor that you can pay for services.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): New York City has taken the extraordinary step of giving immigrants one-way plane tickets to destinations as far away as Morocco.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): It's also toyed with handing immigrants tents they can set up in city parks.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Adams has placed blame for the city's financial situation on the federal government.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): We went to the federal government and said, we send you more money than you give us back, and this is your opportunity to give us what a national problem is.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And they that you're on your own, Eric. You're on your own and all these taxpayers in this city are on your own.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Over in Illinois, Democratic Governor Pritzker has pledged $160 million toward Chicago's immigrant crisis.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): At least $65 million of that will go toward a winterized, soft shelter site.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): He also placed a lot of blame on the federal government in a press conference last week.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): We're being forced to try and solve a federal-sized problem at the state and local levels.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Sounds like it could be a tough winter for a lot of these folks.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Guest (Tim Pierce): Good to be on.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
