--:-- [Upbeat music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: Good morning, I'm John Bickley, and welcome to Morning Wire. We've got a lot to cover today.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. 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.
--:-- John Bickley: A federal judge alters the immigration landscape, ruling that DACA is unlawful. The judge's ruling puts a hold on the Obama-era policy, which blocked deportations for people who entered the country illegally as minors. What does this mean for the hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients, and how could this impact immigration moving forward?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe, and this is Morning Wire. The Biden administration pressures social media platforms to combat what they're calling deadly health misinformation. What is the administration asking big tech to do and how are platforms responding? And the Tokyo Olympics have arrived, but things will look pretty different this year. With expected protests and rising COVID cases, we have details about the new policies affecting the Games.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- [Upbeat music starts playing]
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is sponsored by Expert Ownership. Over their career, the Benham brothers have built over a dozen businesses in a real estate portfolio that spans 35 states. They took their 40 years of experience building businesses and built a program to help you grow yours. Learn more at expertownership.com.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: On Friday, a U.S. district judge in Texas put a hold on DACA, a program that blocks deportation of those who enter the country illegally as minors.
--:-- John Bickley: Here to give us the latest updates and break down the political fallout is Daily Wire managing editor Cabot Phillips. Cabot, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: So give us a quick refresher. What is DACA and why was it blocked?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, President Obama initially implemented the program back in 2012 as a way of preventing those who'd come to the country illegally as children from being deported. So for the past nine years, about 600,000 young people, dreamers as Obama called them, have been protected from deportation. And now a group of nine states led by Texas sued the federal government on the grounds that DACA was unconstitutional and an example of executive overreach. And on Friday, a U.S. district judge agreed with them, ruling that the program was illegally implemented.
--:-- John Bickley: How is this going to affect the current DACA recipients, in the short term at least?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: From what we're being told, the ruling won't have a huge impact on current DACA recipients. They're not going to be deported, and they'll still be allowed to attend school and hold jobs. It's future DACA recipients who will be impacted. The ruling puts a complete hold on any new applicants to the program, which is a big deal, especially now given the recent surge of illegal crossings at the southern border.
--:-- John Bickley: So the timing here is important. It is, at least according to Border Patrol data. The U.S. is seeing more attempted border crossings than at any time in the last two decades, and the number of people being apprehended is continuing to rise. It's actually gone up each month since President Biden took office, and we're talking about 150,000 people a month at this point.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. Immigration experts tell us that many of those attempting to cross are children who are processed and then released into the U.S. after being detained. So now there an influx of hundreds of thousands of children who come here illegally and kind of find themselves in limbo. They not necessarily at risk of deportation but at the same time they no longer being offered legal protection the way they were under DACA.
--:-- John Bickley: Back during the Obama administration, President Biden was a big supporter of DACA. How has he responded?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, as you can imagine, he's not happy. He called the decision very disappointing and urged Congress to take action, saying, quote, only Congress can ensure a permanent solution by granting a path to citizenship for dreamers. He wants permanent citizenship.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, that's the general position of Democrats at this point. And then on the other side of the aisle, DACA has been pretty controversial. What's been the response from Republicans?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: This court ruling is being perceived as a victory among many on the right. Look, for years, Republicans have been saying DACA was unconstitutional and an example of President Obama abusing his executive powers. And now a federal judge is essentially agreeing with them on that assessment.
--:-- John Bickley: All right. So are we expecting some appeals?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We definitely are. We have not heard the end of DACA. Democrats are not going to drop this. We're told that leaders in the party view this as a winning issue for them, politically speaking. So we should expect to see DACA renewal play a key role for Democrats in the 2022 midterms.
--:-- John Bickley: In Congress, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have already vowed to push for amnesty for those no longer protected under DACA. And the Justice Department has already announced that they'll be appealing the ruling. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said over the weekend that the DHS, quote, remains focused on safeguarding DACA.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So it sounds like this issue is not going away anytime soon. I think it's just getting started.
--:-- John Bickley: Cabot, thanks so much.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Absolutely. Daily Wire Managing Editor, Cabot Phillips.
--:-- [Upbeat music continues]
--:-- John Bickley: Up next, the Biden administration wants big tech to crack down on what they're calling misinformation. Start your day informed with a deeper dive into the stories we talk about on the show with the 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 our Reader's Pass plan, free for 30 days.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Following a report from the U.S. Surgeon General, the White House has criticized Big Tech for its role in the spread of what they're calling health misinformation, saying that the consequences have been deadly.
--:-- John Bickley: Here to tell us more is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth. Ian, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Good morning, John.
--:-- John Bickley: So, deadly consequences of false health info online. What is the administration saying here?
--:-- Ian Howarth: They're looking to crack down on what they see as misinformation on social media. The specific focus for them is what they describe as health misinformation, usually related to COVID-19.
--:-- John Bickley: Right, but haven't we already seen platforms take a lot of action on COVID?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yes, but the administration is saying it's not enough. Now, this all started when the U.S. Surgeon General released a report which called on big tech platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to impose consequences for violating the private platforms policies. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki then followed up saying that the Biden administration is proactively flagging misinformation, effectively telling companies like Facebook which posts are problematic and should be addressed.
--:-- John Bickley: We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation. Press Secretary Psaki then pushed for more action from tech companies, saying that users who post misinformation should face broad consequences across all platforms.
--:-- Ian Howarth: You shouldn't be banned from one platform and not others for providing misinformation out there.
--:-- John Bickley: Why would they be doing this now?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, the Biden administration is arguing that platforms like Facebook haven't been proactive enough when it comes to misinformation. They're saying the results of their current approach have been deadly. President Biden claimed recently, for example, that platforms like Facebook are killing people by allowing so-called COVID misinformation to spread.
--:-- John Bickley: What's your message to platforms like Facebook?
--:-- Ian Howarth: They're killing people. Killing people? That's a serious charge.
--:-- John Bickley: Has Facebook responded?
--:-- Ian Howarth: They did. A spokesperson for Facebook said they will not be distracted by accusations which aren't supported by the facts. The big tech giant added that more than 2 billion people have viewed reliable information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook. That's more than any other place on the Internet, they said. They also pointed out that more than 3 million Americans had used Facebook's vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get vaccinated.
--:-- John Bickley: That was a strong response from Facebook. And according to a Facebook official, the U.S. Surgeon General even praised Facebook's efforts in private, suggesting the accusations are more of a political strategy than anything else. The official also accused the White House of looking for scapegoats after they missed their vaccine goals.
--:-- Ian Howarth: That was the July 4th goal, to have 70% of American adults vaccinated.
--:-- John Bickley: The key takeaway here, though, really goes beyond the immediate accusations thrown around by the Biden administration or big tech. The main thing we'll be tracking moving forward is whether the federal government will achieve their goal of defining what is and is not misinformation, what impact this has when it comes to online free speech, and whether companies like Facebook will resist, bend, or even break.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Important questions for sure.
--:-- John Bickley: Ian, thanks for chatting this morning.
--:-- Ian Howarth: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- [Upbeat music continues]
--:-- John Bickley: After being delayed a year due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will open this week, and the Games are already facing a litany of issues. From COVID precautions to new rules regarding protesting at the Games, the spotlight will be firmly on the world's biggest sporting event.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Joining us today to update us on all things Olympics is Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan. Joe, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: So Japan has been very careful with regards to the Olympics and the potential spread of COVID. Just a few weeks ago, they banned spectators from the events. How are those COVID precautions going?
--:-- Joe Morgan: Not well. On Sunday, three members of South Africa's Olympic soccer team tested positive after arriving at the Olympic Village, including two players and a video analyst for the team. The three individuals have been isolated, along with those who are in close contact.
--:-- John Bickley: Also on Sunday, the first International Olympic Committee member tested positive after entering a Tokyo airport. The member is reportedly being held in isolation.
--:-- Joe Morgan: I'm sure that's exactly what everyone was afraid of.
--:-- John Bickley: The people of Japan have been opposed to the Games being held this year for quite some time. In May, a nationwide survey of Japanese citizens found that 83% of those surveyed wanted the Olympics postponed or scrapped. In early July, the Japanese government issued a new state of emergency, which, like you mentioned, will ban spectators, both domestic and international, from attending most of the Olympic events in Tokyo.
--:-- Joe Morgan: The rules for athletes are also incredibly strict. Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, announced last week that athletes will no longer have medals placed around their necks. Instead Olympians who reached the podium will have the medals presented to them on a tray. Athletes will then take the medals and place them around their own necks.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, I guess we can have people breathing down each other's necks right now.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So with spectators being banned, I imagine there's going to be a huge financial impact in terms of recouping that investment that Tokyo made.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, the financial impact of the Olympics has always been controversial. The amount of money required to prepare a city for the Olympics is enormous. According to an Axios report that came out on Saturday, the Beijing Olympics cost $45 billion and its revenues were $3.6 billion. The Sochi Winter Olympics came in closer to $50 billion with much lower revenues. The Tokyo Olympics are expected to cost about $28 billion. With fans being banned from the events, another $1 billion in ticket sales will be lost, not to mention the lost revenue from tourists surrounding the Games.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So this is a huge expenditure for any city to take on, and it's not necessarily a moneymaker.
--:-- John Bickley: There's also been a lot of talk about protests, specifically from American athletes. What are the rules around protests at the Olympics?
--:-- Joe Morgan: In early July, the IOC released new guidelines about this. In the past, protests were strictly prohibited, but Olympians can now express their views before the start of a competition, including during athlete introductions. This is limited to certain approved forms of protest, such as clothing or symbolic gestures. However, the protest can't be on the field during the events, on the podium during medal ceremonies, or in the Olympic Village.
--:-- John Bickley: Okay, so they've been given a specific time and venue in which they can protest. Essentially.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Well, the Olympics are starting in just four days, so I'm sure we're going to have you back soon.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for coming on, Joe.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Looking forward to it, guys.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- [Upbeat music continues]
--:-- John Bickley: Those are the top stories this morning, but there's more in the news to keep an eye on. Other big developments that we're tracking this week. The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is now the most dominant strain in the U.S., accounting for 58% of all cases. According to the CDC, while the Delta strain appears to be far more transmissible, symptoms and treatment are not significantly different from prior strains of the virus. Early evidence suggests that vaccines are effective against the Delta strain.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Germany and Belgium last week has climbed to more than 185 people as rescue teams continue to dig through the debris. Officials say that more than 156 people have been confirmed dead in Western Germany, and 27 people died from the floods in Belgium.
--:-- John Bickley: Indoor mask mandates are back in Los Angeles County. With an uptick in cases of COVID-19, the county, among the most strict in mandates over the last year, is requiring all people, even the vaccinated, to wear masks indoors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The renewed mandate has been met with some pushback from L.A. County's sheriff, who says he will not enforce it, citing CDC guidelines and insufficient funding.
--:-- John Bickley: And parents across the country have begun receiving monthly checks from the federal government. The checks are an advance payment for the expanded child tax credit included in the COVID relief package. The advance tax credit pays as much as $300 per child every month, depending on factors such as ages of the children and household income.
--:-- Georgia Howe: To learn more about today's top stories, become a member at dailywire.com and subscribe to the Morning Wire newsletter.
--:-- John Bickley: 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.
--:-- [Upbeat music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: If you prefer facts over feelings and aren't offended by the truth, join me, Ben Shapiro, on The Ben Shapiro Show, Monday through Friday, to get a whole lot of that and much more on the fastest-moving daily news program in America. We'll see you there.
