--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: Good morning, I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire, and this is Morning Wire. Joining me is Georgia Howe. It's Monday, January 16th, and we're celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Happy MLK Day, everyone. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, we're covering a lot of ground. We've got a developing story on President Biden's classified documents, the debt ceiling looming, and Republicans moving to ban pediatric gender transitioning treatment in several states.
--:-- [Sound effects: News theme music plays]
--:-- John Bickley: First up, a fourth batch of classified documents have been found at President Biden's Delaware home. This comes just hours after Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped a special counsel to investigate the matter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right. Joining us to discuss this story is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me on.
--:-- John Bickley: So, Tim, walk us through the various batches of classified documents that have been revealed so far.
--:-- Tim Pierce: In the past week, we've learned of four separate occasions where classified documents have been discovered at either Biden's private office in D.C. or his Wilmington home.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And can you break down each of these incidents for us?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Sure. The first discovery was made on November 2nd, less than a week before the 2022 midterms. Biden's team says one of his personal attorneys found 10 classified documents stored in what was described as a locked closet in the office Biden had used at the Penn Biden Center, a D.C. think tank affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the other incidents?
--:-- Tim Pierce: A month later, on December 20th, Biden's attorneys found a second set of documents stashed in the garage of the president's home in Wilmington, Delaware. Those documents have been turned over to the special counsel as well.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the latest discovery?
--:-- Tim Pierce: On Thursday, the president's attorneys reported to the special counsel that they had found a single document with classified markings in President Biden's study at his Wilmington home. Later that same day, the White House released a statement confirming that finding and the garage documents found in December.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the special counsel's role in all this?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Attorney General Garland appointed former U.S. District Attorney Robert Herr as special counsel to take over the Justice Department investigation into the classified documents.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And how is the White House responding to this scandal?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, the White House has been cooperative with the government, and they've done it "by the book," as they were saying. But I don't think sitting there hunkering down now, they're just acting like it's not out there, is a good strategy.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a good point. And what about the potential implications for President Biden's presidency?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, former Clinton advisor David Gergen said Friday that Biden could get "creamed politically" over this. And former assistant U.S. attorney Andrew McCarthy said that the Biden administration's handling of the Trump saga forced Biden into a corner over his own document scandal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the reaction from Democrats in Congress?
--:-- Tim Pierce: So far, there's been bipartisan agreement that the classified documents related to Biden need a closer look. Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff said Sunday that there could be important national security risks associated with those papers.
--:-- [Sound effects: News theme music plays]
--:-- John Bickley: Next up, the federal government is expected to hit the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling this week, and President Biden is demanding that the Republican-led House raise the limit with no strings attached.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But GOP leaders say not so fast. Joining us to discuss this story is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me on.
--:-- John Bickley: So, Cabot, catch us up to speed on how we got here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, back in December of 2021, Congress raised the ceiling by $2.5 trillion to a total of $31.4 trillion. But that only ended up buying a little over a year, as we're already approaching the limit again.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what happens if a deal is not reached before the deadline on Thursday?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: If the limit isn't raised before we hit it, the Treasury Department is authorized to begin taking what they refer to as extraordinary measures to try and avoid defaulting on the government's financial obligations.
--:-- John Bickley: And what kind of precedent is there for us?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We've never defaulted on our debt, but we did last hit the ceiling back in 2011, and there was pretty significant fallout. Markets took a tumble domestically and abroad. Retirement savings were impacted, and for the first time ever, our government's credit limit was downgraded.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the current situation?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Typically, there's not much of a question over whether the ceiling will be raised. It's been done about 100 times since World War II. But this time is different. Why? Because there's so much urgency in Washington to avoid defaulting, Republicans know that their new majority in the House gives them leverage, and they want to use that leverage to see serious spending cuts and reforms before they agree to raise the limit.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the White House's response?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The White House has said that they're not interested in negotiating, and that this should be done without conditions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the potential implications for the economy?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, if a deal is not reached, the Treasury Department would be unable to come up with the funds to basically pay America's bills, and we would default on our debt.
--:-- [Sound effects: News theme music plays]
--:-- John Bickley: Next up, Republicans in several states are moving to ban pediatric gender transitioning treatment in several states.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Joining us to discuss this story is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Thanks for having me on.
--:-- John Bickley: So, Amanda, what can you tell us about these legislative efforts?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Well, there are literally dozens of new GOP-backed bills for this coming legislative session aimed at shielding children from what Republicans say is irreversible damage by way of so-called gender-affirming care.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And can you break down each of these incidents for us?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Specifically, lawmakers want to tie penalties to doctors who give puberty blockers or trans surgeries to minors. One Oklahoma bill actually bumps that age to under 26 years old, using the argument that these procedures can be irreversible and a person's brain doesn't stop developing until around 25.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the Biden administration's response?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: The Biden administration has not shied away from the transgender issue at all. In fact, they've made it one of their priorities. And they've already intervened in a case called Bo v. Marshall, which is a challenge to Alabama's Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which bans puberty blockers and trans surgeries on minors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the potential implications for these laws?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Well, conservatives have been horrified by these laws, saying they opened the door to children not only receiving these controversial services, but perhaps doing so without parental consent.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the reaction from Democrats in Congress?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Democrats are pushing forward with their own legislative response, including a bill in California that seeks to give the state jurisdiction and child custody cases involving parents who bring their children to the state for transgender services.
--:-- [Sound effects: News theme music plays]
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: And don't forget to check out our sponsors, Black Rifle Coffee and Masterworks.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Get 10% off your first order or Coffee Club subscription with code WIRE: https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/
--:-- John Bickley: And get priority access to Masterworks by using promo code ‘MORNING WIRE’: https://www.masterworks.com
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: And we'll see you tomorrow.
--:-- [Theme music plays]
