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--:-- Host: House Democrats are reviving accusations that former President Trump violated the Constitution and accepted foreign gifts while holding office. What are the latest charges and what happened last time they were raised? I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, January 5th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: States across the U.S. are rolling out some notable new laws this year that will affect everything from gendered toy aisles to DEI departments and book vans. It's not enough that we are having gender neutral bathrooms. We're even trying to extend that to the toy section. And USA Boxing will now allow males who identify as females to face off against women in the ring.
--:-- John Bickley: We are glorifying men. We're calling them champions. We're giving them titles. They're winning prize money for punching women in the face. I mean, this is incredibly regressive. This is taking us back in time and it's utterly misogynistic.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We discuss the new transgender rule change and what it means for the sport. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: Accusations that former President Trump violated the Constitution's emoluments clause are back following a new report from House Democrats. They say Trump's businesses took in millions of dollars from foreign countries during his presidency and violated a prohibition on foreign gifts. Here to talk about the allegations is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So, Tim, what can you tell us about this report?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hey, Georgia. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a report on Thursday that documents millions of dollars worth of payments from foreign governments to Trump-owned businesses. The report covers about $8 million spent at Trump properties in Las Vegas, New York, and Washington, D.C. The payments came from 20 foreign countries, with the most money coming from China and then Saudi Arabia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Congressman Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, said that Trump violated the U.S. Constitution and accepted millions of dollars through his businesses from some of the most corrupt nations on earth.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Democrats say the actual amount is likely much higher than what they could document. They used financial reports from the Trump organization's former accounting firm Mazars, and those reports only cover four Trump properties during the first two years of Trump's presidency.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, people might remember these accusations because they were brought up during Trump's presidency as well. What happened the first time around?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Right. Trump actually litigated through charges that he violated the Constitution's emoluments clause at the end of his presidency. That challenge was brought by Citizens for the Responsibility and Ethics in Washington a purportedly nonpartisan organization but has a lengthy anti history and is funded by progressives such as George Soros.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Citizens brought the lawsuit that resulted in Trump ban from the ballot in Colorado for instance. So that nonprofit accused Trump of violating the Constitution's ban on the president accepting emoluments or payments from foreign officials without approval from Congress.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The case ended up at the Supreme Court just as Trump was leaving office. So the court, at the urging of Trump's Justice Department, ruled the case as moot. So it was never settled?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Nope. Lower courts had first ruled against Trump. They said the government officials staying at Trump-owned businesses was an emoluments clause violation. But the Supreme Court tossed those rulings, so it's still an open legal question whether the emoluments clause applies in Trump's case.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, what's the Trump campaign's response been?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, called the report a joke. He pointed out that the Trump Organization had paid the U.S. Treasury all profits from foreign governments earned during his father's presidency.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, in practical terms, that actually amounted to relatively little money. The Trump Organization relied on foreign governments to track and report their own spending at Trump properties, and that was then donated to the Treasury. From 2019 to 2021, the business reported giving about $300,000 to the United States.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But the Republican chair of the Oversight Committee, Congressman James Comer, pointed out that the Trump Organization was doing legal business at the time. The report notes that One Chinese bank, for example, first leased office space in Trump Tower in New York in 2008. That lease expired in October 2019, so it began long before President Trump's White House bid.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Comer contrasted the Trump's business with the Biden family, who is under investigation by the Justice Department over its foreign business deals and who Comer says accepted bribes that resulted in changes to U.S. foreign policy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So both frontrunners at this point are being accused of similar crimes. You gotta wonder if voters are tuning it out at this point.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: A number of new state laws on hot-button issues went into effect on January 1st. The new laws deal with everything from gender ideology to DEI to minimum wage. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maire DeLordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: So, Maire, tell us about these new laws.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: Hi, Georgia. Sure, well, 2023 was certainly a year of states tackling some really controversial issues. Two of the most politically charged new laws that went into effect on the first day of the year are Louisiana and West Virginia's new bans on transgender medical interventions for children. That includes puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries.
--:-- Georgia Howe: West Virginia's law has exceptions. A child may get transgender hormone treatments if they get approval from two doctors and parental consent, or if the child is considered at risk of self-harm.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: At least 20 states passed restrictions on transgender medical interventions for children last year. Another new gender-related law involves California stores. Large retailers in California must now provide a gender-neutral children's section to reduce gender stereotypes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Violators will be fined $250 for their first violation and $500 for additional violations.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: So gender is a big theme. Speaking of medical issues, what about the new abortion laws?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes so California will now legally protect doctors who ship abortion pills or transgender hormone medications to states that have banned them.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: In New Jersey pharmacists can now sell hormonal contraceptives to patients without a prescription. Also in Illinois police can no longer share license plate information with other states. That's a movement to shield women getting abortions there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, another prominent issue, especially in light of the Harvard story, has been DEI. Texas has moved to legislate it. Tell us about that.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: That's right. Texas has a new law limiting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at publicly funded universities, and that took effect on January 1st, too. Florida enacted a similar law back in May. College DEI programs had a lot of critics last year who said they promote racial division and a progressive political agenda to impressionable college students.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Another education-related law took effect in Illinois this week. Illinois cracked down on so-called book bans in libraries. The state will now only allow state grants for libraries who agree not to restrict books.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: The most frequently contested books tend to focus on LGBT plot lines and include sexually explicit scenes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, California put forward several new equity laws. What are some of those?
--:-- Maire DeLordi: Right. Well, one new law requires police to inform drivers why they've been pulled over before questioning. This is supposed to discourage cops from using traffic stops to investigate drivers based on racial profiling.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Also, another law involves the California Highway Patrol's new Ebony Alert system, which is similar to Amber Alert, but prioritizes searches for missing Black children and young adults up to age 25.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: Now, at the top, we mentioned there are some new minimum wage laws as well. What do those look like?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Correct. There are actually 22 states raising their minimum wages as this year begins, and about 40 cities and counties are doing the same. Also, back to California, workers can no longer be fired for using marijuana outside of work or discussing their wages.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: Across the country, in Arkansas, people who don't respond to job offers won't be able to get unemployment benefits.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Of course, there are other laws taking effect in this new year, but these are the ones likely to cause the biggest stir.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: Now, not surprising, California is leading the charge on a lot of these fronts.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. Mara, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maire DeLordi: Thanks, Georgia.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: USA Boxing's new transgender guidance permits males who identify as female to compete in the women's division if they meet certain qualifications. Here to discuss the rule change is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Hey, Amanda. So what exactly is USA Boxing now allowing when it comes to transgender athletes?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Yeah, so the organization has officially adopted a transgender policy that was first proposed back in 2022. And that states that men who profess to be female can indeed compete against biological females in this combat sport if they meet some criteria.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, for example, they must complete gender reassignment surgery, which we can only assume is what has been dubbed bottom surgery where a male's penis is removed.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: We reached out to USA Boxing for clarification on which procedure or procedures they meant here, but we did not receive a response. These athletes must also test their testosterone levels following those procedures. So for at least 48 months prior to a male first competition his testosterone level in serum would have to be below 5 nanomoles per liter of blood.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So to give that some context the normal testosterone level for women is between 0 and 2 nanomoles per liter And that's according to the University of California San Francisco Health.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: So potentially, a qualifying male could have double the testosterone of an average female opponent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Why has USA Boxing issued this ruling? What are they saying about it?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: The organization said in a statement that the policy has been put in place to, quote, provide fairness and safety for all boxers. The group added that Boxing's International Federation has yet to determine eligibility for transgender boxers, so this policy was necessary for them to craft themselves.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What about the other side of this issue? What are critics saying about it?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: So there are a host of reasons why most Americans oppose males and female sports. But when it comes to boxing, this is particularly alarming because we're talking about a combat sport here. The main issue is safety.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We saw this with MMA fighter Fallon Fox. Fox is male, underwent transgender surgery, and for about six years before fighting women was on hormone therapy. But the fighter still literally broke the skull of a female opponent in a bloody knockout that took only two minutes.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: That opponent, Tamika Brent, said after the fight, quote, I've never felt so overpowered ever in my life, and I am an abnormally strong female in my own right.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Medical professionals and some studies have also shown that even after years of hormone therapy, men generally still have biological advantages over women.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Dr. Ramona Krucik, a board-certified endocrinologist from California, has said that you really only start to see any sort of significant changes in bone density in an adult male after about 15 years of androgen suppression. Your skeleton, body mass, and shape develop in youth, and they are permanent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What about other combat sport organizations? Are they taking the same approach as USA Boxing?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: No, not necessarily. I mean, one of the biggest MMA organizations is the UFC, And to date, there has not been a male fighter allowed to fight against women. And UFC CEO Dana White just recently said he's just not comfortable with male athletes competing against females.
--:-- Georgia Howe: There's also the World Boxing Council, which announced in December of 2022 that it's working toward a separate category for transgender fighters in effort to preserve the women's division.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: But on the other side of this, we do have the Biden administration working to rewrite Title IX to include gender identity. If any public school, college, or university limits girls' or women's sports to only females, including those combat sports, they could lose funding.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. That would be a significant change, to say the least.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: You're welcome. Thanks for listening to Morning Wire. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation. If you love our show and you stand with our mission, please consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend. 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.
