New York City Imposes Strict Vaccine Mandates

[Upbeat music fades out]

Host (Georgia Howe): 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.

[Music transitions to a news theme]

Host (Georgia Howe): Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out a sweeping new vaccine mandate on Monday for New York City residents, which includes mandates for children. How is the vaccine order different from the Biden administration's national mandate, and will it stand up in court? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, December 7th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Music continues to play]

Host (Georgia Howe): President Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin today, amid rising tensions between the two countries. According to the latest U.S. intelligence, Russia appears to be preparing for a military assault against its neighbor, Ukraine. We'll discuss the volatile situation and what to expect out of the meeting between the two world leaders. And Alec Baldwin gave an emotional interview about the fatal shooting on the set of his film, Rust, claiming he doesn't feel guilty or responsible? What are the controversial claims he made? And why did Baldwin speak out now while the investigation is ongoing?

[Music transitions to a commercial break]

Host (Georgia Howe): Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. The wisdom of the Bible has stood the test of centuries and reading it is well worth everyone's time. But having time to read anything these days is increasingly difficult. Dwell is a five-star app That makes it easy to get into the Bible by providing a world-class listening experience of this timeless book. And today, you can try Dwell for free by going to dwellapp.io slash morningwire. That's dwellapp.io slash morningwire.

[Music transitions back to the news theme]

Host (Georgia Howe): Starting December 27th, New York City will be the first city to implement a vaccine mandate for all private sector employees. The sweeping measure, which also includes vaccination proof for children ages five and up, comes from the office of outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio. Here to tell us more about the new mandate is Cabot Phillips.

Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, what do we know so far about this new mandate?

Cabot Phillips: Well, just as Mayor de Blasio's term is coming to an end, he's going to be imposing new COVID restrictions on New York City residents. The incoming Mayor Eric Adams has expressed support of previous vaccine mandates similar to this, so it is likely he will continue forward with this one once he takes office. In addition to mandating COVID vaccines for all private sector workers, the mayor is also requiring proof of vaccine for all children ages 5 to 11 for indoor dining, fitness and entertainment venues. And it's also worth noting that citizens will not have the option of just getting one shot anymore. Under the new rule, citizens must receive two vaccine shots to be considered fully vaccinated. And de Blasio is calling this a, quote, preemptive strike against COVID ahead of the winter months.

Cabot Phillips: It's Omicron. It's cold weather, which we know presents a real challenge with COVID in every form. It's the holiday gatherings coming up. There's a lot going on. And what we're seeing now in other parts of the world, and this is really an area of tremendous concern, we're seeing restrictions starting to come back. We're seeing shutdowns. And in what ways does this New York City mandate differ from the national mandate?

Cabot Phillips: So the biggest difference is that President Biden's national mandate applies only to larger companies with more than 100 employees. While de Blasio mandate will apply to all private businesses regardless of size so much more broad It also different in that children are included under the mandate Now that part in particular has a lot of people really fired up even outside of New York A lot of parents have pointed out that children have a 99.99% survival rate from COVID, and they say that makes a vaccine largely unnecessary for them. Now, there are currently multiple lawsuits, including one from the Daily Wire, that say these mandates are unlawful. And so far, several courts have agreed with them. So given that the federal mandate has been paused in the courts, do we expect the same to happen with this New York City mandate?

Cabot Phillips: Right now, that's going to depend on whether individuals or organizations actually bring suits against the mandate. Based on recent court filings, there is reason to believe that mandates like this wouldn't stand up in the long term. Now, if they are overturned, the legal battle that follows will mostly center on whether people who were fired for not getting vaccinated will be able to take legal action against their former employers. It's also worth noting that there is a growing movement to push back from a legislative perspective. There's actually a bill in the Senate right now that would outlaw vaccine mandates nationwide. It's got the support of all 50 Republicans, as well as Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. So it's likely to pass the Senate, but the move will be largely symbolic as the bill is not expected to pass in the Democrat-controlled House.

Cabot Phillips: And this is also one of the first child mandates we've seen. Yeah. How are other countries handling child vaccine mandates? At this point, there are only a few examples of any countries requiring kids to get the COVID vaccine, most notably Cuba and Costa Rica. China also rolled out a plan in October that pushed for every kid in the country, that's 160 million children, to be vaccinated by New Year's. Chinese officials are calling their children, quote, little inoculated warriors and say they're the key to helping the country achieve herd immunity. Now, the Communist Party there says the vaccines aren't mandatory, but there have already been numerous reports of parents saying the government is threatening or coercing them into getting the vaccine for their kids. Supporters of the New York City mandate say children here won't be coerced into being vaccinated the way they are in China. But opponents kind of disagree. They say it's unfair to exclude their children from society for not wanting to take this newer vaccine.

Host (Georgia Howe): Well, I'd be surprised if this doesn't end up in court. Cabot, thanks for coming on.

Cabot Phillips: Anytime.

Host (Georgia Howe): That's Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips. Coming up, President Biden meets with Vladimir Putin as Russia reportedly prepares to invade Ukraine. You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. Even if you're not a Daily Wire member, you'll be first to know what's trending with mobile notifications for the latest news. And you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.

[Music transitions to a news theme]

Host (Georgia Howe): Based on U.S. intelligence, Russia is preparing a large military assault against its neighbor, Ukraine. Here to fill us in on the latest details is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.

Ian Howarth: Well, according to the latest reports from U.S. intelligence, Russia is in the process of planning a massive military offensive against Ukraine involving 175,000 troops. This attack could be carried out as early as next year. Russia has been moving troops to the border with Ukraine, and they're simultaneously demanding that the U.S. guarantee that Ukraine won't join NATO, and that NATO will not engage in that region. An administration official spoke anonymously to The Washington Post and said that Russia is readying forces twice the size of what we saw this past spring during a snap exercise near the Ukrainian border. Along with the 175,000 troops, they also moving armor artillery and equipment This is all as tension continues to rise between the US and Russia over a potential invasion with President Joe Biden scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with Vladimir Putin today Right this situation has ramped up scrutiny of that meeting Has the Biden administration spoken about any plans to discourage an attack by Russia?

Ian Howarth: Yes and no. President Biden said that he was putting together a set of initiatives, which he claimed would make it difficult for this military attack to be carried out. But he didn't clarify in detail what this meant. What I am doing is putting together what I believe to be, will be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do. But that's in play right now. According to Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, the US has threatened to impose new sanctions. If the new sanctions from hell come, we will respond. We can't fail to respond, he said. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US was worried about Russia's military strategy in the region. In recent weeks, we have deep concerns about Russia's plans for renewed aggression against Ukraine. That would move us in exactly the opposite direction. And he continued to echo Biden's original foreign policy promise to achieve international change through relentless diplomacy. We have a strong ironclad commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The best way to avert a crisis is through diplomacy.

Ian Howarth: Well, we know you'll be keeping an eye on outcomes, if any, of the meeting between Biden and Putin today. Yeah, definitely. Stepping back a little, can you explain why Russia is targeting Ukraine in the first place? To put it bluntly, Russian leaders have viewed Ukraine and Ukrainians as one people with Russians and that Ukraine represents a Western-backed state as part of an attempt to divide and conquer the post-Soviet bloc. Ukraine, on the other hand, got rid of a president in 2014 who was friendly to Russia, which is just one part of a broader indication that those who live in Ukraine are far friendlier to the West than Putin and Russia just across the border. This is also an 80-year-old conflict that isn't just a matter of geopolitics, but also a chip on Russia's shoulder, with many there viewing the so-called loss of Ukraine a trauma. But Ukrainians generally view this appeal to a supposed shared history as more of a facade to hide territorial ambitions.

Host (Georgia Howe): Well, this is a complicated and very significant situation we see developing there. Thanks for the update, Ian.

Ian Howarth: Of course, thanks for having me.

Host (Georgia Howe): Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.

[Music transitions to a news theme]

Host (Georgia Howe): While the investigation continues into how a live round came to be on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie Rust, the actor gave a controversial interview to ABC's George Stephanopoulos. Several comments he made about the fatal shooting left viewers shocked. Daily Wire entertainment reporter Megan Basham joins us now to explain what Alec Baldwin said and how legal experts are responding. So, Megan, I know Baldwin's interview with ABC last Thursday has generated a lot of controversy. Can you quickly run us through some of his most explosive statements?

Megan Basham: Yeah. So the first thing that Baldwin said that generated a lot of headlines is that he didn't pull the trigger. So he said that cinematographer Helena Hutchins was walking him through a rehearsal. She was instructing him on how she wanted him to point the gun. She's guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle. And I draw the gun out and I find a mark. I draw the gun out of a cut. So Baldwin then told Stephanopoulos that he had cocked the revolver in Hutchins' direction at her instruction in order to set up that scene. But he insists that he never pulled the trigger He says the gun went off when he let the hammer down so it was a misfire Now here that exchange It wasn in the script for the trigger to be pulled Well, the trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger. So you never pulled the trigger? No, no, no, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them, never. That was the training that I had. You don't point a gun at me and pull the trigger. So you had this cold .45, you just pulled? The hammer as far back as I could without cocking the actual one. And you're holding on to the hammer. I'm holding that. I'm just showing. I go, how about that? Does that work? You see that? Do you see that? She goes, yeah, that's good. I let go of the hammer. Bang, the gun goes off. Wow. So that's pretty different from some of the reporting we've seen out there. And he said something else that shocked a lot of viewers as well.

Megan Basham: Right. So Stephanopoulos asked him if he feels guilty about Hutchins' death. And here's what he said. No, no. I feel that there is, I feel that someone is responsible for what happened. And I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me. Now, there's been a lot of speculation about that comment in particular as far as legal liability. Right. And nearly every legal expert who has commented on the case has said that, one, it wasn't a good idea for Baldwin to give this interview while the investigation is still ongoing. But then they specifically pointed to that last comment as a risky move. To give you one example, Rachel Fassett, who is a managing partner of a firm in Los Angeles, she told Fox News, and I'm quoting here, His admissions that someone is to be blamed, but not him, could also potentially be used against him later in either a civil or criminal case if it's determined that he had some responsibility for set safety as a major producer of the film. And then a former prosecutor told Newsweek that because Baldwin has admitted that his memory of this incident is murky, that's a strong reason not to make any statements, much less go on national television.

Megan Basham: So there was one final moment that had a lot of people talking on social media, and that was his response to George Clooney. So in a recent podcast appearance, Clooney said that personally, he always checks any gun he's holding to make sure it's not loaded. Stephanopoulos asked Baldwin about that, and his response, again, quoting here, was good for him. And then he said, there were a lot of people who felt it necessary to contribute some comment to the situation, which really didn't help the situation at all. To a lot of people, that came off as defensive. Right. And I do empathize. I mean, it's a really difficult situation he's in, but it's also just really strange that he's even taking these interviews before the police have even wrapped up this investigation. So I guess we're going to have to just see what they find.

Host (Georgia Howe): Yes, exactly. Megan, thanks for reporting.

Megan Basham: Absolutely.

Host (Georgia Howe): That's Daily Wire entertainment reporter Megan Basham.

[Music transitions to a news theme]

Host (Georgia Howe): Other stories we're tracking this week, CNN fired host Chris Cuomo Saturday over his involvement with his brother's defense against a series of sexual harassment allegations. The network cited additional information coming to light about the former host, while multiple reports say that a sexual misconduct claim has been leveled against him by a former co-worker. Cuomo's representative has since responded, stating these apparently anonymous allegations are not true. Cuomo's spokesperson has also suggested that CNN President Jeff Zucker knew about his involvement in his brother's scandal. Sources said Monday that Cuomo is gearing up to sue the network.

Host (Georgia Howe): If you like this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five-star review. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know. If you like this podcast, get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe.

[Music transitions to a closing theme]

Host (Georgia Howe): Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.