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--:-- Georgia Howe: Good morning, and welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: And I'm John Bickley, Daily Wire editor-in-chief.
--:-- Georgia Howe: New leaked documents suggest the American Academy of Pediatrics may have silenced their own members who questioned medically transitioning children. Why can't we have that discussion, especially with the increasing numbers now of those who are wanting to detransition? But they already had their breasts cut off.
--:-- John Bickley: What is the group's leadership accused of and how is the Academy responding?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm joined now by Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Megan, to start, what is the official American Academy of Pediatrics position on transgender medicine?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, so its current policy, which critics actually call a drugs and hormones first approach, was put in place in 2018. And overall, what that document recommends is actively affirming kids' gender identities. Among the treatments the policy endorses is social and legal affirmation, meaning treating the child as the opposite gender and allowing the child to change their name. But it also advocates puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries, including surgeries like breast removal and surgery on genitals or reproductive organs.
--:-- Georgia Howe: When people hear that the AAP supports a certain course of treatment that carries a lot of weight, how does the group establish their guidelines?
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, so the AAP is a really large group of nearly 70,000 pediatricians, but the actual number of doctors at the top who are involved in making decisions is relatively small. And because of that, people tend to assume that these decisions are always made democratically, but that's not necessarily the case. And these documents that were leaked to the Daily Mail last week reveal that there is a group of pediatricians who are very concerned that the AAP is attempting to silence critics and also block efforts to change these transgender guidelines.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, what did the leaked documents show exactly?
--:-- Megan Basham: So a whistleblower from within the AAP released some screenshots to the Daily Mail earlier this month that show that rank and file members aren't on board with the latest guidance from the AAP and that a group of members drafted a resolution calling for a policy rethink. And then that effort was blocked by the leadership.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, if there are dozens of doctors raising concerns and requesting a review, why is the leadership so resistant to that happening?
--:-- Megan Basham: So Julie Mason is an Oregon pediatrician and one of the five who co-authored that resolution to launch a review of the trans policies. And she says the AAP leadership is digging in their heels out of embarrassment. In her interview with the Daily Mail, she said that senior leaders are just going to quote here, embarrassed that they've let young activist doctors get them on record in support of gender-affirming care, and now they can't backtrack.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So a lot of rank-and-file members of the AAP also have concerns about these treatments. I talked to one of them, Dr. Kirk Milhone, who is a pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist who's been a member of the AAP for more than 25 years. And he says the data really doesn't support the AAP's position. If you will walk them through this gender dysphoria without having all these outside influences, 80 to 88 percent or even in the low 90s, they'll choose not to transition. So why are we doing something that is irreparable when such a high percentage are going to not want that?
--:-- Megan Basham: Because we have that data now.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what's the AAP's response been to all of this?
--:-- Megan Basham: So they deny the charge that they've changed the rules to prevent a vote on the resolution. They also put out a statement on Saturday claiming that their critics are actively spreading disinformation. And they said that the current policy represents, and I'll just quote again, a compassionate, holistic, and evidence-based approach with no end goal or agenda.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, this remains a highly contentious issue. Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. Coming up, are Democrats going to evade a red wave in November? We have the latest numbers.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm joined now by Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So Cabot, what's the latest on the polling?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So really for the last year, just about everyone has been predicting a red wave in November. Historically, since World War II, on average, the party in power loses 26 seats in the House and four seats in the Senate. And all year, polling has consistently shown Republicans leading by anywhere from three to seven points. But that margin has really narrowed in the last month.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to a new poll from Fox News Republicans and Democrats are now tied on a generic ballot which just asks voters which party they want to control Congress.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For context, back in July, the same poll had Republicans up three, and in May, they were up seven. And we're seeing the same trend play out elsewhere, with Harvard, CBS, Politico, and Emerson all releasing polls in the last few weeks, showing a similar statistical tie.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So all tied up now in the generic ballot. But it is worth pointing out that Republicans are still leading when it comes to voter enthusiasm, which tracks how excited voters are to head to the polls and is typically a key metric for midterm races, which have considerably lower turnout than presidential races.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. So what's behind this? What's driving this momentum for Democrats?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, there are a few things that seem to be helping Democrats right now, but nothing more than abortion. Since the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, we've seen a clear momentum shift in favor of the left. And it's also coincided with abortion climbing the list of most important issues for voters.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: If you go back and look at polls from the spring and early summer, abortion was hardly ever listed in the top five for voters who routinely listed inflation, crime, national security, or education as their top issue. But now abortion is consistently listed as the most important issue behind only inflation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the Fox poll, for example, 14% of voters now say it's their number one issue. Now, it's still a good bit behind inflation. Over 40% of voters have that, number one. But the fact that it's climbing is notable.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's also worth noting that female voters, especially those under the age of 45, are really driving this trend. They've shifted more for Democrats than any other demographic.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But it's not all bad news for Republicans, right?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, there are still plenty of reasons for Republicans to be optimistic ahead of November. So beyond the historical metrics I mentioned earlier, there are a number of other indicators that really bode well for them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For example, in the House, 34 Democrats have announced that they're not seeking re-election. And typically, that number of retirements signals internal concern over looming defeats.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And as we talked about on the show yesterday, the FBI raid on Trump's residence does appear to have galvanized a lot of Republicans and independent voters.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, before we let you go, can you give us the latest on those races in Wyoming and Alaska that took place this week?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, in Wyoming, Rep. Liz Cheney was ousted overwhelmingly, gaining just 29% of the vote. Now, she was expected to lose, but few had predicted a margin that large, nearly 40%. In Alaska, it's a bit more complicated as the state uses ranked choice voting, where the top four candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On Tuesday, in the Senate race, incumbent Lisa Murkowski led the way with 44%, but her Republican opponent, Kelly Chewbacca, was just behind her with 40%. So they'll face off again in November. And on the House side, the big race we were watching involved former Governor Sarah Palin. She also advanced to the general election, securing 32 percent of the vote in a tight three-way race.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, less than 90 days to go, so things are heating up.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Joining us now is Alpha News reporter and Daily Wire contributor Liz Collin. Liz, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Liz Collin: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Minneapolis Teachers Union has reached an agreement with Minneapolis public schools to prioritize the firing of white teachers in order to retain educators of color. What can you tell us about this story, Liz?
--:-- Liz Collin: Hi, Georgia. The story is finally getting a lot of attention here after Minneapolis teachers quietly approved this new contract provision this past spring. As you mentioned, Alpha News was the first to report on the contract language this past weekend.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Back on March 25th of this year, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers voted to end a three-week strike. One of the proposals the teachers approved is referred to as educators of color protections. The agreement basically says if a non-teacher is subject to a staff reduction Minneapolis public schools must instead cut a white teacher with the next lease seniority.
--:-- Liz Collin: Furthermore, the contract says teachers of color may be exempted from district-wide layoffs outside seniority order. The agreement also prioritizes the reinstatement of teachers from underrepresented populations over white teachers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, what's the reaction to this been?
--:-- Liz Collin: Well, the reaction was swift and critical. The story went viral, and it's been difficult to find any comments in support of the move. Here's one comment, for example, from our Facebook page that sums up what a lot of people are saying. It said, this is without a doubt the most racist agreement I have ever heard of. If you're a white teacher there, immediately quit. And if you have children in that district, pull them out.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, how has the Minneapolis School District responded to this criticism?
--:-- Liz Collin: They're defending the contract. Basically, they've said that the terms are needed to fix past discrimination. The agreement itself states past discrimination by the district disproportionately impacted the hiring of underrepresented teachers in the district as compared to the relevant labor market and the community and resulted in a lack of diversity of teachers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The teachers union is actually celebrating the move, saying the city is one of the only in the country with this seniority disrupting language. So as of now, the change is expected to go into effect, Georgia, this upcoming spring.
--:-- Liz Collin: Now, I know the courts have upheld affirmative action in some situations in the past, but here we're talking about employment. So what kind of legal standing does this have?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, this is likely going to face some serious challenges in court. Attorney James Dickey with the Upper Midwest Law Center called this part of the contract clearly unconstitutional. He said it openly discriminates against white teachers based only on the color of their skin and not their seniority or merit.
--:-- Liz Collin: So he flat out called this government-sponsored racism. In an editorial for Liberty Unyielding, constitutional attorney Hans Bader said the provision violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and, quote, when it comes to termination, an employer can't racially discriminate, even against whites, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, I think we can almost certainly anticipate a legal challenge to this. Liz, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Liz Collin: To be continued.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire contributor Liz Collin. Other stories we're tracking this week. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday her agency must make drastic changes to respond better and faster to future public health emergencies, admitting missteps during the COVID pandemic.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: 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.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, 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.
