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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of Daily Wire, and I'm here with my co-host Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us, folks.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, controversy erupts after Pope Francis issues a statement on same-sex unions. Legacy media outlets claim a win for LGBT activists, but Catholics say not so fast.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's right, John. And we're joined now by Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham to explain what's going on.
--:-- Megan Basham: Thanks for having me, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Megan, as I scan the headlines, I'm seeing the New York Times saying Pope Francis allows priests to bless same-sex couples. CNN, the Associated Press, Reuters, they all have something similar. Reuters is calling it a landmark ruling, but a lot of Catholics are saying not so fast. What's all the confusion about?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, it comes down to whether this document, which is called the Fiducia Supplicants, truly represents something new and exactly what kind of blessings it allows.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so in 2021, the Vatican issued a ruling saying that the church could not bless sin, and that was directly in response to liberal priests and church officials who've been pushing for the church to formally bless gay marriages.
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. But casual comments the Pope has made, specifically those supporting civil recognition of same-sex unions, have upset some theologically conservative Catholics.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So they submitted formal questions to the Pope about the issue of blessing same-sex unions. And those questions are known as dubia, and that literally means doubts.
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. And this new document, which appears to be a response to these dubia, is not likely to allay their conservative concerns, even though, no, it technically does not accomplish anything new.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Megan, what does this document actually say?
--:-- Megan Basham: From my cursory read, it didn't appear to allow priests to offer any sort of blessing that they wouldn't have been able to give before. It really doesn't change church practice or doctrine.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And that's why so many Catholics are crying foul to coverage like those headlines you mentioned.
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. The blessings it allows are quote-unquote spontaneous pastoral blessings of individuals who ask for non-sacramental blessings while they happen to be in same-sex relationships.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So those kinds of non-blessings are already allowed for pretty much any sinner who is seeking them.
--:-- Megan Basham: Exactly. And some misleading headlines have implied that the blessing is conferred to the union, but in fact, it's only for individuals.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Even further, the fiducius supplicants states explicitly that these non-sacramental blessings do not, quoting here, validate the same-sex relationships.
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. And it also stresses that the church still defines marriage as the exclusive union between a man and a woman.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Megan, why put out such an unclear statement?
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, that's a good question. And that's prompting Francis's conservative critics to say that this confusion isn't accidental.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So back in 2013, when a reporter asked him about LGBTQ clergy, he gave the pretty controversial response, who am I to judge?
--:-- Megan Basham: That's right. And that was one of those statements that the Vatican later clarified to say Francis was not signaling a change in church teaching.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Another came last year when he said being homosexual is not a crime.
--:-- Megan Basham: He later clarified that the church still views any sexual act outside of marriage as a sin, and it still defines marriage as being between one man and one woman.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But these are the comments that have led the Pope's critics to say he's practicing a form of incrementalism here.
--:-- Megan Basham: And to give you just one example, New York Times opinion writer Ross Douthat, who is a well-known Catholic, tweeted Monday, as usual in this pontificate, the misleading media headlines are the point.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And then there's the Pope's friendly relationship with well-known LGBTQ affirming priest Father James Martin.
--:-- Megan Basham: And Martin was out Monday saying that this latest document represents a, quote, major step forward in recognizing the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God's presence in their loving relationships.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On the other side of the coin, the Pope has been notably frosty towards conservatives.
--:-- Megan Basham: He ordered the removal of the Texas bishop who criticized his handling of the issue earlier this year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And he stripped Cardinal Burke of the subsidized Vatican apartment and salary that would normally go along with his office.
--:-- Megan Basham: So conservatives are saying taken together, it paints a picture.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: With the 2024 presidential race in full gear, President Biden continues to struggle with record low polling.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. And we're joined now by Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips to explain what's going on.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Cabot, we'll start with President Biden, who's coming into his re-election campaign with some very real struggles, right?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, that is putting it lightly. Virtually every metric we've got points to an uphill battle for Biden, this re-election effort.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This week, his approval rating plunged to 34% in the Monmouth tracking poll.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That is the lowest mark of his presidency and is 20 points lower than where he was this time two years ago.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And on inflation and immigration, two of the top issues for voters, he sits at 28 and 26% respectively.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And that is not an outlier. Pew released a poll of their own this week showing him at just 33% approval.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And zooming out, his approval average has not been above 45 since October of 2021.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's worth noting who he's struggling with. Not only do just one in three independents approve of the job he's doing, he's also beginning to lose ground with the number of key voter blocks that have typically been Democrat strongholds.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, that's getting pretty interesting. Walk us through some of the numbers there.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, of every age group, President Biden consistently performs the worst among young voters.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Most polls show him in the high 20s and low 30s among 18 and 29-year-olds, who historically have gone overwhelmingly for Democrats.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For context, young voters went for Biden by 25 points in 2020.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But a number of recent polls, including one from the New York Times this month, showed Biden trailing Donald Trump among those 18 to 29.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That is a huge turnaround.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Biden also appears to be struggling among Black voters, another traditionally solid blue voting bloc.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Most polls show around 60 to 70 percent support for the president among that demographic, which, again, would be a major shift considering he won about 90 percent of Black voters back in 2020.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Even if a Republican like Trump was able to pull in just 15 to 20% support there, it would present major problems for Biden from an electoral standpoint, especially in swing states like North Carolina and Georgia.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: All of those factors appear to have also caught the eye of Biden's former boss, President Obama, who, according to the Wall Street Journal, has been telling those in his circle that he believes Biden, quote, very well could lose the 2024 race.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, obviously, it's still very early, but how does Biden fare against GOP candidates matched up?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, more bad news for Biden on that front. Of 25 national head-to-head polls with Trump over the last month, Biden leads in just four of them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And each of those four are within the margin of error.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The president now trails Trump by four points in the RCP average.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's the largest margin we've seen since Trump left office.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The big struggle for Biden is that when voters compare their lives under his administration to Trump's, they prefer Trump.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new Wall Street Journal poll, for example, found that just 23% of Americans say their lives have been helped by Biden, while 53% say they've been hurt.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Biden faces a similar deficit against Nikki Haley. He trails her by around 5% on average, while he appears to fare slightly better against Florida's Ron DeSantis.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Polling shows those two in a dead heat nationally.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: This election has a number of third-party candidates who could shake up the race.
--:-- Georgia Howe: How do they factor in?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, this is interesting. So typically third-party candidates are an afterthought on election day, but this year appears to be different.
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's RFK Jr. running as an independent. He's currently polling in the 15 to 20% range nationally.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We have not seen a third-party candidate come anywhere close to those numbers since Ross Perot brought in nearly 20% of the vote back in 1992.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The big question now is just which party he'll draw more support from.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: While polling is relatively scant on that question, the RCP average shows Trump widening his lead by about a point and a half on average when RFK is included on the ballot.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And then there's Cornel West, who is also running as independent and currently polling around 3% to 5% nationally.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, Wes does not have any real shot of winning, but much to the chagrin of Biden, a large chunk of his support comes from Black Democrats.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Even if he's able to poll just a few percentage points come November, it could have a very real impact in some of these tight battleground states with large numbers of Black voters.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, every point matters.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Kevin, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Harvard University is under fire again this week following the discovery that the school removed references to its racially separated graduation ceremonies from its website.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right. And we're joined now by Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo to explain what's going on.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Thanks for having me, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Amanda, it appears that Harvard has pulled down a website page that had initially promoted these identity ceremonies. Does that mean the school is abandoning the practice?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So the website page originally promoted what it called affinity ceremonies for pretty much every identity-based group you can think of, with the notable exception of Jewish students and white students.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The ceremonies are described as, quote, student-led staff-supported events that recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of graduates from marginalized and underrepresented communities.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: The ceremonies that were promoted included grads with disabilities, indigenous, first-generation, Asian, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Desi-American, Black, LGBTQ+, Latinx, and Arab grads.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, the school has openly promoted Black and what they call Latinx ceremonies since at least 2017.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And those were unsurprisingly controversial right from the jump. Critics say they're a step backward, they promote racial segregation, and they inflame racial tensions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But nevertheless, the school has stood by the practice.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Okay, but now the page has been scrubbed, so does that mean they're not doing it anymore?
--:-- Georgia Howe: So there's still a page promoting Black and Latinx-only ceremonies on Harvard's website.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: But as for these other identity group ceremonies, Harvard has yet to respond to inquiries about the page removal.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The most prominent speculation, though, is that it was pulled because these affinity ceremonies excluded Jews.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: It's possible the administrators were concerned about bad PR in light of the recent scandal with Harvard's president, Claudine Gay.
--:-- Georgia Howe: As we've reported here, student groups on campus quickly blamed Israel for the terrorism and called for the destruction of the Jewish state.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Gay then went on to testify before Congress that calling for the genocide of Jews is not necessarily in violation of the school's policies.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So the answer is yes, that calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard Code of Conduct.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Again, it depends on the context.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, changing gears a bit, there was a recent Harvard Harris poll that showed some pretty shocking trends regarding young people's attitudes towards Jews.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, that's right. A recent Harvard-Harris poll found that 67% of young people ages 18 to 24 believe that Jews are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: When you look at the general population, that dramatically shifts, just 27% believe the same.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: And again, as you age up, it lowers even more. So ages 65 and older, only 9% said Jews are oppressors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I should note that a lot of donors are in this older generation, and they're extremely concerned about this trend.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Most prominent is billionaire Bill Ackman, who publicly speculated that Harvard would lose at least a billion dollars in donations over the Claudia Gay debacle.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But Harvard may also be losing some of its luster with young people, too.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: This year, Harvard received its lowest number of early admission applications in years, amounting to a 17 percent drop.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Last year, there were more than 9,500 early applicants.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: This year, it was under 8,000.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it'll be interesting to see if these IVs sustain lasting damage from this scandal.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: You're welcome.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
