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--:-- John Bickley: In the most significant action on guns by the Senate in a generation, a group of 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans agree on a gun control bill. What measures are the senators proposing? And will the bipartisan bill have enough votes to become the law of the land? I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, June 13th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden's Summit of the Americas revealed some troubling realities about waning U.S. influence in Latin America. How will it impact the crisis on the border and U.S. foreign policy?
--:-- John Bickley: Amid collapsing presidential poll numbers, new reports reveal that a growing number of Democratic leaders and voters are turning their backs on President Biden. Plus, a transgender-themed report by Fox News sparks controversy. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: On Sunday morning, a bipartisan Senate coalition reached an agreement on sweeping firearm regulations, marking the most consequential gun control legislation in a generation. Here with more on what's in the bill, how it could impact gun owners and how it's being received, is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it's definitely a huge deal. On Sunday, 20 senators, 10 from each party, announced they'd reached a deal on gun control. The bill centered on nine points of focus, most notably among them increased funding for states that implement red flag laws. Remember, those allow law enforcement to preemptively seize firearms from those they deem to be a threat to themselves or others.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: It'll also require anyone under the age of 21 to undergo extra screenings and background checks if they want to purchase a firearm, and it'll expand penalties for those who illegally straw purchase or traffic firearms. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he'll, quote, put the bill on the floor as soon as possible, and from there it'll head to the House where it's expected to pass.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, how was this able to gain bipartisan support? Most Republicans have long said that the problem with mass shootings has more to do with mental health and school safety and less to do with the guns themselves. And this bill did address some of the things that Republicans have been calling for on that front.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For example, it offers increased funding for mental health resources at schools, including early identification and intervention programs for students who could show signs of being violent. And it also expands funding for school safety resources, including increased training for teachers and administrators, as well as school resource officers.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Of the 10 Republicans who stepped across the aisle, there were high members like Mitt Romney Lindsey Graham and John Cornett What sort of reaction have we seen to the bill Well as usual it depends on where you look Those in the pro control crowd were a bit split themselves Some celebrated the compromise, saying it was an important step to reducing gun violence and regulating firearms more closely, while others said it didn't go far enough.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Many Democrats, despite supporting the bill as sort of an incremental step, have still voiced their support for more drastic measures like banning what they call assault weapons and high-capacity magazines or raising the purchasing age for a rifle up to 21. But the pro-second amendment crowd viewed it very differently, as you can imagine.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They are especially concerned about those red flag laws, which they say, while well-intentioned, threaten the right to due process. They say it's a dangerous precedent to allow the government to deny rights based on who they think could be a threat in the future.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, President Biden has been one of the most vocal proponents of gun control since he took office. How does this bill align with what he's been calling for? It does have a few elements that he'd been asking for, especially on red flag laws and increased background checks. But it still falls well short of what he's asked for, most notably on what he calls assault weapons.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: We need to ban assault weapons in high capacity magazines. And if we can't ban assault weapons, then we should raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21. Such a measure has faced overwhelming Republican opposition in the past. And again, it's highly unlikely that 10 members would cross party lines to support something like that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So while Democrats are likely to keep calling for a ban on that front, a compromise does not appear likely, at least anytime soon. Right. Doesn't seem likely at all.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, we have a bipartisan gun bill that looks like it's going to move forward. We do. All right, Cabot, thanks for reporting. Anytime.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. Coming up, the Summit of the Americas exposes waning U.S. influence. Do you have a will? You might be shocked to learn how many people don't. Creating a will is fundamental to protecting yourself and your family because if something happens to you and your spouse, the state will decide what happens to your kids and your assets.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden's Summit of the Americas last week exposed the growing weakness of U.S. influence in Latin America, an issue that could affect the border crisis and pave the way for other international players like China to gain influence. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Alordi is here with the details for us.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Yes, this was definitely not the summit the Biden administration was hoping for. So first of all, for a summit that was supposed to be about U.S. relations with Latin American countries as well as Canada, there were some glaringly obvious absences. Leaders of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, along with several other nations, snubbed the summit and declined to attend in person.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: They sent diplomats instead. Those four countries are responsible for 90 percent of the immigration into the United States. So the key countries in terms of immigration didn't show up. Right. Now, immigration is an extremely significant issue when it comes to the United States' relationship with Latin American countries.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Were there any policies related to immigration that came out of the summit despite those major players not participating? Well, probably the biggest thing to come out of the summit was the Biden administration's commitment to triple the United States' resettling of refugees from the Americas over the next couple of years, up to 20,000 refugees by 2024.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: It's worth noting that that's It not a very large number For some perspective on this Border Patrol had over 200 migrant encounters at the southern border in just April The Biden administration also advocates for admitting more seasonal workers from Latin America Now did the summit address anything aside from immigration?
--:-- Maraid Alordi: Yes, the summit included a slew of other non-binding agreements relating to climate change, clean energy, food security, trade, and investing in Latin America. But those agreements were pretty vague and funding for them wasn't addressed. So it remains to be seen if any of the proposals will actually materialize in a meaningful way.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: So why are there so many fractured relationships here? I mean, why did some of the most important Latin American countries choose to boycott this summit? That's a good question. So Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras boycotted the summit in protest after the U.S. barred Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from attending.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: This is a slap in the face to the Biden administration, but it wasn't out of the blue. President Biden has actually been going after some of these countries since he took office, in particular El Salvador's President Naib Bukele and Guatemala's President Alejandro Jamate. On top of all this, Argentina and Brazil, two of the most important Latin American countries from an economic standpoint, also threatened to boycott the summit.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: The U.S. was forced to promise a bilateral meeting with Brazil, and Biden had to call Argentina's president personally. Cynthia Arntzen, a Latin America specialist and Wilson Center Research Institute fellow, said that, quote, Meanwhile, China is increasing its influence in Latin America. As of 2021, China was the top trading partner in Latin America, and over the past 15 years, China has developed deep financial ties to a variety of Latin American countries.
--:-- Maraid Alordi: China expanding its influence in the region could spell trouble for the U.S., especially if our relationships with major countries continue to deteriorate. Right. Maraid, thanks so much for reporting. Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi. According to recent reporting in The New York Times, some Democrats are starting to have doubts about Joe Biden's re-election prospects should he choose to seek a second term. The Times spoke to dozens of Democrat leaders and found a deep skepticism about Biden running in 2024.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Even former Obama aide David Axelrod said the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue. Here to discuss is columnist David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Good morning. It seems pretty serious. On Sunday, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was asked on CNN if she would support Biden in 2024. And I mean, she looked visibly uncomfortable with the question, even laughing before saying she was willing to take a look at it. That's not the way people tend to talk about a sitting president of their own party.
--:-- David Marcus: And she's apparently not an outlier here. So is this about the president's approval numbers? Would these concerns about the president's age and fitness be coming up now if you were more popular? It's hard to say, but likely not as vociferously.
--:-- David Marcus: When a president has numbers this bad and is facing so many crises, whether it's gas prices, overall inflation, the border, you name it, there's going to be rumblings about maybe having a primary challenger, as you saw Ted Kennedy do in 1980 against Jimmy Carter, Pap Buchanan in 92 against George Bush Sr.
--:-- David Marcus: And notably, in both cases, those incumbent presidents lost. Now, this comes at a time when Biden is giving more speeches and appearances. For example, We saw him on Jimmy Kimmel's late night show specifically talking about getting a better message out. Is this in response to his party's concerns? Almost certainly.
--:-- David Marcus: I mean there a narrative that Biden is unfit or not well that he isn actually in charge It fueled by how his statements are often walked back The White House wants to put Biden out there answering questions showing that he still capable of being president Whether that approach works, that remains to be seen.
--:-- David Marcus: If Biden were to choose not to run, or if he were challenged in a primary, who do Democrats have on the bench to run in 2024? I think you start by looking at the 2020 primary field. Obviously, Vice President Kamala Harris would have an inside track, though her 3 percent showing two years ago wasn't exactly awe-inspiring.
--:-- David Marcus: Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker. And then there's Bernie Sanders, who's been the most vocal about possibly running again. He still wants to push the party farther left. And, I mean, he's old, too, but he could have another run in him, as could Elizabeth Warren.
--:-- David Marcus: I think AOC would be a year too young at 34. And California's Gavin Newsom. We've heard some rumblings about a potential run for him. Yeah, it could be. I'll throw out Andrew Cuomo. I mean, it really could be almost anyone.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, what about the midterms? What role could the midterm results play in Biden's decision about running again? Well, first of all, whatever happens, this talk will intensify after the midterms. Until then, it's likely to all remain speculation.
--:-- David Marcus: But look, if there's a big red wave, that could spook Democrats and prime the pump for a change. It will be interesting to see if anyone on the more moderate side of the party, a Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema, chooses to weigh in. But at the same time, if Democrats do incur big losses, it will be moderates and purple districts losing, which means the progressive wing is going to have more power.
--:-- David Marcus: That's a good point. David, thank you again for joining us. Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. Another story we're tracking this week, a Fox News report on parents who began transitioning their child at age five has sparked controversy. Here for more is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Megan Basham: A transgender-themed segment aired by Fox News on Friday as part of its LGBTQ plus Pride Month series has sparked strong criticism from members of the conservative media, including some frequent Fox News guests.
--:-- Megan Basham: In the segment, reporter Brian Yenis tells the story of a biological female whose parents said they began transitioning the child at just five years old. Yenis praised the child as having extraordinary courage to share the story, quote, particularly at a time when transgender issues have been politicized.
--:-- Megan Basham: Before Ryland could even speak, he managed to tell his parents that he is a boy. And unlike some trans kids, when Ryland came out at age five a few years later, he had the full support of his parents. I'd rather have a living son than a dead daughter.
--:-- Megan Basham: Ryland's story got international attention in 2014 when a family YouTube video went viral. And Hillary has since written a book called Raising Ryland. Fox News sources told Daily Wire that many of the network's staff feel betrayed by the segment.
--:-- Megan Basham: Among the conservative voices condemning the segment is Daily Wire's Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro. In an op-ed, Shapiro wrote, quote, Fox News is too important to conservatives to be weaponized on behalf of the most radical leftist propaganda imaginable.
--:-- Megan Basham: Propaganda that aims directly at the mental and physical health of children. Despite the blowback from the right, Fox has kept the report on its website and has yet to respond to requests for comment.
--:-- 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, consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with people you know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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.
