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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 Georgia Howe. Today's episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The U.S. shot down the Chinese surveillance balloon Saturday after it spent several days in American airspace and caused the Secretary of State to postpone his planned trip to Beijing. The presence of this surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace is a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law.
--:-- John Bickley: We discuss what the incident means for the already tense relationship between China and the U.S. and China's latest response. I'm Daily Wire editor and Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, February 6th, and this is Morning Wire. The Biden administration may declare a public health emergency to provide more access to abortions as more pro-life states move to restrict the sale of abortion pills. And in a case that pits free speech against voting laws, the man behind a popular pro-Trump Twitter account faces 10 years in prison over election memes. So it's really like a toe in the water for the FBI in the end to manage communications and election campaigns.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: In 2022, Masterworks paid out real results to you, our listeners. While being featured across the Daily Wire network shows, Masterworks has had sales with 10, 13, and all the way up to 35% net returns, handing back tens of millions of dollars to their users. Go to masterworks.com and use promo code MORNINGWIRE for priority access. That's masterworks.com, promo code MORNINGWIRE. See important disclosures at masterworks.com slash cd.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Over the weekend, the story of a Chinese spy balloon drifting through U.S. airspace and over sensitive military bases came to a dramatic conclusion as U.S. fighter jets shot the craft out of the sky off the coast of South Carolina. Here with more on what we know about the purpose of the balloon, why it wasn't shot down earlier, and the latest response from China is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: All right, Cabot, walk us through the timeline here, and then we'll get to the fallout. So this actually starts way back on January 28th, nearly a week before the public first became aware of it. A large Chinese spy balloon first drifted into American airspace, entering the skies above Alaska. Now, at first, U.S. officials thought the craft was just another one of China's light probes that routinely float around the edges of our border. But it soon became clear that was not the case. The balloon drifted over Canada, but then last Tuesday surprised the Pentagon by crossing the border above Idaho. On Wednesday, President Biden was briefed on the balloon, but it spent the next four days floating over the U.S. mainland, clearly visible to onlookers on the ground as it traveled over Montana and then Kansas before it made its way all the way down to South Carolina. Ultimately, on Saturday afternoon, the balloon finally drifted into the skies near Myrtle Beach. At that point, one of the F-22 Raptors that had been circling the balloon approached and shot it down.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right, so the question everyone's been asking, why wasn't the balloon shot down earlier? Well, according to President Biden, he wanted to shoot down the balloon as soon as he heard about it on Wednesday, but was advised against it by the Pentagon. Reports say that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley were not only worried about civilian damage from debris, but were confident they could block the balloon from gathering intel while it was in our airspace. The Pentagon also said the balloon was not gathering any information the Chinese weren't already getting from satellites, so they viewed it as not worth the risk to shoot it down over the U.S.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The Pentagon also said the balloon was not gathering any information the Chinese weren't already getting from satellites, so they viewed it as not worth the risk to shoot it down over the U.S. Here's how President Biden put it on Saturday. They decided that the best time to do that was that it got over water on Saturday within a 12-mile limit. They successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That response ended up being not enough for many. Yeah, there were many people who said, even if the balloon was no different than a satellite, it was more about China making a show of force. Many critics, mostly on the right, say the balloon never should have been allowed to enter U.S. airspace to begin with, and it should have been shot down immediately. They say the way this whole incident was handled just makes us look weak on the global stage.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's worth noting, the Biden administration did try to argue that when Trump was in office, Chinese balloons also entered U.S. airspace. But according to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, this case is completely different from anything we've seen before. What is unprecedented is a balloon flight that entered over Idaho and flowed over Montana, over all these sensitive military installations, Air Force bases, ICBM fields, right across the middle of the country. That has never happened before. That is unprecedented.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, we saw some immediate diplomatic fallout from this. We did. For their part, the Chinese did admit the balloon was theirs, but claimed it was, quote, mainly meteorological and had accidentally drifted off course and into U.S. territory. American officials say that explanation is asserted, and it's no coincidence the balloon's flight path took it right over Air Force bases and U.S. nuclear bases housing ICBM launch facilities.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had been scheduled to visit Beijing on Friday, marking the first cabinet member to meet with China. But thanks to this balloon, that's no longer happening. Blinken told Chinese officials in a phone call that the incident was, quote, an irresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law that undermined the purpose of the trip. So that trip no longer happening. And China has now responded to the balloon being shot down, and that's created a bit of a stir. Right. They seem to threaten the U.S. Their statement, which they issued Saturday, said, quote, for the United States to insist on using armed force is clearly an excessive reaction that seriously violates international convention. And they followed that up with this nebulous line. China will resolutely defend legitimate rights and interests of the enterprise involved and retains the right to respond further.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Keep in mind, this all comes as China is forging closer ties with Russia and Iran. And this incident will only drive a deeper wedge between China and the U.S. Yeah, a fraught situation getting even more tense. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime. That's Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- John Bickley: Coming up, the Biden administration says it's considering declaring an abortion emergency. After a long day, how about a freshly mixed, perfectly balanced cocktail at just the touch of a button? The Bartesian makes premium cocktails easier than making a cup of coffee. And it's the perfect addition for every party with practically no cleanup. Become an at-home mixologist with the Bartesian Cocktail Maker. Get free cocktails and free shipping when you text WIRE to 64000. That's WIRE to 64000. If you're looking for a great gift this Valentine's Day, you need the Bartesian. Put the cocktail shaker down and text WIRE to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The Biden administration says it may declare a public health emergency to give women more access to abortions. The news comes a week after President Biden promised to do everything he can to prevent pro-life states from restricting the sale of abortion pills. Here to explain the steps the administration is poised to take in support of abortion is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Megan, declaring a public health emergency seems like a fairly drastic step. Does it usually apply to issues like this? No, it doesn't. Typically, a public health emergency covers things like severe weather disasters, the opioid epidemic or disease outbreaks. And I think that's why the administration has hesitated to take this step, even though more than 80 House Democrats started urging the president to do it way back last summer. In fact, right after Roe v. Wade was overturned and some states immediately enacted those pro-life trigger laws? Well, the president said that declaring a public health emergency didn't, quote, seem like a great option. But calling an emergency for abortion access is a lot more controversial because it entails the federal government overriding state laws. But then on Monday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Javier Becerra said this, and I'm quoting, there are discussions on a wide range of measures that we can take to try to protect people's rights. There are certain criteria that you look for to be able to declare a public health emergency. I have the ability to make a declaration. Now, Becerra said his department hasn't completed a full assessment yet, but he says they're evaluating it now.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right. So if they make this declaration, what will that do? It's not entirely clear yet, but legal experts are saying it could make it easier for women to get abortion-inducing drugs in those 13 states where abortion is outright banned right now. And it will also make it easier in states that don't allow doctors to prescribe it over telehealth appointments. They require women to get them in person. So it would also allow the administration to direct funding to deploy public health services core teams and accelerate access to new medications authorized for abortions. That's quoting from them. And then finally, it would shield medical professionals who offer abortion drugs from their state laws. Now, over half of abortions are caused by those abortion pills now. So that is significant. It could also provide some funding for women to travel to get out-of-state abortions.
--:-- Megan Basham: All right, so a sweeping set of provisions there. How are Republicans responding? Well, they're certainly raising an outcry. On Tuesday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill that would prohibit the executive branch from using a public health emergency declaration like this to override those state abortion laws. And then Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith called it a grotesque abuse of power. And keep in mind, in the background of all this, we're hearing allegations that the Department of Justice has been weaponized against pro-lifers since the overturning of Roe. And we should expect this would immediately face massive legal challenges.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: That was Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- John Bickley: The creator of a popular pro-Trump Twitter account is facing up to 10 years behind bars over social media posts the Biden DOJ claims interfered with the 2016 presidential election. Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So Amanda, first, give us a little background on some of these charges. What are the allegations? Hey, Georgia. So the charges were announced by the DOJ on January 27th of 2021. That was just a week after President Joe Biden took office. The meme maker is 33-year-old Douglas Mackey, who went by the Twitter alias Ricky Vaughn. He was charged while he was residing in Florida though the trial is set to take place in New York City next month The government claims Mackey conspired with others to quote disseminate misinformation designed to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote. He's being charged under 18 U.S. Code 241, which outlines the conspiracy to injure or press, threaten or intimidate any person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the Constitution.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, what were these memes about specifically? So one of the memes that the government has really focused in on shows a woman holding an African-American for President Hillary sign. Now that's overlaid with text reading, avoid the line, vote from home, text Hillary to 55925. That was reportedly tweeted by Mackey on November 1st of 2016. Mackey's attorney maintains that this meme and others were satire. So for example, other memes Mackey posted said, join Hillary to fight Russia with our greatest asset, diversity. And another meme said, vote for her, vote from home, post Hillary using hashtag presidential election.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, do we know how many people actually texted that number? According to the government, some 4,900 people texted the number. But of course, it's impossible to know how many people actually thought they were casting their vote versus participating in the joke. The meme caught the attention of Twitter and the Clinton campaign within about a day, with Mackey being quickly suspended by then-CEO Jack Dorsey. The Clinton campaign also started sending auto responses to people who texted the number, redirecting them to the Hillary for America website.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I spoke to North Carolina Attorney James Lawrence. He's representing Mackey. He basically said the statute they're using to prosecute Mackey doesn't apply to satire. And this is really a question of freedom of speech, not blocking people from voting. Lawrence really emphasized to me that this could affect all Americans, regardless of their political views. The reason why this is such an important case for all Americans, left, right, center, is we want the government to be involved in policing alleged misinformation and disinformation, particularly around our elections, the way that they are held or the candidates that are running for office.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Now, speaking of free speech, has Mackey received any support from free speech groups? I'm thinking of the ACLU. Surprisingly, no. It looks like they don't want to be associated with Mackey. I asked Lawrence about outside support for his client from free speech groups like the ACLU, and there really wasn't any. But the trial is set to begin on March 16th in the Eastern District of New York, so it's possible we'll see some statements closer to that time.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right, well, a really important case we're going to be watching. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That was Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo.
--:-- John Bickley: Another story we're tracking this week. New York City Mayor Eric Adams spent the night at a migrant facility in Brooklyn on Saturday as part of a campaign to convince migrants to leave the Watson Hotel and stay at the shelter. Adams specifically chose the coldest night of the year to demonstrate how warm and welcoming the shelter was.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
