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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Food and fuel shortages, electrical outages, and the worst financial crisis in decades have led to massive protests in Sri Lanka. Both the president and prime minister have vowed to leave office. What's next for the South Asian country and its 22 million residents? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, July 12th, and this is Morning Wire. More Democrat voters than ever are abandoning President Biden and searching for a new presidential candidate in 2024. And Democrats face an intra-party revolt as the Biden administration struggles amid a series of setbacks and sinking polls. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): In today's world, one of the best things you can do to prepare for the unknown is to have a will in place. A will is about protecting your loved ones from the really hard decisions they'll face if something happens to you. If you're a parent, a will gives you the power to decide who will raise your kids should something happen to you and your spouse. Do yourself and your family a favor. Go to epicwill.com and use promo code wire to save 10 on epic will's complete will package. Epic Will can set you up with a will in as little as five minutes. It's incredibly easy and well worth $119 to secure your family's future. Go to epicwill.com and use code WIRE today.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Following months of mass demonstrations in Sri Lanka, on Saturday, protesters stormed the nation's presidential palace, along with the home of the country's prime minister, driving the leaders into hiding and demanding a change of power. Here with the latest and how the government's climate change and ESG mandates played a role in the mass protests is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): So Cabot, we'll get to what motivated the protesters. But first, where do things stand now?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So all year, Sri Lanka has been on the verge of economic collapse with food shortages, skyrocketing inflation, and record fuel prices. For the last few months, as things have gotten worse, people have taken to the streets demanding change. Specifically, they want to see the country's prime minister and president step down from power voluntarily. And when that didn't happen, the people basically took matters into their own hands. Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans stormed the presidential palace and private residents of the prime minister and said they would not leave until both had resigned.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: On social media over the weekend, there were some really just stunning videos of a sea of people rushing past barricades into the palace and once inside, lying in the president's bed, working out in the gym, and even swimming in the presidential pool. And how have the country's leaders responded? Well, we still don't really know. On Saturday, when the palace was first stormed, the country's prime minister announced that he would be resigning, but we still don't know where the president is. On Saturday, his allies said that he'd step down to, quote, ensure a peaceful transition of power. But in the 48 hours after that, the president has disappeared. He remained in hiding into Monday and still is yet to say for himself whether he would fight to stay in power or step down. He just gone radio silent. So there a strange limbo right now where a country of 22 million people doesn't know where their leader is or really even who is in charge right now.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Okay, so backing up, how did we get to this point? Yeah, the collapse of Sri Lanka has really been a human-made tragedy in many ways, and much of the blame does lie at the feet of the country's leaders. The president and his family have spent lavishly, and by all accounts, the government is rife with corruption. For example, the president made his brother the country's finance director and gave special benefits and high-paying jobs to other family members and allies. And there's little to no accountability with government funds. But there are even deeper problems beyond that. First, from a policy standpoint, the government invested billions of dollars into massive infrastructure projects that they simply couldn't afford. And to help finance them, they turned to Chinese banks controlled by the CCP in search of loans, sending them even further into debt. And keep in mind, China views this island nation as important to their broader geopolitical strategy in the region. So the Chinese government has been more than happy to gain a foothold there, which has concerned many Sri Lankans.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And on top of all that, COVID restrictions kept millions of tourists from the country over the last two years, which further decimated the economy really at the worst possible time. So in April, the country suspended payments on its international debt, which accelerated their economic demise. Now, what about the food shortages? Yeah, this is another part that is very clearly caused by failed policy. Last year, as part of a broader effort to fight climate change and preserve the environment, the Sri Lankan government announced a mandatory transition to what they called organic farming. Among other things, they banned virtually all chemical fertilizers without offering alternatives to the country's farmers. And as a result, the nation's agricultural output just absolutely cratered. In the first year of the program, crop yields were 30 to 50 percent smaller than the year before, 30 to 50 percent in one year. And as you can imagine, that caused food prices to skyrocket and it left millions, especially the country's poorest, at risk. The government responded by importing massive amounts of rice from India and China. But as we mentioned earlier, they're in debt, so they had to buy the rice on credit, putting them even more in debt.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So what happens next for Sri Lanka? So with the president apparently preparing to step down, ordinarily the prime minister would take over. But as we said earlier, he's also stepping down. So now power will likely go to the country's 76-year-old speaker of parliament, who is a close ally of the president, which won't exactly ingratiate him to the Sri Lankan people. From there, he'll have a month to organize a new election for president. And whoever takes power, they've really got their work cut out for them.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Just a terrible situation and no clear end in sight. Cabot, keep us posted on the situation in Sri Lanka and thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): That was Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips. Coming up, Democratic voters turn on President Biden. If you like this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter available exclusively to Daily Wire members. Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe. Use code MORNINGWIRE to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Almost two-thirds of Democrats do not want Joe Biden to be their presidential nominee in 2024. That's according to a new poll from The New York Times. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi is here with the details for us.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): So, Maraid, this poll is from the New York Times, and it's pretty dismal for Biden. Tell us about it.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So you're right. This poll is not welcome news at all for Biden, especially with the midterms coming up in the fall. Close to two-thirds of Democrats, 64 percent, don't want Biden to be the party's presidential nominee again in 2024. The polling is particularly bad among young Democrat voters. Among those under 30, 94 percent would prefer a different nominee. Meanwhile, Biden's job approval rating sits at an anemic 33 percent.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: And voters are also not very positive about the direction of the country in general right now, correct? Right. Voters have become worried and discouraged about the economy, especially inflation, in the last few months. A huge group, three-fourths of registered voters, think the country is going in the wrong direction. And that's not just Republicans or moderates. Both Democrats and Republicans in all parts of the country, cities, suburbs, and rural areas, and across every age group and racial group said that they think the country is headed down the wrong path. Only 70 percent of Democrats say they approve of the job Biden is doing. This is bad news for Biden because he has to be able to rally Democrats for the midterm elections. This pessimism also includes independents, also a bad sign for Biden in the midterms and for 2024. According to the poll, more than two-thirds of independents disapprove of Biden's job performance and half of those say they strongly disapprove.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Meanwhile, only 13 percent of voters say the country is on the right track, according to the Times poll. That's the lowest the New York Times has recorded since the 2008 financial crisis. So just a lot of disenchantment with both Biden and the job he's doing across the country, but even among Democrats. That's right. Now, what are voters citing as their main concerns? Well, Democrats are saying the president's age is a top concern for them, especially younger Democrats. One of the few bright spots in this poll for Biden was that he holds a small lead over Trump should they both run in 2024, 44 percent for Biden and 41 percent for Trump.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Now, many voters say they're worried about the economy, but are there other top issues as well? The economy really appears to be the top concern for voters right now, according to the poll. With gas and food prices rising, more than three-fourths of voters rated the economy as extremely important to them. And only 1% said they think economic conditions are excellent. So really difficult numbers for the Biden administration.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Right. Maraid, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): That's Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraid Elordi. Concerns about Joe Biden's presidency have surfaced in recent days from a surprising source, his own party. And it's not just seen in the polling. Several Democrats, both on and off the record, have criticized the Biden administration in no uncertain terms. California Democrat House member Ro Khanna ripped into Biden's economic policies. Another representative said that Biden's poll numbers are in the toilet and whatever he's doing isn't working. And even Will & Grace actress Deborah Messing weighed in, apparently telling Biden representatives that she's fed up and voting seems pointless. Joining us to discuss all this discontent is columnist David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): All right, David, is this just venting or does this run deeper than that?
--:-- David Marcus: You know, a few weeks ago, we were talking about rumblings that Democrats might not want Biden to run in 2024, but they were somewhat subtle. This isn't. This is a kind of direct attack on the president by his own party. It seems almost unprecedented. I mean, I was just a kid when Jimmy Carter was president, so maybe this happened then, but certainly not since. And these very public statements of frustration from people who are Biden's allies are not subsiding. They're just getting louder. Among the complaints is a feeling among some abortion advocates that Biden's reaction to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade has been too mild. What would they like him to do? It's a good question. When that decision came down, a lot of people saw it as a lifeline for Democrats in November. Something could excite their base, you know. And because of the leak, they had weeks to prepare a reaction. When the moment came, Biden delivered very tame remarks while protesters were in the streets. So, you know, some of it's tone. But Biden did call for the Senate to blow up the filibuster to codify Roe. But Senators Manchin and Sinema still won't do that. I mean, that seems like the whole story of Biden's presidency.
--:-- David Marcus: And meanwhile, recent polling shows the economy really dwarfing abortion as a priority concern for Americans. Right. I mean, it's not proving to be the galvanizing issue Democrats were hoping it would be for the midterms. Now, we've also seen a high-profile resignation in the last few days. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield has resigned. This comes after Press Secretary Jen Psaki left earlier this summer. Does this represent a shift or a pivot from the administration? No. For months, this administration has said that what they have is a messaging problem, that Americans just don't understand all the good that they claim that they've done. You know, what's notable about the recent clamoring from Democrats is that they aren't talking about messaging. They're talking about policy. They want Biden to do something, anything, right? Democrats are looking at some of the worst polling they've ever seen, and switching out comms directors isn't going to quell this storm. So the question here is, how does Biden's bad polling impact Democrat candidates? We saw Biden visiting Ohio, for example, and Senate candidate Tim Ryan had a scheduling conflict, so he just didn't appear with the president. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's the president of the United States. Normally, you clear your schedule. But you make a good point. Democrats don't seem willing to run on Biden's message that things are getting better. And that's why so many are distancing themselves from him. And that's not sustainable for the party and will only continue to fuel speculation about Biden bowing out of the 2024 race or even facing what would be a humiliating primary challenge.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): So time will tell. Right. Well, thank you for joining us today, David.
--:-- David Marcus: Thank you for having me.
--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): That was Daily Wire contributor David Marcus. Other stories we're tracking this week. A French drugmaker has requested the FDA to approve its first-ever over-the-counter birth control pill. The replacement for San Francisco's DA Chesa Boudin was sworn in Friday. The new DA, Brooke Jenkins, resigned from Boudin's office to help recall her former boss. Some California cities are banning the construction of new gas stations in an effort to combat climate change. Median gas prices approached $7 per gallon in the Golden State in June. The U.S. government has ordered 3.2 million doses of the Novavax COVID vaccine. The vaccine has not yet been authorized by the FDA and does not yet have the CDC's recommendation. Wildfires are threatening the giant sequoia trees of Yosemite National Park, some of which are thousands of years old. The Nord Stream pipeline has shut down for annual maintenance scheduled for 10 days, though many markets were worried that the shutdown would be extended because of the war in Ukraine. Two trains collided in Columbia, South Carolina on Monday morning. One train derailed and two people were hospitalized. Thor Love and Thunder topped the weekend box office, bringing in $143 million. An OBGYN from the Bay Area is fundraising for a boat in order to perform abortions in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 a friend. 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.
