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--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info. And if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash podcast. Terms apply.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A federal judge ruled that large social media companies can't censor political speech in Texas. Big tech's efforts to silence conservative viewpoints is un-American, un-Texan, and it is unacceptable. We discussed the legal battle and what it could mean for free speech in other states. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, September 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden offered a rare interview Sunday that sparked fierce debate. And you would tell the American people that inflation is going to continue to decline. No, I'm telling the American people that we're going to get control of inflation. We break down what we learned from the interview and what has since been walked back.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And real estate experts say San Francisco is headed for a crash. But even that might not help with high rents. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Those who oppose big tech censoring speech on apps have scored a major legal victory. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas law Friday that prohibits social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from banning users or removing their posts based on their political opinions. Here to tell us more about this law and how it will affect social media users is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Megan Basham: So, what this law does, in essence, is it allows people to sue any social media platform with more than 50 million users if they censor posts or suspend or ban accounts that are based on political opinions. It's important to note that 50 million cutoff because basically it's limiting this to really the very biggest of big tech. Your Facebooks, your Instagrams, TikToks, Twitters, Googles. And the argument is essentially that these companies are violating free speech rights.
--:-- Megan Basham: The law also requires these companies to provide information to the public about the content they remove and the accounts they suspend and why. Right now, that information is shrouded in what you might call algorithmic mystery, so to speak. And you don't always know why something is censored or why someone is banned.
--:-- Megan Basham: First Amendment protections were also argued by big tech. They said they have a constitutional right not to be compelled to host speech that they don't like on their platforms. In essence, they argued that this is tantamount to compelled speech, which the First Amendment also forbids. And they suggested that such a law would force them to host speech that they view as homophobic, transphobic, racist. And of course, we've seen examples of what that might mean with popular accounts like libs of TikTok, which both Twitter and Facebook have suspended in the past for posts that critique transgender activism in school, for instance.
--:-- Megan Basham: Now, how did the Fifth Circuit respond to that argument from Big Tech? Yeah, they disagreed in pretty pointed terms. What they said was that they reject the idea that corporations have a freewheeling First Amendment right to censor what people say. And they also said that these platforms don't have a right to muzzle free speech.
--:-- Megan Basham: But what's interesting is back in May, the Supreme Court granted an emergency stay on the law to groups called NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association. They represent those big tech companies we've mentioned. So the law couldn't take effect for that period of time. Now, the breakdown of that five to four decision didn't fall along usual lines. Two of the conservative justices, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, joined with the liberals and moderate chief justice John Roberts. But Elena Kagan, generally viewed as liberal, sided with the conservatives. However, that stay was issued before these recent revelations about Facebook consulting with the Biden administration about what kind of content should be suppressed. So that news may put a somewhat different spin on matters.
--:-- Megan Basham: But either way, the stay only held until the case went to the Fifth Circuit. Now it's clear to take effect. So how is Big Tech responding to this latest ruling? Well, the trade groups that represent them put out a statement saying that they strongly disagree, as you might expect. They said forcing private companies to give equal treatment to all viewpoints places foreign propaganda and extremism on equal footing with decent internet users.
--:-- Megan Basham: So is this the end of the road for this decision or is big tech going to keep fighting? I think there's no doubt that they're going to appeal. But if SCOTUS declines to take the issue up again, then that Texas law is going to stand. Similar bills have also been proposed in Michigan and Georgia, both of which have Republican-controlled legislatures. So I think really what we're seeing here are the states acting as these laboratories of democracy on this issue.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Very interesting. Something we'll have to keep tracking. Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yeah, anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. Coming up, President Biden's interview prompts political debate and White House walkbacks. Do you like to be the first to know about trendy news and current events? If so, you got to get the Daily Wire Plus app. Not only will you receive mobile notifications whenever something's happening, but you'll also have access to the best commentary to break it all down. Download the Daily Wire Plus app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden made waves this week over a series of surprising answers on COVID, Donald Trump, and his own re-election during a lengthy interview on 60 Minutes. Here to discuss what the president had to say, how it was received, and how the White House has responded is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, this interview in particular is noteworthy because the president just doesn't talk with the press very often. Since taking office, he's conducted fewer interviews than any president since Reagan, and half as many interviews as Trump or Obama. So anytime he does agree to talk at length with the media, it offers helpful insight. In this case, he made news on a variety of issues at times offering answers that seem to contradict his own administration. For example, on COVID, when asked about the state of the pandemic, the president said it was over. We still have a problem with COVID. We still doing a lot of work on it. It's what the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Those comments appeared to catch White House officials off guard. According to Politico, the president had not been planning on making such a statement, and his health officials and advisors were not too pleased. Now, critics were quick to note that just two weeks ago, Biden had requested an additional $22 billion from Congress for new pandemic funding. And they say that his shift in messaging has more to do with wanting to take COVID off the table ahead of midterms as it's routinely hurt Democrats in the polls. And, you know, he wants it out of the national conversation.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: There were also some comments about China and Taiwan that were later walked back by the White House. Tell us more. Yeah, we've talked a good bit on the show about the escalating tensions in Taiwan and how the United States would respond if the Chinese launched a military operation there. Well, according to Biden, that response would include U.S. troops on the ground. But would U.S. forces defend the island? Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: After our interview, a White House official told us U.S. policy has not changed. Officially, the U.S. will not say whether American forces would defend Taiwan. But the commander-in-chief had a view of his own. As you heard there, CBS felt compelled to offer a quick correction, noting that while Biden did twice double down on that claim, the White House walked those comments back. However, this does now mark the fourth time that Biden has given such an answer on Taiwan, only to have it walked back by his team.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Shifting gears a bit, Biden also offered his take on the investigation into former President Trump, which was notable. What did he say there? Yeah, this was interesting. We haven't really heard much from Biden regarding the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago and the ongoing investigation. But he weighed in on Sunday, first calling Trump irresponsible for his alleged mishandling of classified documents, and then stressing that he'd not been briefed on what was found in the raid.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: I have not asked for the specifics of those documents because I don't want to get myself in the middle of whether or not the Justice Department should move or not move on certain actions they can take. We also gained some insight into Biden's potential re-election bid. Did we get more clarity there? That has really become the big question, which is quite shocking. It's almost always a given that a president will seek a second term. And whether it's concerns over his electability or even his age, there's been more and more buzz from within the Democrat Party that he might not run again.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: My intentions, I said to begin with, is that I would run again. But it's just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That may manage to be seen.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A lot to process there, Cabot. Thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips. Since the early months of the pandemic, many residents have left San Francisco and businesses have moved the bulk of their presence out of the downtown area. This is not just having an effect on the city, but it's impacting San Francisco's commercial real estate. Here to tell us about a potential impending real estate crash in San Francisco is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So, Charlotte, what's going on with San Francisco's real estate market? Well, lots of cities saw people move out during the pandemic, but the timing here for San Francisco is really key. Right now, there's over 25 million square feet of commercial real estate currently vacant. The city has seen a lot of empty office space recently, even with business returning to normal. But the problem is that a lot of office leases that were signed during the peak of its economic growth are going to expire over the coming few years. That going to severely impact not only how many offices are empty but what those offices are even worth.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Some landlords are looking for their property values to be lowered and some want to have their taxes reduced since their properties have decreased so much in value. Drastic reductions in commercial property values will also, of course, have downstream effects on the tax base. San Francisco gets most of its revenue from property taxes. So this could really harm the funds available to fund programs and pay city workers salaries.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Proposition 13, a California constitutional amendment, puts limits on property taxes. So that might help avoid a sudden crash in the property taxes the state gets. Now, how much of a drop in value are these landlords anticipating? A November report from the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy found that San Francisco could experience a short-term drop in commercial real estate values of up to 43%, which was the steepest forecasted in the study.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: 43%, that's huge. Now, why is this hitting San Francisco so hard? A lot of this has to do with changes in working trends. Many companies have gone remote, and San Francisco disproportionately houses tech companies, which were most likely to go remote, and so they stopped needing as much office space. Yelp and Airbnb, for example, have gone almost entirely remote.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Now, San Francisco has been on and off at least the most expensive place to live in the country for years. It's pretty incredible that so much real estate could be left vacant. Now, if commercial properties see a 43% drop in value, could that potentially translate to cheaper rents for residents? Is there any movement to transition some of those commercial buildings into residential buildings?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Well, San Francisco has notoriously restrictive building codes that make it extraordinarily difficult to obtain permits for residential construction projects. So it's not likely that these reductions in property values will translate to lower rents anytime soon. The city appears to be focusing on revitalizing the downtown. Community organizations and business groups are pressing the city to do more to bring people back to the downtown area with things like art spaces and cultural events. But that may prove to be a difficult task. A recent urban displacement project report ranks the recovery of San Francisco's downtown area in last place of more than 60 cities.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All right. Well, Charlotte, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That was Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond. Other stories we're tracking this week. As waves of migrants continue to arrive in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said he's considering housing them on cruise ships. A Baltimore judge has vacated charges against convicted murderer Adnan Syed and ordered him to be released. A jury convicted Syed of the 1999 kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee, who was Syed's ex-girlfriend. The case was made famous by the 2014 true crime podcast Serial. Ukrainian officials are accusing Russia of nuclear terrorism after a Russian missile reportedly struck close to a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. None of the plant's reactors were damaged in the strike, but Ukrainian officials say nearby industrial equipment was. After Broadway musical The Phantom of the Opera announced that it would be shutting down, ticket sales spiked, apparently bringing in $2 million in sales. The musical is the longest-running show in Broadway history.
--:-- 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 a friend. That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.
