--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Host John Bickley: This 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.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Congresswoman, I have seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to that data. They have never asked us. We have not provided.
--:-- Congresswoman: Well, you know what? I find that actually preposterous.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Congressional lawmakers grilled the CEO of TikTok on Thursday as the U.S. considers a potential ban of the app. What changes are U.S. legislators demanding? And how is China responding? I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, March 24th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Host John Bickley: A deadly drug-resistant fungus is spreading in U.S. nursing homes. They can sit on surfaces for almost a month and still be active. Who is most at risk and how can health care facilities protect their patients? And the Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Stanford Law School is now on leave after supporting the silencing of a guest speaker. We have the details. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Hey, guys. Producer Brandon here. Do you struggle to get through the day without relying on caffeine and sugar? Consider adding Balance of Nature to your daily routine. Balance of Nature fruit and veggie capsules are a convenient way to consume essential nutritional ingredients on the daily. Their products are 100% natural, GMO-free, and free of additives and preservatives. Balance of Nature is the perfect choice for anyone looking to improve their diet and feel their best. Go to balanceofnature.com and use promo code WIRE for 35% off your first order as a preferred customer. That's balanceofnature.com, promo code WIRE.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill questioned the head of social media company TikTok about concerns that the app allows the Chinese government to access American data. The platform is now facing a nationwide ban as Democrats and Republicans find a rare point of agreement that it poses a national security threat. Here to fill us in on what happened during Thursday's House Commerce Committee hearing is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Megan Basham: So, Megan, obviously TikTok is trying to mount a strong defense here to keep the company from being banned in the U.S. Do you think it helped itself during that hearing yesterday?
--:-- Host John Bickley: You know, I really don't think it did.
--:-- Megan Basham: TikTok's chief showed denied ties to the CCP in his opening statement. And he said that the company has been focused on, quote, building a firewall between American user data and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. But this tense exchange with Republican Congressman Bob Lada of Ohio proved that, as of right now, that firewall has not been erected.
--:-- Megan Basham: Yes or no? Do any ByteDance employees in China, including engineers, currently have access to U.S. user data?
--:-- Congressman Bob Lada: Today, all U.S. user data is stored by default in the Oracle cloud infrastructure, and access to that is controlled by American personnel. Do any ByteDance employees in China, including engineers, currently have access to U.S. data?
--:-- Megan Basham: Congressman, I would appreciate this. This is a complex topic. Today, all data is stored by default. It's not that complex. Yes or no, do they have access to user data?
--:-- Congressman Bob Lada: After Project Texas is done, the answer is no.
--:-- Megan Basham: So Congressman Lada talking over Chu a little bit there, but his ultimate answer was that China does still have access to some amount of American user data. And the Project Texas Chu was talking about is the company plan to move all of that data from proprietary storage in Singapore and Virginia to an American Oracle facility in Texas But that doesn really solve the security problem
--:-- Megan Basham: The bottom line is that the law in China is even if ByteDance is a private company it still has to answer to the Chinese government. So as long as ByteDance owns TikTok, TikTok answers to Beijing. And on that note, another bad moment for Chu came when Congressman Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, pressed him over whether ByteDance directly helped him prepare for that hearing.
--:-- Megan Basham: Chu tried to deflect, saying he received, quote, unsolicited input from a lot of sources. But when asked whether ByteDance and TikTok share the same attorneys, Chu then had to admit that, yeah, they do.
--:-- Megan Basham: So it sounds like they addressed the national security angle, but there have also been other allegations against TikTok as well, specifically regarding the kind of content being pushed to kids by the algorithm. Was any of that addressed?
--:-- Megan Basham: It was, and you can say that ChewFace some pretty tough grilling over studies that show that the app is contributing to mental health issues for kids, especially teen girls. But that at least isn't unique to TikTok. It's really all of social media problem.
--:-- Megan Basham: So I don't think that that's going to be the sticking point. Now, sometimes we see hearings like this and not a lot always comes out of them. Can we expect to see any concrete action on TikTok?
--:-- Megan Basham: You know, you never want to say anything definitively when it comes to Congress. But given how bipartisan this is, I think that we do have a really good chance here. Right now, there are several bills pending that pave the way for a TikTok ban if it doesn't split from ByteDance. And the White House is openly signaling it backs at least one of them.
--:-- Megan Basham: Now, what would that actually mean, splitting from ByteDance? Would that mean allowing an American firm to purchase them?
--:-- Megan Basham: Yes, and that is exactly what the White House is demanding. Now, how is China responding to all of this?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, the reality is that 150 million Americans use TikTok, and China isn't just going to quietly give up ownership. The Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, right before that hearing, that Beijing will, quote, firmly oppose any sale of TikTok.
--:-- Host John Bickley: So it seems likely that the CCP would block ByteDance from selling TikTok, even if the company wanted to sell. A spokeswoman for the Commerce Ministry said that if ByteDance is forced to sell, it will seriously undermine the confidence of investors from other countries, including China, to invest in the U.S.
--:-- Megan Basham: So sounds like a potential threat of trade retaliation there.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Well, there have been a lot of concerns about this app for years at this point. Megan, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Megan Basham: Of course, my pleasure.
--:-- Host John Bickley: That was Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. Coming up, a deadly fungus is spreading in long-term care facilities.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Hey guys, Regan here. I know the economy is under a lot of stress right now, but your skincare routine doesn't have to be. GenuCell is dedicated to helping you through these trying times. And to prove it, they're offering over 70% off their most popular package. Plus, for the first time ever, GenuCell is including both the Ultra Retinol and Dark Spot Corrector with every purchase of the most popular package. Visit genucel.com slash wire and use code WIRE at checkout to claim this special offer. That's genucel.com slash WIRE.
--:-- Host John Bickley: The CDC reports that a potentially deadly and drug-resistant fungus is spreading rapidly in long-term care facilities and hospitals. Here to discuss is Johns Hopkins' Dr. Marty McCary.
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: Thanks so much. So tell us about this fungus that's currently spreading in hospitals.
--:-- Host John Bickley: So it's a fungus called C. aureus or Candida aureus. And it's a fungus that was first identified in 2009. It was actually found in an ear infection of a Japanese woman. But in the last few years, there have been more and more cases in the United States now, a couple thousand in the last year. And it's got a high mortality rate. About 30 of the people who get it die
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: And it appears to infect people who are immunosuppressed or people who are in long care facilities So this is a serious infection It's unclear what the rate of spread, though, really is.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Now, what's the disease process and how can we recognize it?
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: So it causes either an internal infection, something like an ear infection, or a skin rash. And it's very characteristic in people who are immunosuppressed, that is people who are at risk of fungal infections in general.
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: The concern with this particular type of infection, though, is that it appears to be resistant to many of the types of antifungal medications out there, which may explain its high mortality rate.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Is there anything currently being done to contain it?
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: So the typical cleaning agents, things like water with light soap or even ammonia-based cleaning solutions don't work to kill this candida aureus pathogen. So many centers now are looking into deep cleaning with alcohol-based solutions and UV light, and they're trying to reduce transmission within healthcare facilities.
--:-- Host John Bickley: People should be mindful that that is the primary place and where we are seeing this spread is within hospitals.
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: Now, you said there were a few thousand cases last year. So clearly it doesn't spread as quickly as COVID. How is it transmitted?
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: We think it's from surfaces and particularly sort of doorknobs, bathroom surfaces, cables, sheets, anything in a hospital that could actually house one of these candida fungal pathogens. With it living as long as 30 days, it could actually be a part of what we call colonized infections.
--:-- Host John Bickley: So the concern is that it's sort of prevalent, but yet under-recognized.
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: So this is spreading relatively slowly. Why are we concerned now?
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: Well, in Mississippi, they recently reported 13 cases and four people had died. In the United States in 2021, we recognized about a thousand cases. Now there may be 4,000 cases that we know of and many more out there.
--:-- Host John Bickley: And with it living so long, with it sitting on surfaces for 30 days, we may have to sort of sound the alarm to people at risk to take extra precautions and get hospitals in that mode where they're doing the right type of cleaning to address this type of pathogen.
--:-- Dr. Marty McCary: All right. Well, Dr. McCary, thanks for getting the word out and thanks for coming on today. Great to see you. Thanks so much.
--:-- Host John Bickley: That was Johns Hopkins, Dr. Marty McCary.
--:-- Host John Bickley: A Stanford University dean has been suspended after supporting student protesters who shouted down a federal judge attempting to speak on campus earlier this month. Here with more on what prompted the suspension and how the university is responding is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Hey, Cabot. So first, how did this all get started?
--:-- Host John Bickley: So the story starts back in March when Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee, was invited to speak to the Stanford Federalist Society, a conservative club on campus. According to Duncan, the school told him beforehand that there might be protests, but that they were, quote, on top of it and would make sure the event went on as planned. But that did not happen.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: When he arrived on campus, there were around 100 students screaming at him, some saying they hoped that his daughters were raped, while others shouted that he was racist and anti-trans.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: In particular, the students were upset with a case in which Duncan refrained from using the preferred pronouns of a transgender prisoner who was on trial for child pornography charges.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, if there had just been students involved, that would be one thing. But it was the involvement of a dean at the school that really escalated the situation.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, tell us about that angle here. Well, as Duncan began his speech, the heckling continued to the point where he just could not go on. Here's a bit of how that sounded.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So you've invited me to speak here, and I'm being heckled nonstop. And I'm just asking for an administrator to sign up. He on He on Your racism is showing
--:-- Cabot Phillips: At that point an administrator did step in but that administrator was Tyrion Steinbach school associate dean of diversity equity and inclusion But rather than calm the students, the dean gave a brief address supporting them in their efforts and telling Judge Duncan that they were simply protesting racist and anti-trans policies that he had helped uphold.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For many people here, your work has caused harm. Is it worth the pain that is positive and the division that is positive? I look out and I say, I'm glad this is going on here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: After a few more minutes of Duncan attempting to give a speech and respond, he was eventually forced to leave. Soon after, video of the event began going viral online.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it's not hard to see why. And that prompted a pretty strong response from the school.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, for obvious reasons, the video did not reflect well on Stanford Law School. Keep in mind, law schools try to maintain good relationships with judges because those same judges decide which law students are offered to all important clerkships. So it was in the best interest of the school to respond strongly, which they eventually did.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The law school's president, Jenny Martinez, first sent a letter to Judge Duncan apologizing for the disruption of the event, calling it, quote, inconsistent with our policies on free speech. And then later this week, Martinez announced in a 10-page letter to the school that Dean Steinbach had been placed on disciplinary leave for her actions in supporting the demonstrators.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: She also announced that all students at the law school would be required to undergo a half-day training on free speech and the First Amendment.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: What sort of reaction have we seen from students at the law school?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, after Martinez announced the suspension and publicly apologized for a second time to Duncan, hundreds of students protested outside of her office, accusing her of supporting hate speech and anti-trans policies.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And while no students were ultimately punished for their role in the incident, leaders of the group that organized the protest have also since demanded that their names and images be removed from stories that were covering the demonstration. They say it would lead to harassment.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, critics say that that's an ironic request, given that those same students posted the names and images of students who were in the Conservative Federalist Society on posters around campus ahead of the event.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And one other interesting note here, the protest was not completely spontaneous. The local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild was involved in organizing it. That's a group that has dozens of chapters in law schools across the country and has organized many similar disruptions in the past.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And what about the other side? What have conservative students had to say?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, for their part, conservatives on campus say that they've long faced discrimination on campus and that one reason students reacted so strongly to the presence of Judge Duncan is because they aren't accustomed to hearing conservative points of view and don't know how to react when they do.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, to that point, we have seen hundreds of similar events over the last few years where conservatives were disrupted or shut down by left-leaning protesters on campus. So it is worth pointing out this does go beyond just Stanford.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Well, something tells me this won't be the last time we discuss free speech on campuses. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Host John Bickley: That's Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips. That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
--:-- Host John Bickley: The approval will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit scores. Expedia.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Ana e Isabel querían viajar juntas, pero sus presupuestos eran diferentes. Después de platicarlo, Isabel buscó paquetes de viaje en Expedia y descubrió que si reservaban juntas su vuelo y hotel, podría adaptarse al presupuesto de Ana.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Hello, Miami. Vives para viajar con tus amigos. Vivimos para ofrecer paquetes de vuelo y hotel por menos. Expedia. Vivimos para viajar.
