--:-- [Upbeat music fades out, and the hosts introduce themselves]
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe, and welcome to Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: And I'm John Bickley, Daily Wire editor-in-chief. It's Monday, June 19th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
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--:-- John Bickley: A submarine used to take tourists to the Titanic shipwreck went missing this morning, sparking a search by Boston and Canadian Coast Guard crews. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has the latest.
--:-- Tim Pierce: It's unclear how many passengers are on board, but the vessel holds five people. The owner of the lost submersible, Ocean Gate Expeditions, said in a statement that it was working to bring the crew back safely. As of 1 p.m. today, the sub had an estimated 72 hours of oxygen left. The famous Titanic wreck is located more than 12,000 feet underwater, and the ascent can take up to eight hours. The experience reportedly retails for $250,000.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A lawyer for the National Police Association is demanding the release of the Nashville School Shooter's Manifesto. Daily Wire reporter Brandon Dray has more.
--:-- Brandon Dray: The shooter requested the writings to remain private due to concerns about copycat crimes. However, National Police Association attorney Doug Pierce argues that Tennessee state law requires authorities to release the documents to the public. According to Pierce, public transparency of the manifesto could provide insights that might help prevent future shootings.
--:-- John Bickley: For more information on the story, go to dailywire.com. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his weekend visit to China, claiming that the two countries have made progress in several key areas.
--:-- Antony Blinken: During those meetings, we had a robust conversation about regional and global challenges. That includes Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. I reiterated that we would welcome China playing a constructive role, along with other nations, to work toward a just peace based on the principles of the United Nations Charter.
--:-- John Bickley: Blinken also clarified the Biden administration's stance toward Taiwanese-Chinese relations.
--:-- Antony Blinken: On Taiwan, I reiterated the longstanding U.S. One China policy. That policy has not changed. It's guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communiques, the six assurances. We do not support Taiwan independence. We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Meanwhile, former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster stated that American relations with China today are worse than they were with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
--:-- H.R. McMaster: It's a more difficult problem set because of the way that our economies have become interconnected in large measure based on these flawed assumptions about the nature relationship and especially the intentions of the Chinese Communist Party. China really does want to establish itself at the center.
--:-- John Bickley: Blinken's visit lacked the usual pomp and circumstance typically associated with a state visit and comes after months of aggressive Chinese actions in the South China Sea. McMaster said that the display of strength near Taiwan was intentional.
--:-- H.R. McMaster: China's sending a message, hey, we're in charge now. You're finished to the West and to the United States. And I think it's indicative of what they hope to achieve, Margaret, which is to create kind of an exclusionary area of primacy across the Indo-Pacific region. They've laid claim to the ocean in the South China Sea, for example.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Podcaster Joe Rogan has invited scientist Dr. Peter Hotez on his show to debate Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. after Hotez heavily criticized Rogan's conversation with the candidate about vaccine efficacy.
--:-- John Bickley: Here with more is Daily Wire field reporter Spencer Lindquist.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: Rogan offered Hotez $100,000 to the charity of his choice if he would come on the program and debate Kennedy. Hotez, who's a dean at the Baylor College of Medicine and is a director at the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, slammed the conversation between Rogan and Kennedy, tweeting a link to an article criticizing Rogan's show as misinformation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Hotez later went on MSNBC to explain why he refuses to engage with RFK, despite the potential for hundreds of thousands to be raised for charity.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: Anti-disinformation is always done a lot of damage in heart, but now it's a lethal force in the United States. And that's why we have to have that discussion. And I offered to come and talk to Joe Rogan again, I've been on a couple of times, and have that discussion with him, but not to turn it into the Jerry Springer show with having RFK Jr. on.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Kennedy has not yet responded to Hotez's TV appearance, but did respond during the back and forth on Twitter. He said, quote, Peter, let's finally have the respectful, congenial, informative debate that the American people deserve.
--:-- John Bickley: 23 people were shot and one person is dead after a large crowd gathered in a strip mall parking lot southwest of Chicago to celebrate Juneteenth over the weekend. Authorities say they were monitoring the gathering Saturday evening in Willowbrook, Illinois, before an unknown number of suspects opened fire shortly after midnight.
--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden is officially on the campaign trail. Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell.
--:-- Zach Jewell: The 80-year-old commander-in-chief and his surrogates, including First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, will host a combined 20 fundraisers over the next few weeks. The effort comes as a whopping 71% of Americans and more than half of all Democrats say Biden is too old to hold office. The president's main challenger on the Democratic side has been Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
--:-- John Bickley: Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
