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--:-- Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: And I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
--:-- John Bickley: The Biden administration links China to a massive cyber attack on American institutions. What does this mean for the relationship between the U.S. and China? And how is the administration responding?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: A new effort by Democrats to remove the Hyde Amendment looks to open the door for government-funded abortion. What's at stake and how are Republicans responding?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: This episode is sponsored by Expert Ownership. Over their career, the Benham brothers have built over a dozen businesses in a real estate portfolio that spans 35 states. They took their 40 years of experience building businesses and built a program to help you grow yours. Learn more at expertownership.com.
--:-- Ian Howarth: New details have emerged linking China to a major cyber attack against Microsoft earlier this year. The attack impacted at least 30,000 organizations across the world, including businesses, schools, and government offices in the U.S.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to update us on the story is Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Good morning. Great to be back. So what's going on with this story?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, this particular cyber attack happened in early March and went after Microsoft's Exchange email software.
--:-- Ian Howarth: At the time, Microsoft claimed that a network of suspected Chinese hackers infected tens of thousands of businesses, with one person even claiming that up to 250,000 people had been affected.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The latest update here is that on Monday, the Biden administration publicly blamed hackers linked with China's main intelligence service for the attack.
--:-- Ian Howarth: So they've officially linked the hackers to the Chinese government?
--:-- Ian Howarth: What exactly did they say?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. and other countries are holding the People's Republic of China accountable for its pattern of irresponsible, disruptive, and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Senior officials also called out China's main intelligence service specifically, saying they have high confidence that hackers tied with this agency are responsible.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so they're very clearly naming China. Have they backed that up with any consequences?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Not really. While this is definitely a public shaming of the Chinese government and certainly the most significant China-related response from the Biden administration so far, no actual measures, such as sanctions, for example, were shared.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We just had a very similar situation with Russia a few weeks ago. Has the administration taken a similar approach with China?
--:-- Ian Howarth: On the surface, this is certainly at odds with how they responded to Russia. President Biden was pretty clear that there would be consequences if Russia failed to act against cyber attacks originating in their country.
--:-- Georgia Howe: You said three weeks ago there would be consequences. Will there be consequences?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yes. And as I said earlier, the Biden administration has yet to discuss the idea of consequences when it comes to China.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But while President Biden's rhetoric appears to target Russia more aggressively, in reality, action has been limited when it comes to both regimes.
--:-- Ian Howarth: President Biden was recently asked about the difference in his approach between China and Russia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What if you're understanding it's the biggest difference between what they've done versus what Russia's done in terms of cyber hacking?
--:-- Ian Howarth: That'd take a longer explanation. He then said that he suspects both China and Russia are protecting those committing such attacks.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so looking at the broader issue of hacking, it seems like we've heard a lot about cyber attacks in the past few weeks. What's going on?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, it's a combination of factors. First off, there are a wide number of reasons why cyber attacks even happen. Some are backed by governments, while some are pushed by criminal groups with no government links. Some are motivated by profit, usually in the form of ransomware, while others are simply looking to spark as much chaos as possible.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. There are also other factors which only make this situation worse. Cryptocurrency, for example, is making off-the-books criminal activity even easier, and work from home due to the pandemic has introduced entirely new security gaps.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Okay, so this is a pretty complex problem. Is there anything we can do?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes, but we're definitely coming from behind here.
--:-- Ian Howarth: The Department of Energy asking Congress for around $200 million back in June to address holes in American digital infrastructure, for example, might be part of the solution, but it's likely this will only work if countries like Russia and China are actually held accountable for these really damaging attacks.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In the end, though, this just comes down to what the Biden administration means by consequences.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yeah, definitely. Thanks for coming on, Ian.
--:-- Georgia Howe: No problem. Daily Wire's Ian Howarth.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Up next, an effort to remove the Hyde Amendment sparks a battle over government-funded abortion.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Democrats in the House are attempting to remove a decades-old law that blocks federal money from funding abortions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to tell us more is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Morning, John.
--:-- John Bickley: Hi, Charlotte. So tell us about these two amendments. Why are they so significant?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Well, the Hyde Amendment, first passed in 1976, essentially bans the use of federal funding for abortion services, with some exceptions, including abortions that are done when a mother's life is in danger or in the case of rape or incest.
--:-- John Bickley: So the Hyde Amendment blocks federal funds from going to abortion, and the Weldon Amendment protects pro-life groups from discrimination.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Right. And neither of those are included in the spending bill. Not in its current form, although it does include language regarding abortion.
--:-- John Bickley: And some Republicans, like Representative Ashley Hinson, are pushing back hard.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: I rise today in support of the women who need encouragement to choose life, not coercion to end it. I rise today in support of the American taxpayer who does not want to pay for elective abortions with their hard money.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And does this move have support from the White House?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: It appears so. President Biden's proposed 2022 budget would also get rid of the Hyde Amendment.
--:-- John Bickley: President Biden was actually in favor of the amendment throughout most of his time in politics. But during his 2019 campaign, he shifted his position.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: After being criticized for supporting Hyde, he changed his view, pointing to Republican state legislatures passing pro-life laws as a reason.
--:-- John Bickley: He said that he believed health care is a right and could, quote, no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's zip code.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What about voters? Do Americans support federally funding abortions?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Polls say no. A recent poll by Marist found that a majority of Americans, 58 percent, opposed taxpayer funding of abortion.
--:-- John Bickley: This seems to be consistent with previous years. Harvard found in 2016 that only 36 percent of likely voters were in favor of Medicaid funded abortions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What's the Democrats' argument for getting rid of Hyde?
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Well, they say it hurts low income women. Rosa DeLauro, a member of the committee that pushed the bill, said she knows a lot of lawmakers on the other side of the aisle are concerned about it.
--:-- John Bickley: But she said, quote, repealing the Hyde Amendment is the best thing we can do to support our mothers and families and help prevent rather than penalize unwanted pregnancies and later riskier and more costly abortions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On the other side, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week that Senate Republicans would continue to stand up for the conscience rights of millions of Americans who don't want their money going to abortion providers.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: So a hard stance on both sides. What's next?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, the House still has to vote on it, and the Senate will likely try to shut it down.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Right. But even if that happens, Americans might see more Democrat-led efforts to federally protect abortion, especially since the Supreme Court recently agreed to review a Mississippi case that could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, we'll have to keep an eye on the Capitol. Thanks, Charlotte.
--:-- Charlotte Pence Bond: Sure thing. Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: As the economy continues to open up following COVID lockdowns, new data shows record-breaking inflation rates and price increases on a variety of consumer goods.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here to tell us what's causing the surge and how it could impact average American families is Daily Wire managing editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Cabot, thanks for joining us. Happy to be here.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So let's review some Econ 101. What is inflation?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Inflation is basically the decrease in purchasing power over time. Another way to think about it is just too many dollars chasing too few goods.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, for example, the Labor Department tracks the cost of basic goods each month and found that in the past year, prices are up more than 5% across the board. That's the largest annual increase since the Great Recession.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: What's causing the spike in inflation? Is this just fallout from COVID?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yes and no. A certain level of inflation is to be expected during an economic recovery. But COVID relief spending has certainly played a role.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The government essentially dumped $6 trillion into the economy, and that influx of cash means the dollar just doesn't go as far.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But experts also point to other root causes, like the Fed's decision to slash interest rates and supply chain shortages caused by COVID shutdowns.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So a lot of factors at work here. Yeah.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Will this be noticeable to average Americans? Like, what kind of effects will people see?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The most noticeable impact is just prices going up for a variety of goods. For example, the price of a used car jumped 45% over the last year alone, and much of that is due to inflation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 45%? That's the largest annual increase on record.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Food prices are also up. The price of eating out rose at a faster pace this month than any other since 1981.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And if you try and eat at home to save money, you're still going to be dealing with rising costs. Meat prices are up over 5% in the last month.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And across the board more broadly, groceries are 2.5% more expensive than last year.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What about businesses? How are they handling the price jumps?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Some are simply raising prices, but others are getting creative. Oreos, for example, are now being sold in new containers that hold fewer cookies, but cost the same.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Tillamook Ice Cream went that route as well. They've quietly reduced their cartons from 56 to 48 ounces, but again, they're charging the same.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: John is over here stockpiling Oreos right now. That's not a bad idea, John.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you look closely, you'll notice everything from smaller paper towel rolls to fewer Doritos in a bag. It's all part of shrinkflation, as experts call it.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So what should we expect? Will this just keep getting worse?
--:-- Georgia Howe: It's hard to know. Economists are divided on this. Something gets temporary and say inflation rates should taper off as the economy continues to recover.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here's President Biden earlier this week. Some folks have raised worries that this could be a sign of persistent inflation. But that's not our view.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Our experts believe, and the data shows, that most of the price increases we've seen were expected and are expected to be temporary.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, others, especially those on the right, are less optimistic. They think increased government spending will continue, along with the Fed's aggressive monetary policy, which means prolonged inflation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so we're not sure how long this will last. No.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he expects inflation to taper off shortly, but he's also been saying that for six months now, so it's hard to know what to expect.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, well, you'll have to keep us updated. Thanks for coming on, Cabot.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yep, anytime. Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Those are the top stories this morning, but there's more in the news to keep an eye on. Other big developments that we're tracking this week.
--:-- John Bickley: Haiti's interim prime minister, Claude Joseph, has agreed to step down and turn over power to challenger, Ariel Henry.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Henry was appointed prime minister one day prior to the assassination of Haiti's president, but had yet to be sworn in.
--:-- John Bickley: The move is a bid to stabilize the Caribbean nation, which has been under martial law since the assassination on July 7th.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On July 12th, dozens of Texas Democrats absconded in a chartered plane to D.C. in order to stall a vote on an election integrity bill, claiming that measures in the bill, including a requirement to show a form of ID, amounted to anti-Black discrimination.
--:-- John Bickley: This week, they join other Democrats for a week of voting-related events in D.C., some of which will now be held online after five of the Texas Democrats tested positive for COVID.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And a California court strikes down a portion of a law which would make it a criminal offense to willfully and repeatedly misgender a person in some settings.
--:-- John Bickley: In the case, titled Taking Offense vs. California, the court ruled that the First Amendment protects against compelled speech, including the use of specific pronouns.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, Subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening to this podcast.
--:-- John Bickley: And leave us a five-star review.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you prefer facts over feelings and aren't offended by the truth, join me, Ben Shapiro, on The Ben Shapiro Show Monday through Friday to get a whole lot of that and much more on the fastest moving daily news program in America.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll see you there.
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