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--:-- Georgia Howe: The recall election for California Governor Gavin Newsom is today. With Californians deciding first if they want to recall the governor and second who they want to replace him, we'll look at the latest developments and talk with the leading candidate in the crowded field of contenders.
--:-- John Bickley: I don't know any level, any front, any policy that this man has done that has made life better for Californians in the last two years.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, September 14th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: President Biden has mandated vaccinations or weekly testing for private companies employing at least 100 people. The move has set off a backlash from Republican governors nationwide. We'll look at their objections to the president's sweeping mandates.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And after more than a year of no in-person classes, students returned to New York City's public schools this week. But the school experience in the city has changed dramatically. We'll discuss the restrictions placed on students and concerns over the impact they could have on student learning.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This show is sponsored by MyBookie. It's winning season at MyBookie, and that means placing bets on NFL games has never been more profitable. Head to mybookie.ag and choose from a variety of boosts, contests, and promotions up for grabs, and use promo code WIRE to double your first deposit and your winnings.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, Californians decide whether their governor will be one of the few elected officials to ever be recalled in California history. John, we've been watching this recall, and we've been tracking the polls, and now here we are. It's election day.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, here it is. So what do we need to know watching the results?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, as we discussed some yesterday, this is a major event for California. We need to say that from the beginning here. To put this in some perspective, since 1913, California has had nearly 200 recall attempts. And of those attempts, only 11 got enough signatures to even qualify for the ballot. And just two of those were governors, by the way. That includes Newsom. So just getting to this point is significant.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. It really shows the degree of dissatisfaction with the governor. The leading issues we saw were his COVID policies and rises in crime and homelessness that have been well-documented.
--:-- John Bickley: So we've seen some pretty significant movement in the polls. A few weeks ago, things were really tight, close to 50-50, but more recent polls are showing Newsom looking pretty comfortable.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, the aggregate polling, like 538's, shows the Keep Newsom vote at around 57% and the support for the recall in the low 40s. That's why analysts are predicting he's going to stay in office.
--:-- John Bickley: But of course, many are highly skeptical of political polling. Like you mentioned, in early August, it was 50-50. And all that's required for Newsom to be recalled is a simple majority.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And now conservative radio host and author Larry Elder has been the leading contender. Where did his support end up?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, he just continued to pull away from the others. Multiple polls in the final days showed him with a lead as large as 25 to 30 points. So if Californians do vote to remove Newsom, he'll almost certainly be the new governor.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I spoke with him yesterday and asked him about the significance of the recall. Here's what he said.
--:-- [Clip of Larry Elder's audio plays]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, you're right. It is difficult. It only happened two times. The recall is on our Constitution. It's been there for 110 years. I think it's because of how badly this man has managed the state for the last two years.
--:-- John Bickley: About two million people signed a petition. Nearly a quarter to a third of them were the very people that voted for him just two years earlier.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The majority of Hispanics voted for him two years earlier. Now the majority of Hispanics want him out.
--:-- John Bickley: I also asked him about the final polling data showing Newsom ahead. Here was his response.
--:-- [Clip of Larry Elder's audio plays]
--:-- Georgia Howe: I feel good. I know that some people are claiming that the anti-recall side is gaining steam. I don't see it that way. I think the Democrats voted early. Republicans tend to be less trustful of mail-in voting. More likely to vote in person. And so I think there's going to be a huge surge of Republicans and independents voting that way.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, he suggested the recall itself is already a big win for conservatives in the state. And he also said he sees some signs that Democrats' support in the state is shifting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The message is people have had it. The message is that Democrats have lost this Jedi mind trick that they used to have over black and brown voters.
--:-- John Bickley: I think that a lot of black and brown people are going to rethink their historical allegiance or recent allegiance to the Democratic Party.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, as former Californians, this is going to be exciting to watch.
--:-- John Bickley: Right, it is. John, thanks for reporting. Enjoyed it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up, Republican governors push back on President Biden's vaccine mandates.
--:-- Ben Johnson: I'm Daily Wire reporter Ben Johnson. Morning, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So several governors are pushing back on this mandate. What are their legal arguments?
--:-- Ben Johnson: The most important response has been that imposing an employer mandate through executive action violates the Constitution. Vaccine mandates have always been made at the state level. The federal government traditionally only issues vaccination requirements for legal immigrants and federal workers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the U.S. doesn't have a tradition of rulers issuing binding edicts to their citizens. So it's not based on science, and you can say he's saying he's losing patience with people.
--:-- Ben Johnson: You know, at the end of the day, we don't live with a one-person rule in this country. We live in a constitutional system which people's rights are respected.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Arizona Governor Doug Ducey released a statement calling the president's mandate an egregious big government overreach. That robs Americans of their fundamental right to make health care decisions.
--:-- Ben Johnson: He went on to call it dictatorial, wrong, and un-American. Oklahoma Governor John Stitt put out a statement saying as long as I governor there will be no government vaccine mandates in Oklahoma.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So a lot of pushback and it seems like these governors believe the Constitution doesn't allow President Biden this power to issue a mandate like this at least on private employers.
--:-- Ben Johnson: And aside from the legal argument, they're also making an economic argument. The GOP says that threatening to fine employers $13,600 for each separate violation is the last thing businesses need in this economy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They also argue that this mandate's counterproductive. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said that if Americans are dubious about the government's statements about the vaccine now, they'll only be more suspicious when the government forces it on people.
--:-- Ben Johnson: It's not building the public trust to mandate these vaccines. The people who haven't gotten them need to be brought along by us talking to them, sharing data, not by having the heavy-handed government ordering them to do it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I mean, this is still America. This is not the Soviet Union.
--:-- Ben Johnson: So they believe the unforeseen consequences of this order will harm individuals and businesses.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And is there a political angle here?
--:-- Ben Johnson: Politics factor into every decision a president makes, and this is no exception. The week before this mandate, President Biden's approval rating reached a record low of 43 percent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So Republicans accuse him of trying to change the subject. It's noteworthy that the vaccination rates in minority communities remain below the national average.
--:-- Ben Johnson: So the president runs the risk of alienating part of his key constituency with this mandate.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Ultimately, Republicans say their opposition isn't just about this president or this mandate. It's about preventing any future president from encroaching on Americans' freedoms.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Here's Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. And it's not just about this one issue. I mean, what are they going to do next? If they set the precedent for this, what are they going to come for next in your business or, you know, in your nonprofit that you're running? That's what scares me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about President Biden? How's he responded to the blowback?
--:-- Ben Johnson: So far, the White House has been confident in public. President Biden responded to the threat of lawsuits over the weekend with three words. Have at it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We're obviously looking at a legal battle with a resolution in the courts.
--:-- Ben Johnson: Yeah, it sounds like we're going to be hearing about this for a while.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Ben, thanks for joining us. My pleasure.
--:-- Ben Johnson: That's Daily Wire reporter Ben Johnson.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Public schools in New York City opened for in-person learning Monday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. But classrooms look very different, with numerous restrictions in place that will keep the school year from feeling like a full return to normal.
--:-- Ash Short: Well, it's a very different school experience for sure. Kids are returning to school wearing masks. Some schools won't let kids use lockers and others have disabled water fountains.
--:-- Georgia Howe: New York's education department suggested sports and clubs, particularly band and choir, are too risky because of the amount of breathing involved.
--:-- Ash Short: The amount of breathing? Yeah, like the rapid breathing from playing sports or the act of blowing into an instrument.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Also banned, field trips, group projects, and parties. Students will have to eat lunch outside and aren't allowed to talk with their friends.
--:-- Ash Short: They'll also need to fill out a daily symptoms report each morning before class. And remote learning is no longer an option?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. This is the only option this school year.
--:-- Ash Short: Schools Chancellor Misha Porter acknowledged that students needed to be back in school for their mental and developmental well-being, but obviously there are questions about whether students can thrive under these circumstances.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And how long has it been that schools have been disrupted at this point?
--:-- Ash Short: It's been about 18 months now, and this is going to be the third straight school year affected by health restrictions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, these restrictions are much more stringent than the kind of things we see in adult workplaces. Why are we seeing this kind of rules for kids?
--:-- Ash Short: Mostly teachers unions. Even though kids present the lowest risk for severe complications from COVID-19, teachers unions insist the risk to adults is still high.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Part of their argument stems from the fact that children under 12 can't get the COVID-19 vaccine, but teachers can get the vaccine. So the impositions on children are controversial.
--:-- Ash Short: Now, Ash, is New York an extreme example?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Not really. We're seeing these types of rules in a lot of upper-middle-class areas. In Bedford, Massachusetts, for example, students will also have to eat outside without tables while sitting in chairs that are all spread apart and facing one direction.
--:-- Ash Short: It should be noted that children aged 12 to 15 in the town have an 85% vaccination rate, above the rate health experts have said is needed to stem the virus.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And how are parents reacting to this?
--:-- Ash Short: We haven't heard too much yet. Many believe in-person learning, even with these restrictions, is preferable to another year of remote learning.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. Other parents are asking why there isn't a remote learning option since they fear their children will catch COVID-19 if they're in the classroom.
--:-- Ash Short: And this is the first week that kids are going back to school. How are they doing so far?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Day one started off rocky since the website used for reporting symptoms experienced a glitch and everything had to be done by hand when kids showed up.
--:-- Ash Short: So it was pretty chaotic Monday morning, and it'll take a little time before we know how kids are handling school with all the restrictions.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, Ash, you'll have to keep us updated.
--:-- Ash Short: Sure thing. That's Daily Wire editor Ash Short.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Other stories we're tracking this week. The trial began Monday in Boston for two parents accused of fraud and bribery in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal.
--:-- John Bickley: John B. Wilson of Linfield, Massachusetts, and Gamal Abdelaziz of Las Vegas are being tried jointly in a U.S. district court. Both have pleaded not guilty.
--:-- Georgia Howe: High-profile parents Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin have already served short sentences after pleading guilty to involvement in the scandal.
--:-- John Bickley: And a hospital in upstate New York will stop delivering babies this month after dozens of staff members quit their jobs rather than get COVID vaccines.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Lewis County General Hospital says it's now unable to safely staff its maternity ward.
--:-- John Bickley: If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five-star review.
--:-- Georgia Howe: 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.
--:-- John Bickley: 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 past membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
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