Morning Wire - Abortion Pill Restrictions & Maui Fire Update | Afternoon Update | 8.18.23

Episode Date: August 18, 2023

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I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Friday, August 18th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed both FBI Director Christopher Ray and Attorney General Merrick Garland in relation to the committee's ongoing censorship investigation. The committee is specifically seeking communication between the FBI, DOJ, and private companies. In a letter, the committee asked both federal agencies for volunteers, cooperation while noting that historically their compliance has been, quote, inadequate. Mail order access of a drug commonly used for abortion would end in the U.S. following a Wednesday appeals court ruling, which cannot take effect unless the Supreme Court weighs in. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision overturns a part of a lower court ruling, which would have revoked the FDA's

two-decade approval of the drug, Mithoprestone. The decision did leave a part of the original ruling in place. That would end the drug's distribution by mail, limit its use to the seventh week of pregnancy, and require it to be administered in the presence of a doctor. Those restrictions won't take effect right away because the Supreme Court previously intervened to keep the drug available during the legal fight. A Hawaiian water official has been reassigned after allegedly refusing to transfer water resources that would have helped firefighters battle the Maui wildfires. The Hawaii Department of land and natural resources deputy director M. Kaleo Manuel denied requests from Maui firefighters and various entities to open up reservoirs and streams as the fires grew more out of control.

Even after firefighters told the department they'd used all the on-hand water and were desperate for any help, Manuel reportedly delayed their requests. Here's Manuel. Native Hawaiians treated water is one of the earthly manifestations of a god and a kua. Kane. And so that reverence for a resource and that reciprocity in relationship was something that was really, really important to our worldview. My motto is always like, let water connect us and not divide us. Like we can share it, but it requires true conversations about equity. The world's top Chess Federation has ruled that men who identify as women cannot compete in its official events for females until an assessment of gender change is made by its officials.

The decision was announced Monday by Switzerland-based Federation F-I-D-E and led to the Federation fielding criticism from various transgender advocacy groups. The Federation says that for now, transgender players are allowed to participate in the open section of its chess tournaments and that assessment of gender could take up to two years. This week, New York City banned TikTok on all government-owned devices over security communications. The popular social media platform is owned by Chinese tech company BiteDance and has come under intense scrutiny from lawmakers and tech experts who say the platform is at risk of abuse by the Chinese communist government. Several cities and states have likewise banned the app's use on government devices. Stuart Kaplan, a former FBI agent, gave the following warning about the app on NBC.

There is enough information and enough intelligence out there that TikTok by other states, States-sponsored governments, meaning governments that are advocates to the United States and somewhat threatening to the United States, is utilizing TikTok on several platforms to either extrapolate our personal information to gain intelligence on us or to use the application for disinformation. And Britney Spears and Sam Asgari are getting divorced after 14 months of marriage. Asgari filed a petition to end the marriage with the Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this week, citing irreconcilable differences. He is also requesting spousal support and attorney's fees. According to the petition, the date of separation was July 28th.

Spears and Asgari got married in June of last year. The pair met in 2016 when Asgari co-starred with Spears in the music video for her single Slumber Party. All right, 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 our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.