Morning Wire - China Travel Restrictions & New Divided Congress | 1.3.23

Episode Date: January 3, 2023

Several countries have joined the U.S. in implementing restrictions on travelers from China, the 118th Congress will convene for the first time, and the new year brings several new controversial laws to California. Get the facts first on Morning Wire.   Balance of Nature: Get $25 off your first order as a preferred customer plus a FREE Fiber & Spice. Use promo code WIRE at checkout: https://www.balanceofnature.com/   Nugenix: Text ‘WIRE’ to 231231 for a complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total T.   Birch Gold: Text "WIRE" to 989898 for your no-cost, no-obligation information kit.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Several countries have joined the U.S. in putting restrictions on travelers from China due to increased risk of COVID. There is no reason that we should allow the Chinese to do this again, knowingly infecting people all across the globe. Could China once again kindle a global COVID outbreak? I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, January 3rd, and this is Morning Wire. Today is the first day of a new Congress. Democrats, Republicans, and the Biden administration find common ground in a divided government in 23.

And California remains on the leading edge of progressive policy with a slew of new legislation going into effect in 2023. We break down the new laws and how they impact the Golden State. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. The American Heart Association recommends four to five servings each of fruits and vegetables every single day.

Now, that's no small task, especially given. your busy schedule. Balance of Nature fruit and veggie capsules are a convenient way to consume essential nutritional ingredients on the daily. Go to Balance of Nature.com and use promo code Wire for $25 off your first order as a preferred customer plus a free fiber and spice supplement. That's Balance of Nature.com promo code Wire. The U.S. has updated travel restrictions as COVID cases in China surge, but critics say a full travel ban is necessary. Here to discuss the situation is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presti So Amanda, do we have any reliable numbers on COVID cases in China right now?

Hey, Georgia. Well, China is, of course, not known for its transparency, so any numbers out of the communist nation need to be looked at skeptically. Remember, China, a nation of more than 1.2 billion people, they still maintain they've suffered only 5,200 deaths from the virus ever. But outside experts weighing in believe there could be up to 10 million new cases each day. And it's estimated that there could be as many as one of the virus. 1.7 million deaths from the virus over the next four months.

Now, they recently lifted their lockdowns. Is that why we're seeing so many new cases? Yeah, that's part of it. There's also this issue of low population immunity due to the fact that people were locked down for multiple years at this point. When other parts of the world were gaining herd immunity, China was enforcing extremely strict lockdowns. We saw a little bit of that lowered immunity here in the U.S.,

and our restrictions weren't nearly as severe as the ones in China. So this weakened immune system, coupled with the ineffective vaccines being employed in China, are the two major things being blamed for the spike. Now, we've been receiving travelers from China for years now. Most people have either had COVID or been vaccinated or both. What's the reasoning behind restricting travel now? Well, officials are warning that another variant or mutation could be spreading in China and that President Xi Jinping could actually be trying to spread such a variant across the globe.

That's obviously a strong claim to make, but here's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying just that. Just as in the spring of 20, he sent people around the world who he knew were infected. He's doing the same darn thing again. We should let that happen.

Pompeo called for a complete ban on travel from China to keep Americans safe. That would be far more restrictive than what the Biden administration is currently doing, which is merely requiring a negative test for travelers from China. But the current protocol

doesn't capture everyone who's had the virus, since false negatives can occur in someone who, for example, is tested too soon after exposure. Now, has the Biden administration indicated that a full ban on travel from China could be on the table? That's unclear. It's politically difficult for Biden, but it's possible there'll be pressure to do so this time around. You may remember in a campaign speech, Biden called Trump's travel ban hysterical xenophobia and fear-mongering and suggested instead that we should lead with science. Biden officials, though, have attempted to to distance the current situation from those claims. All right. Well, Amanda, thanks so much for reporting.

No problem. That was Daily Wire reporter, Amanda Prestajakamo. Coming up, the new year brings a new, divided Congress. Man, are you feeling less like your old self these days? Well, now there's something you can do about it. Nugentics Total T testosterone booster safely boosts free and total testosterone for better results in and out of the gym. No stimulants, no fillers, no watered down ingredients.

Get a complimentary bottle of Nuggenics Total C when you text WIRE to 231-2-3-1. Text now and you'll get a bottle of Nugentics Thermo, their most powerful fat incinerator, absolutely free. Text wire to 231-231. Again, that's wire to 231-231. Today in Washington, the 118th Congress will convene for the first time, kicking off a new era of divided government in the nation's capital. Here with more on how the new Congress will operate as Daily Wire's Senior Editor Cabot Phillips. Cabot first, can you give us a rundown of where things stand with this new Congress getting ready to convene? Well, the 20th Amendment stipulates that each new session of Congress will

start at noon on January 3rd. So later this afternoon, the 118th Congress will convene for the first time. The Senate will look more or less the same, though Democrats will have a more clear majority after gaining a seat in November. That 5149 advantage will allow them the power to confirm President Biden's federal judges at a much faster pace, and also control powerful committee assignments. All that will take place under Democrat Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, two people very familiar to the American people. So familiar faces in the Senate, but it's the House where things are going to look quite different this term, right?

Exactly. So Republicans took control of the chamber, ending up with a 222 to 12 margin. The big shakeup in the House, of course, is the departure of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who announced in December that she'd be stepping down for. from her role in House leadership. She'll be replaced by New York's Hakeem Jeffries, a 52-year-old progressive who Democrats were celebrating as the first black member to lead either party. But we're still waiting to see exactly

who will be leading the Republican Party as Speaker of the House. Yeah, there's been more of a power struggle than we expected there. Where does that stand now? Well, it had been widely presumed that if Republicans took the House, minority leader Kevin McCarthy would take over as Speaker. But because of how slim the Republican majority is,

McCarthy now needs to count on, your unanimous support from GOP members if he wants the spot. And that has not happened so far. Right. It looks like he could only afford to lose four Republican votes. And right now, they're around a dozen hardline conservative members who say that they definitely won't or likely won't support him. That has left McCarthy frantically trying to win them over, among other things, he's

publicly given into their demands to amend rules that will make it easier for the speaker to be voted out down the road. He's really just trying to do anything he can to get their support. Yeah. And if he's not able to secure those votes, there will be another round of voting and so on and so on later Tuesday until someone comes out on top. We've heard names like Steve Scalise of Louisiana thrown around as another potential option, maybe Jim Jordan from Ohio. But we'll just have to wait and see who comes out on top. But just the fact that it might not be McCarthy is pretty stunning.

Yeah. So from a policy perspective, what are the main issues we're expecting to see debated in the House as this session kicks off? Well, House Republicans have unveiled a plan they're calling the commitment to America, which, focuses on four main subjects, fighting inflation and high cost of living, reducing crime and securing the border, freedom and education for parents, and increased government accountability. Now, at the moment, it looks like the first vote they'll actually hold will be an attempt to repeal increased funding for the IRS, which, remember, had passed as part of the Democrats' so-called Inflation Reduction Act.

Republicans are also expected to launch formal investigations into the Biden family's business dealings, the origins of COVID and the job performance of cabinet members in the Biden administration to consider potential impeachment hearings. How will all this, this new divided Congress, affect the Biden administration? Well, let's put it this way. The days of President Biden being able to pass sweeping far-left measures through Congress are likely over. As Republican member, Patrick McHenry put it, quote, there's not been a concerted effort from this White House to have interaction with many Republicans. That's going to have to change. Now, it's well known that President Biden

and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell have a working relationship that goes back decades, That's just not the case in the House. We've heard from other Republican leaders who say that they're not actually that interested in working with Biden after he's demonized their party as extremists. And on top of that, among the two dozen or so Republicans who have voted with Democrats on major bills in the last year, a large chunk of those members were either voted out in midterms or step down. So do not be surprised if the White House is forced to resort to smaller executive orders as opposed to sweeping legislation. Okay, so we can expect more pin and phone decrees by the president.

Right. Cabot, thanks for reporting. Anytime. That's Daily Wire senior editor, Cabot Phillips. As California rings in the new year, a number of new controversial laws pushed through by progressives in the state legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom are set to take effect. Here to discuss the new laws and the impact they could have

on California as columnist David Marcus. So, Dave, a lot of controversy here. Which of the new laws really stand out to you? I think the crime measures, I can't in good faith call them anti-crime. measures may be the most vital here. One law assembly bill 2598 is a call to use what is called restorative justice for students who commit crimes to keep them out of the prison system. This really amounts to taking responsibility for crime among young people away from cops and

into the hands of social workers. Look, it's pretty standard lefty fair, but the fear is that with issues like gangs and drug dealing, there's no evidence that social workers can actually fix the problem. And look, it could give a green light to people under 18 to commit crimes. Now, some criminal activity in school has gotten quite a different treatment from California lawmakers. Hate crimes at schools will now face actually greater penalties. What's the thinking behind us? It's frankly kind of amazing. So this is AB 22, 82, and it would create harsher criminal penalties for people who display hateful material like nooses or swastikas in or around schools. First of all, it's not clear that this is some huge problem. Last year, it was only a few

dozen cases, but there's also a bit of hypocrisy here. One proponent of the bill says that, quote, I think, especially in high school, the threat of legal consequence will mitigate behavior, end quote. So basically, if you bring a gun to school, you get a chat with a social worker, but if you wear an offensive t-shirt, you might be looking at jail. It really shows where the priorities of California's progressive government are. economy, there are two measures dealing with the minimum wage that have created some controversy. What are they and why do they have conservatives and some moderates so worried? Right. So one of them essentially creates a council to establish a new minimum wage for fast food

workers with an upward limit of an astounding $22 an hour. The other ticks the overall minimum wage up from $15 to $15. As to the fast food workers, it was just last month that McDonald's opened its first fully automated location. And at 22 bucks an hour, we'll see a whole lot more of that. There's also some environmental measures, one having to do with neighborhoods near oil fields and another for bicyclists. What exactly do these laws do? The first requires that there be a 1,200 foot buffer between oil and gas wells and houses. The second is a set of protections for cyclists, in part to encourage bike riding over driving cars. So this latter one requires drivers to change lanes when passing a bike. It also makes it illegal for cities and towns to institute

licenses for bike riding. Gavin Newsom wants driving to be as difficult and expensive as possible, and biking to be as easy as possible to save Mother Earth. Now, whether people can actually get to work without cars in California, that's another story. Yeah, that's a big one. There's also a ban on large trucks and buses made before 2010 that just went into effect, correct? Right. And this chases back to a bunch of clean air regulations passed by the California Air Resources Board over a decade ago, but has now officially gone into effect as of Sunday. So the law bans any large trucks or buses made before 2010 from operating on California roadways. One analysis estimates that this will affect some 10% of the commercial motor vehicles operating in the state. That's around 200,000 vehicles. Now, we've reported before on probably the most controversial measure being enacted this year. That's the state's new transgender treatment sanctuary law. But there's also another hot button measure on abortion that's meant to increase access.

How exactly does this law work and why now? Right. This allows some nurse practitioners to perform first trimester abortions, and it is in response to California's desire to be an abortion destination. Bottom line, more abortions. And as you mentioned, more transgender treatment for minors. They really want to be at the fore of this part of the culture war. Yeah.

Well, California once again pushing leftward in its policies. David, thanks for reporting. Thanks. That was Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus. Other stories we're tracking this week. Tens of thousands of people lined up to pay their last respects to Pope Benedict at St. Peter's Basilica on Monday. The viewings will continue until the funeral, which will be presided over by Pope. Francis on Thursday.

The funeral for soccer star Pele will be held today. Thousands of mourners filed past his body at a soccer stadium in Brazil on Monday. Pele won three World Cups and died at age 82 after a battle with cancer. Thanks for waking up with us.

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