Morning Wire - FCC Complaint Against CBS & Italy Outlaws Surrogacy | Afternoon Update | 10.18.24

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

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This episode is brought to you by Responsible Man. Visit Responsibleman.com and use CodeWire for 30% off plus an additional $9 off your first order. That's Responsibleman.com CodeWire. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Friday, October 18th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. The Center for American Rights has filed a formal complaint with the FCC against CBS-owned WCBS TV. The Center is accusing the station of, quote, significant and substantial news alteration.

The complaint focuses on episodes of Face the Nation and 60 Minutes that aired conflicting responses from Vice President Kamala Harris. The complaint reads that, quote, CBS engaged in news distortion by editing its news program to such a great extent that the general public cannot know what answer the vice president actually gave to a question of great importance on a matter of national security policy. The center says the discrepancies violate FCC rules and is calling for CBS to release the unedited 60 Minutes transcript.

Center for American Rights President Daniel Sir says this issue impacts public trust in media during a critical election period. FCC Commissioner Nathan Symington has weighed in. In a prior proceeding on this matter, we gave the example of substituting a yes answer to one question or a no answer to an entirely different question. So the commission has certainly contemplated

the possibility of distortionary reporting taking place by a splicing. That's one reason I don't think that this complaint is facially ridiculous, and it would not be inappropriate for the commission to take it up. So the question really comes down to, is the licensee itself materially participating or at least acquiescing in a pattern of news distortion, and then is the allegation substantial?

It's deliberately intended to slant or mislead, and it involves a significant event. And in all of these cases, I don't think it would be wrong at all for the commission to reach the conclusion that this matter is something that we should look into further. President Biden announced Thursday that his administration's going to cancel $4.5 billion in student debt for around 60,000 public service workers, including teachers, nurses, and firefighters. The debt cancellation comes via the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The program, established in 2007, wipes away student loans for government and nonprofit employees

after 10 years of payments. So far, the Public Service Initiative has canceled $73 billion in loans, despite challenges in court and criticism that it favors those pursuing a college education over trade school degrees. Dr. Beth Akers from the American Enterprise Institute explained the problems with loan forgiveness in a Senate banking hearing. It's a misnomer to talk about student loan forgiveness or student loan cancellation. In fact, we should be using the terminology that this is a transfer of debt to taxpayers who are now on the hook to pay for these unpaid balances. Italy's parliament passed a law this week, making it illegal for couples to seek surrogacy abroad. The move is a key initiative of Prime Minister Georgia Maloney's conservative agenda. The legislation extends a 2004 ban on surrogacy in Italy, imposing penalties of up to two years in jail

and fines of one million euros for those who go to countries where it's legal like the U.S. Demonstrators protested the law accusing the government of attacking LGBTQ rights. Maloney's conservative government says, however, that the law protects women's dignity. With this bill, this week, we finally make womb renting forbidden in Italy, even for those who go abroad. And the rights of the children, I must emphasize, will be safeguarded. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com slash morningwire. That's Shopify.com slash morning wire.

New York City is planning a major redesign of fifth. Avenue in Midtown to ease congestion and make it more pedestrian-friendly. The $350 million project announced Thursday will widen sidewalks, add seating, and plant trees along the 20-block stretch from Central Park to Bryant Park. City officials hope the changes will improve foot traffic and retail sales. Critics say the plan doesn't do enough for transit riders, but supporters, including open plans Jackson Chavitt, says the redesign will restore Fifth Avenue's charm and revive the boulevards in Europe. When we choose to reallocate space from par, whether it's driving or parking, we can add

seating. People can walk and talk with their neighbors. They can cross the street safely. We can have faster bus times. The MLB playoffs are in full swing. Major League Baseball's playoff TV ratings are up 41% over last year, fueled by intense competition and show A. Otani's postseason debut. Fox Sports averaged 3.64 million viewers for the first four National League Division Series games,

while TNT Sports saw a 21% increase for its American League Division Series coverage. The playoffs began with four one-to-one ties in the Division Series for the first time, ensuring at least 16 of the 20 possible games will be played. And some positive news, a group of supporters are planning to surprise conservative activist Scott Pressler with a new car. You may have heard our interview with Pressler on Saturday, which details his effort to register voters in his home state of Pennsylvania, which has emerged as one of the most important battleground states. Pressler posted on X, he hoped his car tires would hold out as he drove across the state. That's when six of his friends set up a go-fund me for a new car. The expectations were greatly exceeded.

More than 2,200 people donated over 100,000 for Scott. Now the group will purchase him a brand new vehicle so he can continue to register voters in the crucial state of Pennsylvania. Scott's friends say the overwhelming support shows how much people appreciate his dedication to the cause. 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 reporting on the biggest stories of the day, tune into our full episode of Morning Wire every morning.