Morning Wire - Friday | September 3, 2021

Episode Date: September 3, 2021

The Supreme Court upholds the new Texas pro-life law, the power vacuum in Afghanistan opens opportunities for China, and Florida takes steps to enforce Gov. DeSantis’s order against mask mandates in schools. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Supreme Court upholds a new pro-life law in Texas that bans nearly all abortions in the state. Our creatives endowed us with the right to life. In Texas, we work to save those lives. That's exactly what the Texas legislature did his sessions. How was the White House responded to the ruling, and what does it mean for the future of Roe v. Wade? I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, September 3rd, and this is Morning Wire. With the U.S. now fully withdrawn from Afghanistan, China eyes the resource-rich country.

What are the geopolitical implications of a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and what are China's key interests in the region? And the Florida Department of Education is moving forward on its warnings to school boards that are defying the governor's order on school mask mandates. We'll look at how the state is enforcing the order intended to protect parents' rights, and how school districts are at its' tempting to defy it. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Football season is back, and bet online is the number one spot for all your sports betting needs. Right now, new bet online users can earn up to $1,000 in bonus cash just for signing

up. With the earliest betting lines and the largest selection of prop bets available online, sign up now and start this season off a winner with bet online. On Wednesday evening, the Supreme Court denied an emergency petition from abortion providers, issuing a 5-4 ruling to uphold a new law in Texas that outlaws the vast majority of abortions in the state. Here to break it all down is Daily Wire managing editor Cabot Phillips. So Cabot, give us a little background here. How did this end up in the Supreme Court? So this has actually been in the works for a bit. Back in May, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law, outlawing abortion once a doctor could detect activity in the heart of the unborn child. But this isn't a heartbeat bill. This actually

goes beyond that, as the language says cardiac activity, which starts before an actual heartbeat at around the six-week mark of pregnancy. So other states have attempted to pass similar laws in the past, but federal courts have usually blocked them, but not this time. Abortion providers in Texas filed an emergency appeal, but the Supreme Court ruled 5'4 that it would not be overturned. Now, they didn't explicitly state whether the law was constitutional in their eyes or not, just that they could not block it. Justice Sotomayor was among those who voted to reverse the law, she called it stunning and said her fellow justices who voted to uphold the law have, quote, opted to bury their heads in the sand. Why was this law upheld when other similar

ones were struck down? That's a good question. From what we're told, this law was actually intentionally crafted in a way that would make it difficult to overturn in court. So traditionally, the state would prosecute anyone who violated a law like this. But in Texas, the state has now open the door for individuals to sue those who take part in the abortion. So now doctors and anyone else who, quote, aides and abets illegal abortions can be sued by private citizens. Legal experts say the fact that the suits will be civil as opposed to criminal will actually make it harder to overturn in court. So abortion providers in the state say they're worried about challenging the law because they would be financially liable and could open themselves up to having to pay massive sums of money in

court. So the fact that lawmakers made this a civil issue rather than a criminal one is key here. That's the key point, yeah. What sort of response have we seen from the White House? As you can expect, President Biden immediately denounced the court's ruling. He called the law extreme and unconstitutional. He filed that up on Thursday morning by announcing a whole-of-government effort to fight the law. He'll be ordering the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services to find ways to overturn the law. The White House is also encouraging Congress to pass a bill codifying Roewey Wade. That would make it almost impossible for abortion bans like this one to stand up in court. But it's unlikely at the moment as it would take

60 votes in the Senate, though it is noteworthy that the White House is calling for that in the first place. Right. So what sort of impacted this ruling have on the ground in Texas? On Tuesday, there were reportedly huge lines at many clinics as women rushed to get abortions before the window closed. Some providers said they performed more abortions Tuesday than any other day memory. But by midnight, they began turning patients away as the law went into effect. Now we're seeing reports of women going to other states in search of abortions. And some companies, including the dating app Match.com, have actually said they'll offer funds to employees who have to leave Texas to get an abortion. Really? Yeah. And on the other side, pro-life groups are celebrating the verdict.

They simultaneously called on Texans to donate to crisis pregnancy centers and other resources for expectant mothers who otherwise would have had an abortion. Pro-life clinics in the state, said they're already seeing a surge in the number of patients coming through their doors. So clearly, this is a massive ruling. What does it mean for the broader abortion discussion? Well, this is really just a start. This fall, we're going to be hearing a whole lot more about the abortion debate. The Supreme Court will hear a separate case this fall out of Mississippi

where they could decide the fate of Roe v. Wade and whether it should be overturned. Those in the Pro-Lev camp are hoping this week's ruling is a sign that the court will rule in their favor this fall. I just spoke with Lila Rose. She's the founder of Pro-Life Group Live Action, and she had this to say about the ruling. The fact that the Supreme Court allowed, at least for now, Texas's heartbeat law to remain in effect, is unprecedented. And it reveals that the court is perhaps beginning to see what they should have seen all along, which is that human rights don't begin at birth. They begin before.

So we're very hopeful to see how the court will rule next year on the Dobbs v. Mississippi case. Cabot, thanks for the rundown. Absolutely. That's Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips. Coming up, what China stands to gain from the Afghanistan crisis. If you're with Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, you're paying too much. Switching to Pure Talk saves the average family over $800 a year. Right now, get unlimited talk, text, and six gigs of data for just $30 a month.

Find the plan that's right for you at PureTalk.com. With U.S. forces now withdrawn from Afghanistan, experts are worried. warning about the power vacuum created by America's absence. Here to discuss the global implications of the U.S. withdrawal is Daily Wires Ian Howarth. Morning, Georgia. Morning. So we've been covering the news on the ground in Afghanistan and what it means for the Biden administration. But you're suggesting that there are much broader implications here. Yes, exactly. While the withdrawal itself has received a lot of focus, and understandably so,

we should remember that there are other factors at play on the global stage when it comes to Afghanistan and the vacuum left behind by the U.S. withdrawal. Most notably, how China will look to capitalize on this change in the region. So how does China plan all this? There are several key things to consider here. First, in terms of territory, we should remember that the countries actually share a border with a 57-mile boundary in the far northeast of Afghanistan. With this in mind, China will obviously be delighted that the U.S. no longer has forces placed so close to Chinese territory on the west of the country. Then we need to understand. that Afghanistan is sitting on natural resources worth at least $1 trillion,

including what many think will be the largest lithium reserves in the world, all yet to be mined. Unlike the U.S., China may look to capitalize on these resources while demanding far less from Afghanistan's leadership in terms of basic human rights, whether from the Taliban or any other group. There's also a financial edge to this battle, with D.C. freezing billions in Afghanistan's reserves and the International Monetary Fund cutting off funding for Afghanistan.

So Chinese investment might be welcomed as at least some form of partial solution to this problem. And we also have to consider this in the context of China's global strategy of extending their influence. They have already invested billions of dollars in Pakistan and Iran, and Turkey is eyeing Chinese support as their relationship with the US and EU falls apart. This basically means that China has a corridor of influence from the far east to the Mediterranean Sea. And as time goes on, Chinese influence is only spreading further into areas of Europe, Europe and Africa. Interesting.

So geographically, Afghanistan is kind of a key puzzle piece for China. Yes, and let's not forget, there's also the saber rattling aspect here. China is looking to assert their dominance both economically and militarily. A military embarrassment for the U.S. followed by an expression of strength by the Chinese would be a win for their propaganda efforts, especially as they look to put pressure on both the West and nearby territories. Are there any downsides for China with the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan? Well, the only major factor which will concern Beijing will be the threat of terrorism

posed by a resurgent Taliban and the groups they will likely harbor, including al-Qaeda and ISIS. The Chinese communist regime will almost certainly be keeping a close eye on their western border with Afghanistan. We should remember that this border is located along the Xinjiang province where the CCP is violently cracking down on Uyghur Muslims in the region, in what many are calling an act of genocide. Right. A lot to be concerned about there.

Ian, thanks. Thanks for having me. DailyWire's Ian Howarth. Florida state officials are continuing to battle it out with school boards, defying the state's ban on universal mask mandates in schools. Here to tell us more is DailyWire's Charlotte Pince Bond. So Charlotte, what's happening now in Florida? Actually, a lot has been happening.

Just this Monday, the Florida Department of Education announced it withheld monthly salaries from school board members in Alachua and Broward County. The department said that the districts have implemented a mandatory face mask policy that violates parental rights by not allowing parents or guardians to opt out their child. It also said that this withholding of funds is going to continue monthly until each school board complies with state law and rule. For those not tracking this, can you explain how this all got started? Yeah, this goes back to Governor Ron DeSantis's executive order in July that connected mask wearing to the parents' bill of rights passed by the legislature earlier this year. His order essentially gives parents the right to decide whether or not their children wear masks.

masks at school. Last week, a circuit county judge ruled that DeSantis' executive order was without legal authority. DeSantis promised to appeal the ruling on Monday, saying the way the judge ruled actually gives the state grounds to appeal, since it has to do with the school boards, which weren't parties to the case. And look, at the end of the day, what the parents' bill of rights requires, in our judgment, is that parents be given the right to opt out if they think that's in the best interests of their kids. So districts can actually have policies, but you got to afford parent the right. They've basically taken away the right of parent and say, you don't have any say in it. So what's the latest from the Biden administration? We've noted before that they've gotten

involved in this. Yes, they have, and they're getting more involved. President Biden recently asked his education department to see what legal action they could take against governors pushing back on mask mandates and schools. On Monday, the Federal Education Department's Office for Civil Rights sent letters to chief state school officers of Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. The office is looking into whether statewide limits on indoor masking discriminate against students with disabilities at heightened risk for severe illness by preventing them, as they put it, from safely accessing in-person education. It's also going to closely monitor several other states, including Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Arizona. But it has not opened investigations into those states

because state actions and court rulings have blocked their bans from being enforced for now. So the Biden administration is claiming those mask mandate bans could discriminate against certain kids. Yeah, that's what they're looking into. However, in Florida and other states, those who oppose universal masking for kids in schools often point to the health risks and disadvantages of masks, especially for children with disabilities. In fact, DeSantis's order was also actually aimed at protecting children. with disabilities or health conditions, who would be harmed by rules like mask mandates. Interesting. We'll be watching as the court battles continue. Thanks, Charlotte.

Thanks for having me. DailyWire's Charlotte Pincebond. Other stories were tracking this week. New York and New Jersey have experienced intense flooding as the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the area on Wednesday, killing more than 20 people. Both governors have declared states of emergency. The rains affected subway lines and canceled hundreds of flights. Videos on social media show rivers forming in the streets in New York City, with water reaching as high as the headlights of some cars. And in Louisiana,

thousands of people still remain without power as a result of the storm, which was a category four hurricane when it hit New Orleans on Sunday. Officials say power outages could last for weeks for some residents. If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more,

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