Morning Wire - New Sec. of Labor & Chicago's Mayoral Race | Tuesday Afternoon Update | 2.28.23

Episode Date: February 28, 2023

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This is Daily Wire, editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Tuesday, February 28th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. President Biden said today he's nominating the current Deputy Secretary of Labor, Julie Sue, to be the next Secretary of Labor. Sue has come under criticism in the past for indirectly overseeing the California Employment Development Department as one-tenth of the $114 billion in pandemic relief claims the agency handled reportedly involved fraudulent activity. If confirmed, Sue would replace Marty Walsh,

who left the administration to become head of the National Hockey League Players Association. On Tuesday, the Biden administration requested that Congress reauthorize the surveillance program known as Section 702. The controversial spying program is intended to monitor the communications of foreigners abroad. But critics warn that it has the potential

to electronically record American citizens. The Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence claim it is necessary for American safety. This morning, 16 members of Congress sent the Biden administration a bipartisan letter urging the president to send F-16s to Ukraine. The Pentagon has said that F-16s are not needed at this moment in the fight against Russia, but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say differently. Here's Republican Congressman Michael McCall. We can certainly write into our appropriations bills prioritizing, weapons systems, we intend to do that. Well, I think with enough pressure from Congress on both

sides of the aisle, we can get into Ukraine what they really need to win this fight. Residents of Chicago head to the polls today to elect a new mayor for the nation's third largest city, where crime has become a key ballot issue. Current first-term mayor, Lori Lightfoot, faces challenges from eight rivals. And according to recent polling, the election could go to a runoff in April. A poll from Northwestern University shows a tight- race with Paul Valis and U.S. Representative Jesus Garcia in the lead, with 19% and 17% respectively. Lightfoot currently sits at 14%. California officially ended its COVID-19 state of emergency today. It's been nearly three years since Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom enacted the emergency powers.

Despite the governor being stripped of certain authorities, things such as statewide mask mandates in health care settings and long-term care and adult senior care settings will remain in place. A massive shipment of the deadly drug fentanyl, enough to reportedly kill 50 million people, has been seized by U.S. Border Patrol in Southern California. A tweet from Raul Ortiz, chief of U.S. Border Patrol, reads, quote, San Diego agents and local LEO partners arrested three and seized 230 pounds of fentanyl worth over $3 million. The drug seizure was made during a routine traffic stop in Orange County over the weekend.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill today that bans transgender medical treatments for children. House Bill 1125 banned sex change surgical procedures, as well as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for anyone under 18. Daily Wire host, Matt Walsh, was at the signing ceremony and gave remarks. I'm extremely encouraged to not only see this law being passed, but to see the national movement that we have been able to build, pushing back against the gender ideology madness. One of the most basic truths is that children who are confused about their identity need guidance and love and clarity. They don't need hormone injections and scalples.

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 the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.