The Daily Signal - Super Tuesday, SCOTUS Blocks Texas Law, Sen. Sinema Won’t Seek Re-Election | March 5

Episode Date: March 5, 2024

Super Tuesday is underway throughout the country The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked a Texas law on Monday that gives Texas law enforcement officers the ability to arrest illegal aliens entering the country from Mexico.  Liver Cancer in Teens, Reduced Sexual Function, Lack of Consent: Internal Docs Reveal Experimental Nature of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’: https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/03/05/liver-cancer-teens-reduced-sexual-function-lack-consent-internal-docs-reveal-experimental-nature-gender-affirming-care/ REPORT: Teachers Unions Quietly Spend Millions on GOP Primaries in 32 States: https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/03/04/report-teachers-unions-spend-millions-gop-primaries/ On Monday, Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed what she labeled “anti-immigrant legislation.” Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she will not seek re-election  Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription   Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm Virginia Allen, and this is the Daily Signal Top News for Tuesday, March 5th. Here are today's headlines. Well, today is Super Tuesday in 15 states, as well as one U.S. territory, are holding primaries or caucuses today. Those states are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia. Those are all the states that have primaries. and then caucuses are being held in Alaska and Utah. Former President Donald Trump said on true social this morning, Super Tuesday, a really big deal.

Please get out and vote. And former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, similarly weighed in on Super Tuesday, writing polls are open now across the country, make your plan and make your voice heard. Trump has already clenched GOP primaries and caucus victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Michigan, Idaho, and Missouri, and Haley won the D.C. primary over the weekend.

Executive Vice President of Heritage Action for America, Ryan Walker, join me on the show this morning to dive deep into Super Tuesday and what to expect on the Daily Signal podcast. If you happen to miss that conversation, here's a little bit of what Ryan had to say about the number one issue driving voters to the polls today. The number one issue right now is the border. And that has not been historically the case. It's always been in it. Well, recently it has been a top four issue for voters. Now it's number one by far margins. And then secondly, people care about the price of goods.

They care about the price of rent, gas, and groceries. It's the day-to-day impact on their daily lives. And so they see it. And there are other issues related with all of that. With the border, you have crime that comes with it, drugs that come with it that are coming into the communities. And then safety, security, this idea that somehow the school system and your hospital infrastructure and all of these social goods that are part of our great system are being undermined by illegal immigrants coming into towns and communities across the country, it's a dominating and will be, I think, a vote determinative issue for a large number of people. Well, if you want to go a little bit deeper on Super Tuesday, you can go back and catch that conversation.

with Ryan Walker. But we are continuing to watch results as they roll in. Most polls close around 7 p.m. this evening, so we'll be watching to see the results. Stay tuned. In border-related news, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a Texas law on Monday. The law gives Texas law enforcement officers the ability to arrest illegal aliens entering the country from Mexico. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed that law in December, but the law is blocked. from taking effect until next Wednesday, March 13th, according to an order signed by the Supreme Court's Justice Samuel Alito. The order also notes that the state of Texas has until next Monday, March 11th, to respond. On Saturday, the Fifth Circuit Court overturned a lower court's decision

to block the Texas law, known as Senate Bill 4, because the legislation infringes on the federal government's sole authority to enforce immigration laws, according to a report from National Review. The Hill reports that the Justice Department filed an emergency motion on Monday, asking the nation's highest court to intervene, with Solicitor General Elizabeth Prologer arguing that the law would alter the status quo that the exist that has existed. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prulogger. With Solicitor General Elizabeth Prologger arguing that the law would alter the status quo that has existed between the United States and the states in the context of immigration for almost 150 years. We'll keep you posted on this story as it continues to develop.

Let's talk teachers unions. Though teachers unions are well known for donating huge sums to Democrat candidates, a closer look at donor data has revealed that unions have spent the last six years quietly slipping millions of dollars into the pockets of Republican candidates for state legislators in contested primary races. Now, that's according to reporting from the Daily Signals, Tony Kinnett. Tony reports that according to databases maintained by open secrets and follow the money, the largest teachers unions in 32 states have drastically increased donations to Republican state houses, assembly, and Senate candidates since 2018. donating up to $117,700 to individual candidates in a Republican primary.

Now, take 2012 and 2016 elections, for instance, only 12 state teachers unions donated to Republican primary candidates for state legislatures, and of those, only three state unions donated average sums of over $3,000 per Republican candidate. Teachers unions are the largest donor to Democrat campaigns in the United States, with their unions and affiliated political action committees donating 55.3 million to Democratic primary and general election candidates in congressional elections in 2022 and 66.5 million to Democrat primary and general congressional and presidential candidates in 2020. In 2022, teachers unions only donated just over $26,000 in total to Republican primary and general congressional candidates. But in state legislative races, as opposed to congressional ones, things were a little bit different. Some Republicans started getting a bit more support from teachers unions starting around 2018, especially those running in districts that typically elect Republicans to office. For the majority of the states, the local teachers union are the affiliates of one of two

large national unions, either the National Education Association or the American Federation of Teachers. Both unions appear to have adopted a different donation strategy over the past decade, however. Instead of only investing in Democrat campaigns, they also put money behind the union's preferred candidates in Republican primaries. So, are those donations affecting policy? Well, according to Tony's reporting, one indeed, Republican State Senator has received over $42,000 from the Indiana State Teachers Association since 2018 and has voted against the Senate's Republican majority on more education and parental rights bills than any other current serving Republican state senator.

If you want to dive a little bit deeper into this story and what is happening with teachers' union donations, be sure to check out Tony's full report. in today's show notes. Our colleague Tyler O'Neill reports that doctors at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health are struggling to explain the side effects of gender treatments. Doctors have found that effects include cancer and teens, reduced sexual function, and the lack of informed consent for procedures with lifelong impacts. That's according to newly unearthed documents that reveal what happens after gender.

treatments. The World Professional Association of Transgender Health is a controversial organization that transgender advocates and health agencies use to justify transgender medical interventions. The group frames itself as the leading expert organization on medical care for people who identify as transgender. The group has faced criticism for advocating for experimental practices that ignore serious concerns about informed consent and long-term side effects. Journalist Michael Schellenberger released a report called the WPATH Files, of course, that acronym standing for the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. And he released that report through his nonprofit, environmental progress, on Monday night.

In the files, doctors and other medical professionals at the World Professional Association of Transgender Health struggle with serious medical issues that underscore the idea that the transgender hormones and surgeries commonly referred to as gender-affirming care represent a wild west of experimental medicine. Schellenberger told the Daily Signal that the files reveal their whole paradigm falling apart over the last three years. Schellenberger added that I'm relieved the files are out in the world for everyone to read. nobody can claim to understand the gender issue without reading these files. When I asked what most shocked him about the files, Schellenberger responded that the World Professional Association of Transgender Health members and leaders

spoke so frankly about not getting informed consent from their patients. To learn more about these files, check out Tyler O'Neill's reporting in today's show notes. On Monday, Arizona Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, vetoed what she labeled anti-immigration legislation. Hobbs shared a video on X about the legislation that's known as SB 1231 and her reasoning for the veto. She says in the caption that the bill does not secure our border. Let's take a listen to what she had to say in her video on X. Today I'm delivering on my promise and I am vetoing Senate Bill 1231. This bill does not secure our border. On the contrary, it will be harmful for communities and businesses in our state and a burden

for law enforcement personnel. I know there's frustration by the federal government's failure to secure our border, but this bill is not the solution. It's for these reasons, I will veto Senate Bill 1231. Republican Arizona State Senator Jenae Shamp sponsored the legislation, and she said in a Monday press release from the Arizona State Republicans that the heart-wrenching, February 22nd murder of Georgia nursing student Lake and Riley happened at the hands of a criminal who entered our country illegally. Arizona families are being torn apart by similar devastation. According to the same press release, the legislation would have established in Arizona law three border-related crimes with subsequent punishments. The release added that local,

County and state law enforcement officers would have been granted authority to arrest any non-U.S. citizen who entered Arizona from anywhere but a lawful entrance point, as well as those who have already been removed from our country or denied entry and those who have previously been ordered to leave but refuse to comply. And in other Arizona-related news today, Arizona independent Senator Kristen Sinema will not be seeking real life. this November. In a video shared on X this afternoon, Cinema said, I love Arizona and I'm so proud of what we've delivered. Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year. Cinema was first elected

in November of 2018 as a Democrat, but switched to an independent in December of 2022. With that, that's going to be it for today's episode. Thanks a much. much for joining us here on the Daily Signals, top news if you haven't had the chance. Make sure that you check out our morning show right here in this podcast feed where we bring you interviews with lawmakers, experts, and leading conservative voices. Tomorrow morning, Tyler O'Neill is sitting down with Virginia Prodan, a human rights lawyer who grew up in communist Romania. She has a chilling message for Americans. Also make sure to take a minute to subscribe to the Daily Signal podcast wherever you like to listen and take a minute to leave us a five-star rating and review.

Have a great rest of your day. We will see you right back here tomorrow morning for the Daily Signal's interview edition. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Luey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit Daily signal.com.