Jimmy Carter Passes Away & The H-1B Visa Divide | 12.30.24

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary Episode: "Jimmy Carter Passes Away & The H-1B Visa Divide" | December 30, 2024

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1. Passing of Jimmy Carter

Overview: The episode opens with the somber news of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States and the longest-living former president, passing away at the age of 100. Carter's legacy extends beyond his presidency, emphasizing his extensive humanitarian efforts post-office.

Key Points:

• Announcement of Passing:
  John Bickley announces at [00:17] that Jimmy Carter has died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family. Carter entered hospice care last year after a cancer diagnosis.

• Legacy and Humanitarian Work:
  Tim Rice, Deputy Managing Editor, discusses Carter's impactful life, highlighting his work with Habitat for Humanity alongside his wife, Rosalind. This humanitarian effort earned him the Nobel Prize in 2002, underscoring his significant contributions post-presidency despite the challenges during his tenure, such as the Iranian hostage crisis and economic struggles.

• Family and Public Tributes:
  Carter leaves behind a large family, including children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Tim Rice notes that President Joe Biden plans to deliver Carter's eulogy, as per Carter’s request. Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement honoring Carter, acknowledging his efforts to improve American lives.

Notable Quotes:

• Chip Carter, Jimmy Carter’s son, stated: “My father was a hero not only to me, but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love...” ([02:25]).
• Donald Trump praised Carter: “The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country, and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans...” ([05:39]).

2. Air Tragedies and Vladimir Putin's Apology

Overview: The podcast delves into two tragic air disasters that occurred over the weekend, with political ramifications stemming from a Russian military's involvement in one of the crashes.

Key Points:

• South Korea Plane Crash:
  Cabot Phillips, Senior Editor, describes a passenger flight from Bangkok that collided with birds near Seoul, leading to engine failure and a subsequent crash. The tragic outcome resulted in the loss of 179 out of 181 passengers ([06:44]).

• Russian Airliner Downing:
  A separate incident involved a commercial jet from Azerbaijan heading to Russia, which was shot down by Russian air defense systems in Kazakhstan. Initially deemed an accident, evidence suggested a missile strike, leading to international outrage. Cabot Phillips explains that President Vladimir Putin issued an apology but stopped short of full accountability, attributing the incident to defensive actions against Ukrainian drones ([07:34]-[08:56]).

• Political Implications and US Response:
  The downing of the Azerbaijani flight occurred amidst escalating tensions, as the Biden administration announced billions in new funding for Ukraine. This move is seen as an effort to bolster Ukraine ahead of upcoming negotiations with President-elect Trump, who has pledged a swift end to the conflict ([09:22]-[10:06]).

Notable Quotes:

• Cabot Phillips on Putin's response: “Unsurprisingly, the Russian president stopped short of taking responsibility for the disaster...” ([08:56]).
• John Bickley highlights the Biden administration's actions: “President Biden has announced billions in new funding for the Ukrainian war effort...” ([09:22]).

3. The H-1B Visa Debate Within the Republican Party

Overview: The episode explores the internal debate within the Republican Party regarding the H-1B visa program, highlighting differing perspectives between traditional conservatives and tech industry leaders.

Key Points:

• Divergent Views on H-1B Visas:
  Megan Basham, Culture Reporter, explains that traditional conservatives and the MAGA base view the H-1B program skeptically, arguing it is often exploited to hire cheaper foreign labor, thereby depressing American wages. Conversely, tech leaders like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy advocate for the expansion of the program, emphasizing its role in maintaining America's competitive edge by attracting top global engineering talent ([10:30]-[12:00]).

• President-Elect Trump's Stance:
  While President-elect Trump supports the H-1B program for highly skilled workers, he maintains reservations, advocating for reforms to prevent abuse. His support is nuanced, supporting the hiring of top-tier talent without compromising American job standards ([12:00]-[12:04]).

• Proposed Reforms and Party Consensus:
  Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator, emphasizes the need to retain the program's benefits for top talent while eliminating its misuse for hiring lower-skilled workers. Elon Musk has suggested imposing annual fees on H-1B visas to ensure they are used appropriately, a view gaining traction within the party. By Sunday, reforms aligning with these suggestions received bipartisan support ([13:08]-[14:21]).

Notable Quotes:

• Elon Musk stated: “Expanding immigration for the top 0.1% of engineering talent is essential for America to keep winning...” ([11:30]).
• Scott Jennings elaborated: “If you take like the top 1% or the top 0.1% of the most talented engineering people from other countries, that's perfectly fine...” ([12:59]-[13:09]).

Conclusion: The episode of Morning Wire effectively covers two significant national and international events—the passing of a former president and complex air tragedies with geopolitical implications—while also delving into the nuanced internal debates shaping Republican policy on immigration. Through detailed discussions and expert insights, hosts John Bickley and Georgia Howe provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of these pressing issues.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "We want to have faith again. We want to be proud again. We just want the truth again..." ([00:03]).
• “It's time for the people to run the government and not the other way around.” ([00:03]).
• "When creating your own business, the most important part is your ideas..." ([01:14]).

Note: Advertisements and non-content sections have been omitted to focus solely on the informative segments of the podcast.

Transcript

[Unknown Speaker 1]

We want to have faith again. We want to be proud again. We just want the truth again. It's time for the people to run the government and not the other way around.

[John Bickley]

Jimmy Carter, the longest living former president of the United States, has died at 100 years old.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

That deep and ancient antagonism can be settled without bloodshed.

[Georgia Howe]

We discuss his presence.

[John Bickley]

Presidential legacy I'm Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, December 30th, and this is Morning Wire. Two air tragedies take the lives of hundreds of people, with one prompting an apology from Russia's Vladimir Putin.

[Georgia Howe]

And the debate over importing skilled foreign workers divides the right as both Elon Musk and Donald Trump weigh in.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with Morning wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

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[Georgia Howe]

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, passed away Sunday after reaching a milestone no other past president has reached, turning 100 in October.

[John Bickley]

Here to discuss the passing of the former president is Daily Wire Deputy Managing editor Tim Rice. Hey, Tim. So a sad day, though, one marked by remembrance of decades spent doing humanitarian work. First, how did we learn about the former president's passing?

[Tim Rice]

Yeah, John, really a moment to look back here on a life that ended up being more impactful in many ways after his presidency than during it. We learned Sunday from the Carter center, which announced that the president had died peacefully that day at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family. The former president had entered hospice care last year after being diagnosed with cancer. So while death is always hard for a family, this was not a surprise. His son, Chip Carter, gave a touching statement on behalf of the family saying, quote, my father was a hero not only to me, but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love. My brothers, sister and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together. And we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs. So really stressing the former president's faith and humanitarian work there. Right.

[John Bickley]

And he won a Nobel Prize for that work. Tell us about that.

[Tim Rice]

He and his wife Rosalind, really became the faces of Habitat for Humanity. That's the charity that builds homes for the poor, and not just in the United States, but all over the world. For that work, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2002. And that really became more of his legacy than his single term in office, which was marked by major setbacks, including the Iranian hostage crisis, a cratering, and what's been infamously described as a general malaise that defined the mood of the country. Carter did have some wins as president, though, including brokering peace between Israel and Egypt with the deal that came to be known as the Camp David Accords.

[John Bickley]

Now, Carter's rise to the presidency is considered one of the least likely we've seen in recent decades. What do we need to know there?

[Tim Rice]

Yeah, he's often described as a peanut farmer turned president, and that's certainly true. He grew up on a farm that famously had no electricity or indoor plumbing. Carter went on to serve in the Navy and then as governor of Georgia, and ended up riding an anti Republican wave after the Watergate scandal straight to the White House. But in the end, the economic woes and foreign policy failures under his presidency created a wave of their own in the form of Ronald Reagan and his Reagan Revolution. Reagan's massively successful presidency ended up drawing a stark contrast with Carter's widely criticized term. But again, Carter did not go quietly into that good night. He really made a profound difference post presidency, and his family has played a major role there, too. I mentioned Chip, but the president has survived by three other children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. So quite a family legacy there.

[John Bickley]

It sure is. Now, what do we know so far about how his legacy will be celebrated?

[Tim Rice]

Well, we do know that the sitting president, Joe Biden, revealed last year that Carter had asked him to deliver his eulogy. So we expect that to happen. All the full details are still in the works, but we can expect a large presidential memorial service to honor him, with various religious and charitable groups attending as well. Of course, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. And speaking of both sides of the aisle, President elect Donald Trump has given a statement honoring Carter, which read in part, the challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country, and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude. So high praise there for the former president who certainly lived a long and impactful life.

[John Bickley]

Yes, indeed. Tim, thanks so much for reporting.

[Tim Rice]

Thanks for having me.

[Brandon]

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[Georgia Howe]

Vladimir Putin has issued an apology after Russian military forces mistakenly shot down a civilian airliner in Kazakhstan, killing dozens.

[John Bickley]

The incident came just days before a separate plane went down in South Korea, killing nearly 200 people. Here with the latest is DAILY Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips, a Cabot so, a pair of devastating air disasters this weekend. What can you tell us about these crashes?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, two planes going down for very different reasons. We'll start in South Korea, where on Sunday morning a flight from Bangkok appeared to hit a flock of birds while attempting to land at a large airport south of Seoul. That collision reportedly knocked out at least one of the plane's engines and set off a fire on the right wing, which authorities say may have also disabled the landing gear. When the plane circled back around to attempt a crash landing, landing gear had not been deployed and the craft skidded off the Runway, eventually colliding with a concrete barrier, setting off a massive explosion. The footage of the crash was just horrifying. At latest count, all but two of the 181 passengers on board had been confirmed killed.

[John Bickley]

And just devastating. And sadly, not the only incident involving a civilian airliner this weekend. The other has political implications as well, correct?

[Cabot Phillips]

Right. So just days earlier, a separate commercial jet bound for Russia took off from Azerbaijan with 67 passengers. The plane began to descend into the Russian city of Grozny when it experienced a number of malfunctions and rerouted hundreds of miles off course, eventually attempting an emergency landing in a small town in Kazakhstan. Video of that attempted landing shows the plane rapidly descending and then breaking apart as it hit the ground in a ball of flames. Miraculously, 29 of the 67 souls on board survived. Though initially Russian officials said the crash was likely an accident, some in Moscow said it could have been the result of a bird collision. While state news agencies initially reported the plane had been rerouted due to heavy fog. But soon, a new story emerged. First, photos of the wreckage showed what appeared to be large holes in the exterior of the plane. And then survivors began to describe how they heard loud bangs and pops during their initial descent, followed by screams from passengers and crew who had been struck by what appeared to be shrapnel. Within hours, officials in Azerbaijan concluded the crash was not an accident and had been caused by a missile strike from Russian air defense systems. U.S. officials echoed those findings, agreeing that the plane was subject to, quote, external, physical and technical interference. That news, for obvious reasons, sparked outrage across the world, prompting a rare apology from Vladimir Putin.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. Tell us about what he said.

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, unsurprisingly, the Russian president stopped short of taking responsibility for the disaster. But for all intents and purposes, he did make clear that his military was to blame. And then, hours later, the Kremlin released a statement of their own, again failing to admit culpability, but conceding that Russian air defense systems had been engaging Ukrainian drones in the surrounding area when this incident took place. So they're sort of implying that Ukraine is to blame for the tragedy.

[John Bickley]

Now, this all comes as President Biden has announced billions in new funding for the Ukrainian war effort. Tell us more on that front.

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah. On Friday, White House officials said they'll soon announce an additional $1.25 billion worth of military aid, including ADV Advanced Surface to Air missile systems. The package also includes plans to finalize a separate $20 billion in loans for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets and US Control. Now, remember, Trump has vowed to bring a swift diplomatic end to the conflict once he takes office on January 20th. And with that in mind, the Biden administration is now scrambling to get as much money out the door as possible in the next three weeks, presumably to strengthen Ukraine's standing ahead of those impending negotiations.

[John Bickley]

A lot of scrutiny over the funds being sent to Ukrainian in final weeks. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Anytime.

[John Bickley]

Debate erupted among Republicans over the weekend after Elon Musk and other high profile Trump advisors called for the expansion of the H1B visa program. President Elect Trump indicated his support for the program, but did leave the door open for reforms.

[Georgia Howe]

Here with the details is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. So, Megan, obviously to win the election, Donald Trump had to bring together a pretty diverse coalition of political constituencies. And on some issues, they've had some pretty different ideas about what's best for America. H1B visas is one of those issues where the alliance is stretched pretty thin. What are the main points of contention?

[Megan Basham]

So I think on one side of this, you have the traditional conservative and MAGA base who do tend to draw a pretty hard line on all things related to immigration. They take a very skeptical view of that H1B program because they say that while its ostensible purpose is to allow US Companies to bring in highly skilled immigrants for jobs that would otherwise go unfilled, what it's really being used for is hiring a cheaper foreign workforce. And they say that overall it depresses American wages. Well, on the other side, you have what's being referred to as the new tech right think people like Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and also some other Silicon Valley titans whose names you might not know, people like venture capitalist David Sachs, they believe that this program has given America a competitive edge in the global free market. Musk, for example, said over the weekend that expanding immigration for the top 0.1% of engineering talent is essential for America to keep winning. And he said that it's thanks to H1B that the world's great innovators like him have chosen to build their companies.

[Georgia Howe]

In the US and where does President Trump come down on this?

[Megan Basham]

So after a couple of days of this inter party wrangling, he told the New York Post that his companies have hired H1B visa holders many times and that he supports supports it for highly skilled workers. Now, a lot of media outlets took that as carte blanche support for the program, but I'm not so sure that they should have. So one, there's that caveat. Highly skilled. That's really the crux of the argument is the program being used to fill a void that the American talent pool can't. Because we do need to remember that Trump did try to reform the program in his first administration and he has in the past been critical of it for holding down American wages. And I gotta say that as I watched this debate unfold over the weekend, Georgia, it did seem to me like the two sides were often speaking past each other. And that was something that conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings also highlighted.

[Scott Jennings]

If you take like the top 1% or the top 0.1% of the most talented engineering people from other countries, that's perfectly fine. H1B visas for that.

[Tim Rice]

They're unique.

[Scott Jennings]

They have unique talent, unique, innovative skills. Fine. If you're using the H1B program to abuse it, to recruit, you know, interns, accountants, other people that easily could be recruited from the United States of America, all because you just want to do it cheaper, that's not fine. So I think what a lot of people in the party want to do is eliminate the fraud in this H1B program, retain the top engineering talent, and there's a way to do this.

[Megan Basham]

By Saturday, Jennings was largely proved right on this after interacting with some accounts that were highlighting government data that shows that many companies are using the program to hire lower skills, skilled foreign workers for generally less than they'd have to pay Americans. Musk said that he does believe the program is broken and needs major reform. Some of his suggestions to fix it an annual fee for H1B visas that would make it more expensive for companies to hire from overseas. He said that that would help ensure that they're really doing it to bring in top talent, not just to hire cheap. And it would also ensure that it's really going to those roles that you can't find in the U.S. well, by Sunday morning, representatives on both sides of the aisle were voicing support for reforms like those Musk suggested.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, definitely a difficult balance to strike. Megan, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

Anytime.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.

[Brandon]

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[Unknown Speaker 2]

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