Trudeau’s Political Turbulence & RFK Rallies Support | 12.18.24

Summary

Morning Wire: Trudeau’s Political Turbulence & RFK Rallies Support | December 18, 2024

Hosts: John Bickley and Georgia Howe
Published by: The Daily Wire
Release Date: December 18, 2024

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1. Trudeau’s Political Turbulence

Economic Crisis and Resignations

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finds his administration on shaky ground as Canada grapples with severe budget overspending. John Bickley opens the discussion highlighting the gravity of the situation:

[00:03] John Bickley: "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's regime teeters on the edge as Canada severely outspends its budget."

The economic strain led to the resignation of Christa Freeland, Canada’s Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Freeland cited the "catastrophic economic situation" as her reason for stepping down:

[00:09] Christa Freeland: "I and the Prime Minister have increasingly found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada."

Impact of U.S. Tariff Threats

Georgia Howe probes the influence of former President Donald Trump's tariff threats on Trudeau's predicament:

[00:18] Georgia Howe: "How are Trump's tariff threats playing into Trudeau's shaky situation?"

John Bickley elaborates on the mounting pressures from the U.S., where Trump has threatened a 25% tariff unless Canada addresses drug trafficking and illegal immigration:

[02:09] Victoria Coates (Heritage Foundation): "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has struggled to navigate this new normal, trying to seem tough at home, but assuring Trump that he's going to play ball."

Opposition’s Criticism and Rising Conservative Leader

The Conservative leader, Pierre Poliev, amplifies the criticism against Trudeau, drawing parallels to Donald Trump’s populist style and suggesting he could succeed Trudeau if a resignation occurs:

[03:19] Pierre Poliev: "Out of control inflation has followed out of control money printing... Justin Trudeau has lost control, and yet he clings to power."

Victoria Coates underscores the dire economic indicators, including a national budget deficit exceeding promises by 50%:

[04:27] Victoria Coates: "Canada's national budget deficit was more than 50% above what the Trudeau regime had promised it would be. 62 billion versus the supposed guardrail maximum of 40 billion."

Freeland critiques Trudeau’s focus on political gimmicks over addressing imminent economic threats:

[05:15] Christa Freeland: "Trudeau's policies personalize this. From what I've seen from a lot of Canadians online is they feel like he is very allied with a kind of global elitist class that consider themselves the betters of Canada and aren't paying attention to the issues that matter to Canadians."

Potential Leadership Change

Given the escalating crisis and political dissent, there is speculation that Canada may see a leadership change in the upcoming year:

[05:54] Victoria Coates: "So who knows, perhaps Canada will follow in our footsteps and inaugurate a new leader in the new year."

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2. RFK Jr. Rallies Support for HHS Nomination

RFK Jr.’s Congressional Meetings

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is actively seeking support for his nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Georgia Howe introduces the segment:

[06:49] Georgia Howe: "Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is on Capitol Hill this week meeting with senators as he makes his case to be the head of the Department of Health and Human Services."

Stance on Abortion

RFK Jr.’s past and current views on abortion have been a focal point during his meetings. While he previously supported late-term abortions, he now emphasizes reducing the number:

[07:21] Pierre Poliev: "My belief is we should leave it to the woman." [07:27] Mary Margaret Olahan: "Now, that clip worried a lot of pro lifers and Republicans."

Despite initial concerns, senators like Mark Wayne Mullen express confidence in RFK Jr.’s alignment with pro-life policies:

[08:16] Tim Rice: "If he's willing to say that I have no problems with him becoming secretary of HHS, and I'll support him completely."

Position on Vaccines

Kennedy's cautious stance on vaccines has sparked debate. While he advocates for additional safety testing and informed consent, he clarified that he does not intend to eliminate essential vaccines like the polio vaccine:

[09:08] Mary Margaret Olahan: "He's also pushed back on the idea that he's anti vaccine, arguing in a recent news appearance that if vaccines are working for people, he's not trying to take them away."

Following media misinterpretations, Trump reaffirmed support for critical vaccines:

[09:04] Georgia Howe: "Trump clarified on Monday that the polio vaccine isn't going away."

Senatorial Support

Senators such as Josh Hawley have lauded Kennedy’s commitment to reinstating pro-life policies and ensuring taxpayer dollars are not used for abortions:

[09:04] Mary Margaret Olahan: "After meeting with Kennedy on Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley said that not only did Kennedy promise to reinstate Trump's pro life policies..."

Public Reception and Responsibilities

While Kennedy enjoys popularity and a strong public following, his potential role as HHS head carries significant responsibilities, given that HHS is the largest federal department:

[08:33] Mary Margaret Olahan: "HHS is the largest department of the federal government, and with that comes a lot of responsibility."

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3. Biden Administration’s DEI Hiring Spree

Proliferation of DEI Positions

As Donald Trump prepares to take office, the Biden administration is aggressively expanding its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) workforce. An analysis by Tim Rice reveals:

[10:37] Tim Rice: "There are currently 1200 diversity related positions where a job ad was posted to USAjobs.gov..."

High Salaries and Strategic Roles

These DEI positions come with substantial salaries, some reaching up to $310,000 annually, and are intended for high-level roles that influence policy and cabinet decisions:

[12:00] Tim Rice: "Some of them are actually high level positions involving policy and reporting to cabinet secretaries."

Examples include:

• HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health: Up to $221,000 (12:00)
• Federal Deposit Insurance Commission’s Diversity Roles: Up to $310,000 (12:00)
• Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute’s Social Media Specialist: $113,000 (12:00)
• SEC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion: Up to $251,000 (13:17)

Implications for the Incoming Administration

With Trump poised to dismantle DEI initiatives, these high-paying, potentially entrenched positions pose a significant challenge. Tim Rice discusses the difficulty in removing civil service employees:

[11:23] Tim Rice: "If the agencies don't cancel the job listings, they'll join the career civil service, where employees are notoriously difficult to fire."

He highlights the financial implications, with total annual costs potentially reaching $160 million:

[13:17] Tim Rice: "That's more than the median household income in America."

Public and Political Reactions

The proliferation of these roles has drawn criticism for prioritizing DEI over other government functions and investing heavily in positions that may not deliver substantial policy changes:

[13:49] Tim Rice: "There are also a shocking number of equal opportunity employment specialists whose job it is to field complaints about discrimination from other employees at their agency."

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Conclusion

In this episode of Morning Wire, John Bickley and Georgia Howe provide a comprehensive analysis of Canada's political and economic challenges under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, highlighting significant resignations and opposition pressures that may lead to a leadership change. Simultaneously, they delve into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to secure the HHS nomination amidst scrutiny over his positions on abortion and vaccines, noting substantial senatorial support despite controversies. Additionally, the hosts critique the Biden administration's extensive hiring for DEI roles, emphasizing the financial and political ramifications as the United States approaches a pivotal presidential transition.

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Notable Quotes:

• "[00:03] John Bickley: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's regime teeters on the edge as Canada severely outspends its budget."
• "[03:19] Pierre Poliev: ... which is headed by a newly elected president with a strong and fresh mandate, a man who can spot weakness from a mile away."
• "[07:04] Mary Margaret Olahan: Kennedy is a former Democrat, and he's also described himself as not only pro choice, but also formerly supportive of late term abortions."
• "[09:04] Mary Margaret Olahan: ... Kennedy promised to reinstate Trump's pro life policies, he also promised to end taxpayer funding for abortions domestically..."

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This summary is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the December 18, 2024 episode of Morning Wire, capturing the essence of the discussions without including advertisements or non-content segments.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's regime teeters on the edge as Canada severely outspends its budget.

[Christa Freeland]

Christa Freeland, their finance minister and deputy prime minister, has resigned, essentially based on the catastrophic economic situation.

[Georgia Howe]

How are Trump's tariff threats playing into Trudeau's shaky situation?

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, December 18th, and this is Morning Wire. RFK Jr. Makes the rounds on Capitol Hill, defending his agenda for HHS and fielding a barrage of questions from Congress and the press.

[Christa Freeland]

Is it your plan to end all childhood vaccines, sir?

[Tim Rice]

What do you tell parents who are.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Concerned about the prospect of getting rid of some vaccines?

[Georgia Howe]

And as Trump promises to drain the swamp, the Biden administration is actively working to hire hundreds of DEI bureaucrats.

[John Bickley]

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

[Brandon]

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[Georgia Howe]

Donald Trump's increasingly aggressive tone towards Canada, which he calls the 51st state, seems to have the Canadian government on high alert. Meanwhile, Canada's prime minister is facing increased calls to resign.

[John Bickley]

Here with the latest on what's happening up north is Daily Wire Deputy Managing editor Tim Rice. Hey, Tim. So it sounds like some significant changes. Changes are coming in Canada. What's going on up there?

[Victoria Coates]

Well, John, Canadian leaders have been on edge since Trump began threatening to impose 25% tariffs on the country unless the Canadian government stops drugs and illegal immigrants from crossing our border. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has struggled to navigate this new normal, trying to seem tough at home, but assuring Trump that he's going to play ball. This has helped tank Trudeau's already cratering popularity with voters and has fueled speculation that the PM might resign any day now. That speculation intensified Monday when Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation. Freeland, long one of Trudeau's biggest allies, said she and the Prime Minister have increasingly found themselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada. Freeland, who was also Deputy Prime Minister, accused Trudeau of wasting time with costly political gimmicks instead of dealing with the threat of tariffs head on.

[John Bickley]

So some pretty harsh words from a close ally or someone who used to be a close ally. What about the other side? What do Trudeau's opponents have to say about all this?

[Victoria Coates]

Unsurprisingly, they have even more harsh words. Shortly after Freeland resigned, Conservative leader Pierre Poliev delivered a fiery speech where he slammed Trudeau and his coalition for putting Canada at risk.

[Pierre Poliev]

Out of control inflation has followed out of control money printing, which has sent out of control demand to our food banks, which are running out of food. Altogether out of control spending has doubled our national debt, boosted interest rates and threatened our social programs. And it's not just Freeland who thinks this prime minister is out of control. Now, Housing Minister Sean Frazier has resigned in the middle of a housing crisis. Justin Trudeau has lost control, and yet he clings to power. We cannot accept this kind of chaos, division weakness while we're staring down the barrel of a 25% tariff from our biggest trading partner and closest ally, which, by the way, is headed by a newly elected president with a strong and fresh mandate, a man who can spot weakness from a mile away.

[Victoria Coates]

Poliev is a populist who has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, and he's now clearly the leading candidate to take over as Prime Minister if Trudeau resigns.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, it sounds like he was hinting at that possibility in his speech. Can you give us some more details about this economic crisis he was referencing?

[Victoria Coates]

So this week, Canada got some very bad economic news. Its national budget deficit was more than 50% above what the Trudeau regime had promised it would be. 62 billion versus the supposed guardrail maximum of 40 billion. That's what Poliev was alluding to when he mentioned the out of control spending and debt. We spoke to Victoria Coates this week. She's the Heritage Foundation's Vice President for national Security and foreign policy. Here's her summary of Canada's grim economic situation.

[Christa Freeland]

Well, I think this has all come from very liberal economic policies of Prime Minister Trudeau, where the currency is depreciating dramatically. He is prioritizing DEI issues, for example, going very heavily into an extreme green agenda, all of which is disastrous for Canada's economy.

[Victoria Coates]

Coates says that Trudeau's disastrous economic policies are directly linked to his tanking popularity.

[Christa Freeland]

I think economic is king in these situations. That when you have a suffering economy, you have inflation, you have increasing energy prices, you're going to just have overall unhappiness and then the threat of increasing economic woes because of Trudeau's policies personalize this. From what I've seen from a lot of Canadians online is they feel like he is very allied with a kind of global elitist class that consider themselves the betters of Canada and aren't paying attention to the issues that matter to Canadians.

[Victoria Coates]

So who knows, perhaps Canada will follow in our footsteps and inaugurate a new leader in the new year.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, until then, we'll be sure to keep following what's happening with Trudeau. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Victoria Coates]

Anytime.

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[John Bickley]

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Is on Capitol Hill this week meeting with senators as he makes his case to be the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us now is Daily Wire senior reporter Mary Margaret Olahan. So, Mary Margaret, what kind of questions is Kennedy getting?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Hey, Georgia. So Kennedy is particularly under the microscope right now when it comes to abortion and vaccines. Kennedy is a former Democrat, and he's also described himself as not only pro choice, but also formerly supportive of late term abortions. Here's what he told Sage Deal earlier this year.

[Pierre Poliev]

My belief is we should leave it to the woman.

[Tim Rice]

We shouldn't have government involved.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Even if it's full term?

[Tim Rice]

Even if it's full term.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Now, that clip worried a lot of pro lifers and Republicans. But he's since argued that we should reduce the number of abortions in the United States, pointing to consensus among Americans that abortions should be restricted up until a certain point. But some senators still had hesitations over where he would stand on pro life policy, particularly given that HHS plays such a pivotal role in making sure that taxpayer dollars aren't going to Abortions, both in the US and abroad now are.

[Georgia Howe]

Gop senators buying that?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Well, I spoke with Senator Lankford, who's very outspoken on the life issue ahead of his meeting with Kennedy, and he told me that he planned to make sure that Kennedy's vision for HHS would match up with Trump's policies on life. I also spoke with Senator Mark Wayne Mullen from Oklahoma, who met with Kennedy on Monday, and he tells me that Kennedy believes there are far too many abortions and he values life and that he wants to support Trump's agenda.

[Tim Rice]

If he's willing to say that I.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Have no problems with him becoming secretary.

[Tim Rice]

Of hhs, and that's. And I'll support him completely. Even as passionate and as pro life as my wife and my family and I are, I believe Bobby's still the right person for this position.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Kennedy is pretty popular and very charming, and his Make America Healthy Again movement has massively resonated with the American public. But that being said, HHS is the largest department of the federal government, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. After meeting with Kennedy on Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley said that not only did Kennedy promise to reinstate Trump's pro life policies, he also promised to end taxpayer funding for abortions domestically, to bar federal funds from going to organizations that promote abortion, and to reinstate conscience protections for health care providers, which is pretty big.

[Georgia Howe]

Now let's talk about his stance on vaccines. That's been a real lightning rod.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yes. So Kennedy has often expressed criticism of various vaccination shots. He's also said that he wants to do additional safety testing for vaccines to make sure that Americans can have proper informed consent, pointing out that we have extremely high rates of chronic diseases and raising questions about rising rates of autism in the United States. But he's also pushed back on the idea that he's anti vaccine, arguing in a recent news appearance that if vaccines are working for people, he's not trying to take them away. Mainstream media quickly snowballed Kennedy's comments to suggest that he's trying to get rid of the polio vaccine, prompting Trump to clarify on Monday that the polio vaccine isn't going anywhere. Well, I'm a big believer in it, and I think everything should be looked at, but I'm a big believer in the polio vaccine, the Salk vaccine. That response was partially due to a New York Times report highlighting that Erin Siri, a lawyer helping Kennedy pick federal health officials, previously petitioned the federal government to revoke its approval of one version of the polio vaccine. Senators who have met with Kennedy are mostly saying good things. At this point. And Senator Tommy Tuberville said that his meeting with Kennedy reaffirmed what he already knew. And I'm quoting RFK Jr is the right man to make sure our food is safe, bring transparency to vaccines and health care, and make America healthy again.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, a lot of people are excited about this nomination. Mary Margaret, thanks for reporting.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Thanks for having me.

[Georgia Howe]

With just over a month before Donald Trump takes office, the Biden administration is in the process of filling up to 1200 jobs related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

[John Bickley]

That's according to an analysis of federal job ads by Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak, who joins us now. Hey, Luke, so you dug into these job openings. What did you find?

[Tim Rice]

Hey, John. Well, There are currently 1200 diversity related positions where a job ad was posted to USAjobs.gov and the status is currently accepting application or reviewing applications. So this is all on top of the people that already work for the government doing this kind of thing. It's kind of like when the Biden administration auctioned off pieces of the border wall or signed union contracts through 2029, seemingly an effort to tie the Trump administration's hands. 33 of the jobs were actually posted in the days following the election, even though Trump has signaled that he intends to get the government out of the business of dei.

[John Bickley]

Right. So now that Trump is just weeks out from returning, what's going to happen to these people?

[Tim Rice]

Well, if the agencies don't cancel the job listings, they'll join the career civil service, where employees are notoriously difficult to fire. The jobs have salaries of up to $310,000 and could total $160 million a year. In all, the good news for Trump is that dissolving a position is different from firing somebody. And it's also easier to get rid of someone in their first year on the job. So some of these people could be accepting a job only to lose it a couple months later.

[John Bickley]

So some of these wouldn't necessarily result in entrenched positions.

[Tim Rice]

Right.

[John Bickley]

And what kinds of positions are they?

[Tim Rice]

Some of them are actually high level positions involving policy and reporting to cabinet secretaries. And yet they're being chosen under the Biden administration and Trump's going to inherit them. On November 15th, for example, HHS, that's the Department of Health and Human Services, advertised for a deputy assistant secretary for minority health to promote health equity at a salary of up to $221,000. The candidate serves as the principal advisor to the secretary on minority health issues. Another example, the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission is preparing to extend job offers for two separate $310,000 a year positions, which can work from home for three days a week and will be paid to advocate for dei. Then there are people that seem to do very little. The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute is hiring a social media specialist to work from home for $113,000. The group basically produces these cheesy posters about the importance of Div and its social media activity consists of about one post a day encouraging military members to do things like affirm native voices. The Secret Service, which, as we've reported has been under heavy scrutiny since the first assassination attempt on Trump, has a DEI unit that's currently hiring an editor, although it misspelled editor.

[John Bickley]

So some of these jobs are clearly paying out sizable salaries.

[Tim Rice]

Yeah. For example, the securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Minority and Women inclusion on September 25 began seeking a supplier diversity officer at a salary of up to $251,000. A diversity data analyst role at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that is earmarked for a recent graduate will pay $88,000. That's more than the median household income in America. There are also a shocking number of equal opportunity employment specialists whose job it is to field complaints about discrimination from other employees at their agency.

[John Bickley]

Sort of the snitch line there.

[Tim Rice]

I should note that we posted a sortable list of all these jobs on.

[John Bickley]

Dailywire.Com I have a feeling that Elon Musk and Doge might be taking a look at that. Luke, thanks for coming on.

[Tim Rice]

Thank you John.

[Georgia Howe]

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

[Brandon]

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