Banning Gain of Function Research plus Trump's $1000 Self-Deportation Plan

Summary

Summary of "Banning Gain of Function Research plus Trump's $1000 Self-Deportation Plan"

Podcast: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Host: Ben Ferguson
Release Date: May 6, 2025

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1. Executive Order on Banning Gain of Function Research

Ben Ferguson opens the episode by delving into President Donald Trump's significant executive order aimed at restricting federal funding for gain of function (GOF) research. This type of research involves experimenting with viruses and pathogens to enhance their transmissibility or virulence, which, while potentially beneficial for understanding and preventing pandemics, poses substantial risks if such pathogens were to escape controlled environments.

Key Points:

• Definition and Risks: Gain of function research can inadvertently lead to the creation of more dangerous pathogens. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened fears that such research might contribute to accidental or intentional pandemics.

• Trump's Executive Order: The order targets the cessation of federal funding for GOF research, especially in countries deemed to have insufficient research oversight, including China and Iran. It aims to prevent US taxpayer dollars from supporting potentially hazardous studies abroad.

• Implementation and Enforcement: The executive order equips American research agencies with the authority to identify and halt federal funding for biological research that threatens public health, safety, or national security.

Notable Quotes:

• Ben Ferguson [02:43]: "The president knew there was a problem. He knew the gain of function research was out of control. He knew that your tax dollars should not be going to adversaries like China and Iran."

• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Health and Human Services Secretary [07:10]: "I commend President Trump for his courage and his vision. This is a historic day."

• Dr. Jay Bhattachary, Director of the NIH [07:55]: "The conduct of this research does not protect us against pandemics... It is crazy to think the entire nightmare was probably the result of some scientists messing with Mother Nature in a laboratory."

• Dr. Marty McCary, FDA Commissioner [08:05]: "There is always a danger in doing this research. It might leak out just by accident even and cause a pandemic."

Discussion:

Ferguson emphasizes the administration's stance that GOF research, while scientifically valuable, carries too high a risk of sparking future pandemics. By terminating federal funding for such projects internationally, the Trump administration seeks to mitigate these risks and safeguard public health.

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2. Trump's $1,000 Self-Deportation Plan

The second major topic Ferguson addresses is the Trump administration's innovative approach to reducing illegal immigration: offering undocumented immigrants a $1,000 stipend and free flights to self-deport.

Key Points:

• Program Details: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is incentivizing undocumented immigrants to leave the United States voluntarily by providing financial assistance and travel arrangements through the CBP Home app.

• Cost-Benefit Analysis: The administration posits that this method is significantly more cost-effective than traditional deportation processes, which can cost up to $17,000 per individual.

• Implementation: Migrants must register through the CBP Home app and submit a notice to leave the U.S. to qualify for the stipend and travel support.

Notable Quotes:

• DHS Official [10:26]: "We're going to pay each one a certain amount of money and we're going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from."

• Aaron Rushelin, Pro-Immigration Advocate [11:00]: "This opinion might be worse for people who take advantage of it... don't take the bait."

• Stephen Miller [11:15]: "The savings are as much as 1 million per illegal alien family given the long-term costs of free welfare and public support."

• Ben Ferguson [09:55]: "Illegal. Now the left is just losing their mind. Pro-immigration advocates are slamming the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration offering this money."

Discussion:

Ferguson presents the administration's policy as a strategic move to reduce the financial burden of illegal immigration on taxpayers. However, he also highlights the backlash from pro-immigration groups who argue that the plan could lead to forced deportations and undermine existing frameworks that allow for legal avenues to remain in the country.

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3. Trump's Trade Negotiations with Canada and China

In the final segment, Ferguson discusses President Trump's ongoing trade negotiations, focusing on meetings with Canada's newly elected Liberal government and aggressive tactics with China regarding tariffs.

Key Points:

• Canada Trade Talks: Following Canada's recent federal election, Trump is set to engage with Prime Minister Justin Carney to renegotiate the 25% tariff on Canadian goods. The administration is pushing for a more favorable trade deal for the U.S., even humorously suggesting the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state.

• China Negotiations: Trump is actively seeking to resume trade talks with China to address the 145% tariffs imposed on Chinese goods. China's Commerce Ministry has indicated a willingness to engage, contingent on the administration's proposals.

• Trade Strategy: The administration aims to secure fair trade agreements that prioritize American workers and prevent other nations from taking advantage of U.S. market access.

Notable Quotes:

• Prime Minister Justin Carney [14:00]: "I'm not pretending that those discussions will be easy."

• Trump [14:30]: "It's important that America get a fair trade deal with Carney... within the next week or less, and everything will be on the table."

• Trump on NBC's Meet the Press [16:40]: "We are waiting for their call. It will happen now... we're more than ready to have a real talk."

Discussion:

Ferguson portrays Trump's trade negotiations as assertive and unyielding, emphasizing the administration's determination to renegotiate trade terms that better serve American economic interests. The potential revival of talks with China could signal a shift towards more balanced trade relations, depending on the responsiveness of the Chinese government.

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Conclusion

In this episode of The 47 Morning Update, Ben Ferguson covers three pivotal policies from the Trump administration:

1. Banning Gain of Function Research: Aimed at preventing future pandemics by halting federal funding for risky virological studies abroad.
2. $1,000 Self-Deportation Plan: An initiative to reduce illegal immigration costs through financial incentives for undocumented immigrants to leave the U.S. voluntarily.
3. Trade Negotiations with Canada and China: Aggressive efforts to renegotiate tariffs and establish fairer trade agreements to benefit American workers and taxpayers.

Ferguson provides a detailed analysis of each topic, incorporating statements from key officials and highlighting both the administration's objectives and the opposition's criticisms. This comprehensive overview offers listeners insightful perspectives on the policies shaping America's political and economic landscape.

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This summary is based on the transcript provided and aims to encapsulate the key discussions and viewpoints presented in the episode.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

Hey Clay, if there was a summer camp for critical thinking, we'd be the chief counselors.

[Ben Ferguson]

Those jelly heads in June would be intellectual warriors by all.

[Buck Sexton]

Be a lot of fun too. Some Bill and Ted's excellent adventure references.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thrown in this podcast like a daily dose of that. Minus the campfires, archery and pranking the girls.

[Buck Sexton]

The bonafide boot camp for critical thinking. You can get in on it for free at the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Just search our names. Play and Buck. Listen and subscribe.

[Clay Travis]

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran Contra Affair.

[Ben Ferguson]

The things that happened were so bizarre.

[Unknown Male Speaker]

And insane I can't begin to tell you.

[Clay Travis]

Please do to hear the whole story. Listen to Fiasco Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

[Unknown Male Speaker]

Get your podcasts on our trade policies with Biden. We're losing $5 billion a day. How many. How many groups could lose 5 billion a day if you lose 5 billion one day. That's the end. That company. You're fired. He says you're fired. Get out of here. So we essentially did that and we have it down to a very low number. We're doing really well. Really well.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Good Tuesday morning. Welcome. It is the 47 Morning Update, Ben Ferguson with you. And I want to say, first off, for many of you that may be hearing the show for the first time, thank you for joining us. And make sure you hit that subscribe or auto download button so you do not miss a single episode of the 47 Morning Update. Now we've got three big stories for you. And the first one deals with your safety as Donald Trump has issued a major executive order restricting the funding for gain of function research. I'll have all the details on this amazing moment in the Trump presidency on that in just a second. Up next, pro immigration advocates losing their mind as Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security is now offering $1,000 in a free flight for illegal immigrants who self deport. So why are they against it? We'll have that for you in just a moment as well. And finally, Donald Trump has a big week at the White House meeting with Canada, as well as talking with China on trade negotiations. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. Common sense is back in the White House. We all know that. But now we have a president that's making sure that certain things that changed our world forever may never happen again. President Donald Trump issuing a very important executive order restricting federal funding for research that involves a controversial field of scientific study known as gain of function research. Now, the research, which is also known as dual use research, involves experimenting with viruses and other pathogens that have the potential to trigger a pandemic. Those studies could discover how infectious agents might become more transmissible or make people even sicker. This field has long been controversial because of fears that scientists could make a more dangerous pathogen in their lab that could get out and cause a pandemic. Well, those concerns became a reality with COVID 19, and those concerns have led to many efforts over the years to more tightly monitor and control this type of gain of function research. Many didn? T even know about gain of function research and what it actually meant until COVID 19 pandemic hit. One theory for how the pandemic started says that these SARS Covid 2 virus, which causes COVID 19, spilled out of the Chinese Wuhan Institute of Virology. Don't worry. Our government at the time said, no, no, no, that didn't happen, and Dr. Fauci was one of those involved. You may also remember that Dr. Fauci said that he wasn't funding gain of function research technology, when in fact he absolutely was. And when I say he was funding it, it means your tax dollars were going exactly to that quote. Many people believe that gain of function research was one of the of the COVID pandemic that struck us in the last decade. That's what the White House Secretary, Will Scarf said. That is exactly what this executive order does. First of all, it provides powerful new tools to enforce the ban on federal funding of gain of function research abroad. It also strengthens other oversight mechanisms related to that issue and creates an overarching strategy to ensure that biomedical research in general is being conducted safely. Many scientists have said, well, hold on a second. We need to weigh the evidence and understand that pandemics can happen and that we can learn from them when they do happen, when the reality is as well, we know where this started, and it wasn't in China in a wet market. It was in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where they were doing gain of function research. Now, according to the White House, the executive order would block any US Funding of gain of function research in countries of concern, such as China and Iran, as well as other foreign nations deemed to have insufficient research oversight. The order also prohibits US Tax dollars from contributing to foreign research likely to cause another pandemic and also US Dollars in general. The order also, quote, empowers American research agencies to identify and end federal funding of other biological research that could pose a threat to American public health, public safety, or national security. That, according to the White House's own fact sheet on this issue, an executive order. The order will increase the safety and security of biological research without impending US Innovation. The White House also issued statements from several top Trump administration officials who argued the funding restriction is necessary. The Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Put it this way, saying, I commend President Trump for his courage and his vision. This is a historic day is what Dr. Jay Bhattachary, the director of the National Institute of Health, said, the conduct of this research does not protect us against pandemics, as some people might say. It doesn't protect us against other nations. There's always a danger in doing this research. It might leak out just by accident even and cause a pandemic. It is crazy to think the entire nightmare was probably the result of some scientists messing with Mother Nature in a laboratory with technology is what the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, Dr. Marty McCary, said about Donald Trump's executive order. So at the end of the day, what you need to know is this. The president knew there was a problem. He knew the gang of function research was out of control. He knew that your tax dollars should not be going to adversaries like China and Iran. And he's stopping it once and for all. Next story number two, media going crazy because they're actually having to cover a brilliant from the Trump administration. The idea is to save American taxpayers money while also getting deportations underway in a very serious way with a large number of people self deporting. How does it work? We're going to pay them to do it. The Trump administration has now come out saying they are willing to pay $1,000 to an undocumented immigrant who self deports. The Department of Homeland Security announced it will provide travel assistance and $1,000 stipend to those who use the CBP Home app to actually leave the United States of America. The Department of Home and Security says we are intensifying our efforts to persuade unauthorized immigrants to self deport by offering them the thousand dollar stipend and the travel assistance. This will save Americans money. Now, the best part about this story is the fact that the media is actually having to cover it and they don't know how to criticize it, but they don't like it. CBS News putting a big story out there and here's how they explained it to their audience. So, Willie, how would this actually work?

[Julia]

Hey there, Julia. Good to be with you on this Monday afternoon. Well, the Trump administration is looking to deport migrants this way in large part because it would save the government money. That's part of the thinking here. A Department of Homeland Security official explained that it costs about $17,000 to find and apprehend and a migrant who is undocumented here in the United States and deport them. So this could potentially save the government thousands of dollars per person. And the President spoke about this earlier today. Listen.

[Unknown Male Speaker]

But what we thought we'd do is a self deport where we're going to pay each one a certain amount of money and we're going to get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from and they have a period of time and if they make it, we're going to work with them so that maybe someday with a little work, they can come back in. If they're good people, if they're the kind of people that we want in our company industrious people that could love our country. And if they're not, they won't.

[Julia]

Now the way that migrants can sign up for this program is by using the CBP home app. That is the app that was used under the Biden administration for migrants to register themselves here so they could be the government could have information about them and their status here in the United States. But the Trump administration is using this as a way for migrants to not only register themselves but to self deport as well. So the government looking to save some money here, looking to collect some information from those undocumented migrants. And I'll add that the effort to deport migrants has really been slowed by the courts. We've seen the Trump administration try to deport migrants in different ways, using the Alien Enemies act for instance, but this way in particular. Quite a novel idea that the Trump administration is using, but one that they believe could save the government thousands of dollars per individual.

[Ben Ferguson]

Julia, by the way, not thousands. Tens of thousands of dollars per immigrant. Illegal. Let's just call them what it is. Illegal. Now the left is just losing their mind. Pro immigration advocates are slamming the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration offering this money. They are denouncing it and they're quote ur illegal migrants to reject President Donald Trump's offer of $1,000 in the free airline ticket to leave the country. Quote this opinion might be worse for people who take advantage of it, claimed Aaron Rushelin, a pro immigration advocate for the Immigration Council advocacy group. Quote for people illegal immigrants in immigration court, it would likely mean a deportation order. For others not detained for deportation, it would abandon clear options for staying. So they're saying dig in. Don't take the bait. Don't leave America. Stephen Miller putting out a tweet putting it this way, the savings are as much as 1 million per illegal alien family given the long term costs of free welfare and public support. And that is exactly why the Trump administration is now saying we are willing to begin paying for the commercial flights of illegal aliens who self deport from the US we will pay these aliens an additional thousand dollars once they are confirmed to have left the country. The Department of Homeland Security telling Fox News it will save American taxpayers 70% as it currently costs DHS on average over 17,000 to arrest, detain and deport someone from the US while paying for self removal flights. And the stipend is protected to cost just 4,500 and also will be safer for ice and preserve their resources. Illegal aliens. Here's the rul must register on the CBP home app and file their notice to leave the US in order to receive the financial assistance. And the stipend will only be paid once the alien is confirmed to have left the United States. And here is story number three. President Donald Trump is fresh off his hundred days in office, and now we are getting word that his administration has no plan to slow down in the coming weeks, months or even years. This week we're celebrating the Most successful first 100 days of any presidential administration in the history of our country, is what Trump had to say as he was addressing the University of Alabama on Thursday at his commencement speech. Fast Forward to Week 16 back in the Oval Office, and we now know what's happening when it comes to the issue of trade with the president is meeting with Canada's new leader and having ongoing talks as well between Russia and Ukraine. And trade negotiations with foreign nations are also expected to continue heating up at the White House today. Now the Canadian prime minister to visit the White House and a major point that they will be speaking about will be how they can work on their trade deal. Now Carney's Liberal Party emerged victorious in the nation's federal elections last week, and now they will discuss the 25% tariff imposed on goods from the nation sent to the U.S. and Trump's repeated urging that the U.S. northern neighbor become the 51st state. Yes, it's still kind of a joke. We are meeting as heads of our government, carney said Friday of the upcoming meeting. And I'm not pretending that those discussions will be easy, he said. Now Trump added during his Cabinet meeting with members on Thursday that he said it was important that America get a fair trade deal with Carney after Canada's elections and predicted they would have a great working relationship, saying he's going to come to the White House very shortly, within the next week or less, and everything will be on the table. We also are finding out there's some movement with China as Beijing is evaluating trade negotiation offers. Well, in fact, China's Commerce Ministry has now said publicly that they are in negotiations with the US and that officials are evaluating an offer from the Trump administration to hold trade talks on the 145% U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. This is signaling it could be a very busy week of discussions if China accepts the offer. The US has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China. That coming from a new report from Reuters. So what is the president doing? Well, it's the art of the deal, he's attempting to use the talks to get a better deal for American taxpayers and also so that the world can go back to more of a normal trading capacity. Back and forth. Trump and the administration made it clear we're not going to be taken advantage of and neither will American workers. But we're willing to hold trade negotiations with China, including the president saying on April 8 that we are waiting for their call. It will happen now. The president said on NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday that he will not drop the tariffs to bring China to the negotiating table. He said that is a non starter. So the president still holding firm but saying we're more than ready to have a real talk about changing the way that America's been taken advantage of. Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now and for more in depth news. Also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.

[Unknown Male Speaker]

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[Clay Travis]

Individual results may appear in the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran Contra Affair.

[Ben Ferguson]

The things that happened were so bizarre.

[Unknown Male Speaker]

And insane I can't begin to tell you.

[Clay Travis]

Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

Hey Clay, if there was a summer camp for critical thinking, we'd be the chief counselors.

[Ben Ferguson]

Those jelly heads in June would be intellectual warriors by August.

[Buck Sexton]

Be a lot of fun too. Some Bill and Ted's excellent adventure references thrown in this podcast like a daily.

[Ben Ferguson]

Dose of that minus the campfires, archery.

[Buck Sexton]

And pranking the girls the Bonafide boot camp for critical thinking. You can get in on it for free at the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Just search our names, Play and Bach. Listen and subscribe.

[Unknown Male Speaker]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.