Joe diGenova, WJLA’s Chris Papst and Hans Von Spakovsky joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, February 22, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C Trump Wins in South Carolina But Can He Win The General Election? Match-up polls show he can’t win against Clinton and Sanders in general election. Taking Calls!

5am – D         Thousands of mourners attended the funeral Mass, which lasted one hour and 45 minutes. Scalia’s son Paul, a Catholic priest, led the service and mixed humor with reverence for the conservative icon and father of nine who died unexpectedly last weekend. Scalia’s son has delivered the homily at a funeral mass for the late Supreme Court justice, who died last week. In highly personal remarks, the younger Scalia has recalled his father’s devotion to God and country. But he has said that most important to him and his eight siblings was the love his father showed them. Mixing humor into the homily, the younger Scalia has said his father sometimes forgot their names or mixed them up but he excused him because there were nine of them.

5am – E         The Obama Administration Wants to Make Sure Non-Citizens Vote in the Upcoming Election. (by Hans A. von Spakovsky / National Review) — Several well-funded organizations — including the League of Women Voters and the NAACP — are fighting efforts to prevent non-citizens from voting illegally in the upcoming presidential election. And the United States Department of Justice, under the direction of Attorney General Loretta Lynch, is helping them. On February 12, these groups filed a lawsuit in D.C. federal court seeking to reverse a recent decision by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The Commission’s decision allows Kansas and other states, including Arizona and Georgia, to enforce state laws ensuring that only citizens register to vote when they use a federally designed registration form. An initial hearing in the case is set for Monday afternoon, February 22. Under federal law, the EAC is responsible for designing the federal voter-registration form required by the National Voter Registration Act, or Motor Voter, as it is commonly called. While states must register voters who use the federal form, states can ask the EAC to include instructions with the federal form about additional state registration requirements.

6am – A/B/C Jeb Bush Drops Out of Presidential Election. What Went Wrong For Jeb?

• Failed presidential candidates have blown over $300 million this election. Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, suspended his campaign Saturday night after a crippling defeat in the South Carolina primary. It was a tough loss for the Republican, made all the more bitter when you consider how much money he raised and spent on his abandoned campaign. As of January 31, Bush had raised more than $118 million through the Right to Rise Super PAC and about $32 million directly through his campaign. That’s the most of any candidate save Hillary Clinton, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. An additional $55,000 came from Millennials Rising, another conservative super PAC. (Perhaps now Bush will have more time to get his personal investments in order.)

6am – D/E     Pope Restates Desire for ‘International Consensus’ for ‘Abolishment of the Death Penalty.’ VATICAN CITY (TheBlaze/AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday urged Catholic leaders to show “exemplary” courage by not allowing executions this year, while expressing hope that eventually the death penalty will be abolished worldwide. Francis told tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that “the commandment ‘do not kill’ holds absolute value and applies to both the innocent and the guilty.” He added that there is “an ever more widespread opposition in public opinion to the death penalty, even only as an instrument of legitimate social defense.” “I appeal to the conscience of those who govern so that international consensus is reached for the abolishment of the death penalty,” the pope said. “And I propose to all those among them who are Catholic to make a courageous and exemplary gesture: may no execution sentence be carried out in this Holy Year of Mercy.”

7am – A         INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

• Apple vs FBI: U.S. lawmakers have asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to testify on unlocking iPhone encryption tech. U.S. lawmakers have asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to testify about his company’s stance on refusing to help law enforcement unlock iPhone’s encryption technology. The House Energy and Commerce Committee said the issue has come to a “critical juncture” since Apple defied a court order this week to help the FBI unlock the iPhone used by the San Bernardino terrorists who killed 14 people last year. The committee also sent an invitation to FBI Director James Comey. Both men will be asked “to explain to Congress and the American people the issues at play and how they plan to move forward,” the committee’s letter said. The hearing will specifically focus on issues of “privacy and national security.”
• Scalia: Reflect on Justice Scalia’s funeral this weekend
• Gun Maker Seeks Dismissal of Lawsuit Over Newtown Shooting. Lawyers for the company that made the rifle used to kill 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School are expected to ask a Connecticut judge to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit filed by families of some of the massacre victims. Freedom Group, the Madison, North Carolina, parent company of AR-15 maker Bushmaster Firearms, is arguing that it is protected by a 2005 federal law that shields gun manufacturers from most lawsuits over criminal use of their products. Lawyers for the plaintiffs, who include the families of nine children and adults who died and a teacher who survived, say the lawsuit is permitted under an exception to the federal law that allows litigation against companies that know, or should know, that their weapons are likely to be used in a way that risks injury to others. The victims’ attorneys say the lawsuit appears to be the first of its kind against a manufacturer to claim that exception. Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis is set to hear arguments Monday afternoon on Freedom Group’s motion to dismiss.
• The Obama Administration Wants to Make Sure Non-Citizens Vote in the Upcoming Election. (National Review/by Hans A. von Spakovsky) – Several well-funded organizations — including the League of Women Voters and the NAACP — are fighting efforts to prevent non-citizens from voting illegally in the upcoming presidential election. And the United States Department of Justice, under the direction of Attorney General Loretta Lynch, is helping them. On February 12, these groups filed a lawsuit in D.C. federal court seeking to reverse a recent decision by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The Commission’s decision allows Kansas and other states, including Arizona and Georgia, to enforce state laws ensuring that only citizens register to vote when they use a federally designed registration form. An initial hearing in the case is set for Monday afternoon, February 22.

7am – B        Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton win big; Jeb Bush drops out. (CNN) Donald Trump did more than win his second easy victory in consecutive presidential primaries in South Carolina on Saturday. He advanced his takeover of the Republican Party. He proved that he can dominate a race in the Deep South. He vanquished the dynasty that ruled the GOP establishment for decades as Jeb Bush dropped his White House bid. And in the process, Trump left no doubt that he is the GOP’s national front-runner and has the most credible path to capture the party’s nomination. Clinton wins Nevada: In Nevada’s Democratic caucuses, meanwhile, Hillary Clinton deployed an intricately built organizational machine to register a much needed and stabilizing victory over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, slowing her rival’s surge following his stunning rout in the New Hampshire primary.

7am – C        Outrage at ‘snake island’: Massachusetts residents’ anger at rattlesnake colony planned for uninhabited island but wildlife officials insist there is no risk. (AP) – Plans to establish a colony of venomous rattlesnakes on an island in Massachusetts have been met with outrage due to fears that the animals could escape. Timber rattlesnakes are indigenous to the New England state, and with only about 200 left, wildlife officials are fighting to save the endangered species. Tom French of the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife hopes the snakes, which currently inhabit five scattered pockets throughout Massachusetts, can come together on Mount Zion, the largest island in the Quabbin Reservoir. But people are concerned about their own safety – especially since rattlesnakes can swim and the island is connected to the mainland by a pair of narrow causeways. French, who is directing the project and representing the state at a public meeting on Tuesday to address concerns, said people are driven by irrational fears.

7am – D         INTERVIEW: CHRIS PAPST – WJLA’s I-Team Investigative Reporter

• Monday, 2/22, 11pm – $6 MILLION SPEED TRAP (I-Team Investigator Reporter Chris Papst) – It is a District road that has one speed limit going one direction and another speed limit on the opposite side of the road. And, an extremely profitable speed camera just happens to be located on the slower side. After speaking with angry drivers who caught in this costly speed trap, we ask the District to explain, and also look into neighboring jurisdictions to see if this is happening elsewhere.

7am – E         Entertainment News:

• NBC’s ‘Friends’ Reunion Is a Total Bust. On 21 February in the year of our lord 2016, five former co-workers sat on a sofa on national television and nothing happened. Not even one chuckle was had. I am talking about the much-touted “Friends reunion” (minus Matthew Perry) that happened on Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows. It was one of the most intensely boring two hours I have ever endured. The special, commemorating the 1,000th episode of TV that Burrows has directed, reunited the stars from his most famous shows – Taxi, Will & Grace, Big Bang Theory, Frasier, Cheers and, of course, Friends. I have no idea what people were expecting to happen. Just like all the other casts, the five Friends sat on stage looking older and shared a few favourite moments and behind-the-scenes stories. But there was nothing more insightful than the Oprah Winfrey interview the cast did 12 years ago, before the groundbreaking sitcom went off the air.
• Steve Martin opens for Jerry Seinfeld at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre. (NY Daily News) — It took Jerry Seinfeld to lure Steve Martin back on stage to do stand-up. For the first time in 35 years, Martin told a few jokes in a standup routine, opening for Seinfeld, at the Beacon Theatre. Vulture’s Jesse David Fox detailed the surprise appearance and had a transcript of the three bits Martin did. “Thank you. Jerry couldn’t make it tonight … Have a safe ride home! Actually, I’m here tonight because of that old showbiz saying: Never lose a bet to Jerry.” “I’ll be honest with you, right off the top, because I’m a little upset with the Beacon Theatre. I was backstage and I used the restroom. And there was a sign that read, ‘Employees Must Wash hands. And I could not find one employee to wash my hands.” “By the way, I apologize for the ticket prices. I know it seems expensive, because there is like one guy, two guys, and a couple of mics, but it’s not that way. There are like four sound people, and two lighting people, and drivers, and wardrobe people, and catering, and someone to walk Jerry’s Fitbit around. A celebrity look-alike, in case Steve doesn’t feel like going on. Steve says hi, by the way.” Martin picked his banjo and midway through a bluegrass medley, Seinfeld took the stage. Seinfeld walked on, carrying a banjo case, and said to Martin, “OK, wrap it up.”

8am – A/B/C Trump Wins in South Carolina But Can He Win The General Election? Match-up polls show he can’t win against Clinton and Sanders in general election. Taking Calls!

8am – D         INTERVIEW – HANS VON SPAKOVSKY – a former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, co-author of book “Who’s Counting? How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk” and “Obama’s Enforcer: Eric Holder’s Justice Department”

• The Obama Administration Wants to Make Sure Non-Citizens Vote in the Upcoming Election. (National Review/by Hans A. von Spakovsky) – Several well-funded organizations — including the League of Women Voters and the NAACP — are fighting efforts to prevent non-citizens from voting illegally in the upcoming presidential election. And the United States Department of Justice, under the direction of Attorney General Loretta Lynch, is helping them.

8am – E         Thousands of mourners attended the funeral Mass, which lasted one hour and 45 minutes. Scalia’s son Paul, a Catholic priest, led the service and mixed humor with reverence for the conservative icon and father of nine who died unexpectedly last weekend. Scalia’s son has delivered the homily at a funeral mass for the late Supreme Court justice, who died last week.

Obama noticeably absent from Antonin Scalia’s funeral. (NY Post) President Obama drew sharp criticism Sunday for failing to attend the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. “The president’s absence at Justice Scalia’s funeral is a slight to the Italian-American community,” fumed Neil Mattera, president of the New York-based Columbus Alliance. “Italian-Americans take paying respects at funerals very seriously,” said Philip Foglia, vice president of the Italian-American Museum. “Justice Scalia was a milestone for the community. The president’s absence was disappointing and ill advised.”