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Mornings on the Mall

Thursday June 15, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C Violent rhetoric from the left. Shooting At GOP Baseball Practice Latest In Pattern Of Violence Against Republicans (Daily Caller) New York Rep. Claudia Tenney received an email shortly after the shooting that read, “One down, 216 to go,” The Hill reported. There are 217 Republicans in the House of Representatives, including Tenney. “Did you NOT expect this? When you take away ordinary peoples very lives in order to pay off the wealthiest among us, your own lives are forfeit,” the person said. “Certainly, your souls and morality were lost long before. Good riddance.” Even before Wednesday’s shooting, Republicans were growing used to being on the receiving end of violence and intimidation amid an increasingly hostile political climate where left-wingers portrayed them as “fascists.” Completing this poll entitles you to Daily Caller news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. One of Virginia Rep. Tom Garrett’s town halls last month featured a heavy police presence after Garrett and his family were targeted by repeated death threats. “This is how we’re going to kill your wife,” read one such message, Garrett told Politico. “I don’t want to die anytime soon. I got stuff left to do, I hope. But when you pull wives and children in, that’s not cool.”

5am – D  Update on Congressional baseball shooter. Congressional Shooter Had History of Violence, Supporting Liberal Causes (Breitbart) James T. Hodgkinson, the Illinois man identified as the would-be killer who wounded several at a practice session of the Congressional Republican baseball team, had a history of violence, supporting progressive causes, and voting for Democrats at least as far back as the year 2002.According to the Belleville News-Democrat, a paper from the St. Louis area community in which Hodgkinson lived, the shooter has been identified with particularly progressive and liberal causes. He even worked as a volunteer on the presidential campaign of self-professed socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The suspect’s Twitter feed is also filled with tweets on liberal politics. The paper reported that Hodgkinson belonged to a Facebook group called “Terminate the Republican Party.” The shooter’s Facebook page was also linked to a long list of far left-wing groups and pages, including, “Expose Republican Fraud,” “Liberal Democratic Socialist Party,” “Boycott The Republican Party,” “I Hate Donald Trump,” “Healthcare & Education Berners United to Resist Trump,” among others.

5am– E   Trump’s pledge to wipe out MS-13 gang paying off in NY (NY POST) Federal officials have rounded up close to 40 accused members of MS-13 in New York City and Long Island in the 30 days following vows by Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to crack down on the gang, known for terrorizing immigrant communities. Of the 45 N​ew ​Y​ork​-area gang arrests over the last month by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security, 39 were affiliated with MS-13, which has been blamed for a string of recent murders in normally placid Long Island, the feds said. Those who are not charged with crimes will be processed for deportation, the feds said. Authorities announced the arrests Wednesday as part of a newly formed task force aimed at MS-13 in New York City and Long Island. The task force — dubbed “Operation Matador” — was put together in May following a high-profile visit by Sessions to Long Island to address MS-13’s growing presence in the suburbs.

6am – A/B/C Special counsel is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice, officials say (Washington Post) The special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election is interviewing senior intelligence officials as part of a widening probe that now includes an examination of whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice, officials said. The move by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate Trump’s conduct marks a major turning point in the nearly year-old FBI investigation, which until recently focused on Russian meddling during the presidential campaign and on whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Investigators have also been looking for any evidence of possible financial crimes among Trump associates, officials said. Trump had received private assurances from then-FBI Director James B. Comey starting in January that he was not personally under investigation. Officials say that changed shortly after Comey’s firing. Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump’s personal lawyer, responded Wednesday evening to the Post report by saying: “The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal.”

6am – D INTERVIEW – BEVERLY HALLBERG – president and founder of District Media Group where she conducts media training for members of Congress, CEOs, policy wonks, and politicos

Topic: Terry McAuliffe calls for more gun control after Congressional baseball shooting

• Asked at a news conference about what he believed could be done to protect politicians, McAuliffe, a Democrat, said, “Let me say this: I think we need to do more to protect all of our citizens. I have long advocated — this is not what today is about — but there are too many guns on the street. We lose 93 million Americans a day to gun violence.” He later clarified that he intended to say 93 Americans a day, not 93 million.
• Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., who was on the scene, said it best when asked if his mind has changed concerning gun control: “Not with respect to the Second Amendment … These rights are there to protect Americans…”

6am – E  SPORTS NEWS: Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight finalized for Aug. 26 (Yahoo) Unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather will fight UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor in a much-discussed boxing match on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas, a well-placed source told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday. Mayweather and McGregor both confirmed the fight on social media on Wednesday. According to UFC president Dana White, the fight will be at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be contested at 154 pounds. It will be a standard, 12-round boxing match with 10-ounce gloves. The Nevada Athletic Commission on Wednesday approved the request from Mayweather Promotions to put on a boxing card on Aug. 26 at the MGM Grand. The venue could change, however, to T-Mobile. Cousins’ cousin drafted On Wednesday, the Washington Nationals snagged Jake Cousins, a right-handed pitcher out of the University of Pennsylvania, in the 20th round. Cousins is the cousin of Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins — yes, he’s Cousins’ cousin.

6am – F  Corey Stewart promises ‘fight will continue’ after close GOP primary Stewart tells Larry O”Connor of The Larry O’Connor Show “Im going to take a breather but im not out of it…love to fight”

7am – A  INTERVIEW – DOUGLAS HEYE – CNN political commentator and former deputy chief of staff to then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor 

Topic: The hateful rhetoric in politics / the congressional baseball shooting

• Shooting At GOP Baseball Practice Latest In Pattern Of Violence Against Republicans
• Congressman Rodney Davis said “This hatefulness that we see in this country today over policy differences has got to stop … Republicans and Democrats need to use this day today to stand together and say ‘stop.’ Let’s work together. Let’s get things done,” he said. “We can have our differences, but let’s not let it lead to such hate.”
  

7am – B /C  After baseball attack, the hate in politics has got to go (CNN) President Trump holds the world’s largest microphone and therefore can do the most to quell much of the angry rhetoric we’ve seen. But it doesn’t end with our President. Since he was elected, many Democrats have continually upped the ante to out-resist each other in opposition to President Trump. Their behavior has created an environment where Democratic lawmakers routinely stoop to foul language in public events. It’s also a climate where a comedian and a theater company feel it’s somehow acceptable to post gruesome pictures of a decapitated president or stage a Shakespeare classic to envision the assassination of a politician who bears a strong resemblance to Donald Trump.

And in this case, where the shooter appears to have been a volunteer for Bernie Sanders, Democrats too have some soul-searching to do. Senator Sanders has strongly condemned the suspect, and he is right that “violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society.”

7am – D INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner.

Topic : Congressional Baseball Shooting

• Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup helped House Majority Whip Steve Scalise after the shooting at a Republican baseball practice Wednesday, and he compared the gunfire to when he served in Iraq.
• Early reports indicate that five people were injured in the shooting, including Scalise. The other victims were congressional staffers and police officers.
• Sen. Rand Paul asserted that the large number of Capitol Hill police in attendance at the practice were able to stop the shooting from being much worse.

7am – E   Collins says he will start carrying a gun, after baseball practice shooting Rep. Chris Collins told a Buffalo television station that, after a shooting Wednesday morning at a Congressional baseball practice in Virginia, he will start carrying a pistol while he’s out in public. “If you look at the vulnerability, I assure you: I have a carry permit. I will be carrying when I’m out and about,” Collins, a Republican from suburban Buffalo, told WKBW. “On a rare occasion I’d have my gun in a glove box or something, but it’s going to be in my pocket from this day forward.”

8am – A  INTERVIEW – DAN BONGINO – Former secret service agent and former NYPD COP

Topic: Capitol Hill police’s heroic role in the Congressional baseball shooting

• If not for the presence of the U.S. Capitol Police officers, authorities say, the toll could have been much worse when a heavily armed gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball practice just outside Washington early Wednesday.
• “Many lives would have been lost if not for the heroic actions of the two Capitol Police officers who took down the gunman despite sustaining gunshot wounds during a very, very brutal assault,” said President Trump. “Our brave Capitol Police perform a challenging job with incredible skill, and their sacrifice makes democracy possible.”

8am – B 2 Turkish men arrested after brawl at DC embassy in May (Fox News) Two Turkish Americans accused of attacking U.S. demonstrators outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit last month, were arrested Wednesday. “Now that charges have been filed, the Department will weigh additional actions for the named individuals, as appropriate under relevant laws and regulations,” said a senior State Department official. “Any further steps will be responsive and proportional to the charges.”

8am – C 8-year-old drag queen: “If your parents won’t let you do drag, you need new parents” (Gaytimes) When future drag superstar Lactacia attended the Werq The World tour with her parents last month, the last thing she expected was to be brought up on stage by RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Bianca del Rio. Now, Lactacia is taking the world by storm as she performs at vogue balls and delivers sassy one-liners to the media. And she’s got some wise words for anyone else who wants to step into a pair of high heels and a wig…“I think that anyone can do what they want in life,” she said during an interview with LGBT in the City. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.“If you wanna be a drag queen and your parents don’t let you, you need new parents! If you wanna be a drag queen and your friends don’t let you, you need new friends!”

8am – D INTERVIEW –  GEORGE LYON – ARSENOL ATTORNEY

Topic: Barry Loudermilk wants concealed carry for lawmakers in DC after Scalise shooting

• Under Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s proposal, members who are allowed to conceal carry a weapon in their home state would be able to in Washington. Loudermilk, R-Ga., said the problem is that the nation’s capital does not recognize concealed carry licenses from other states.

8am – E  Dolce & Gabbana Is Trolling Melania Trump Critics With A $245 T-Shirt (Fortune) In responding to critics of its association with First Lady Melania Trump, Dolce & Gabbana has dared to be different. The Italian fashion house is one of the latest targets of anti-Trump consumers who have called for a boycott of the brand since Melania Trump has repeatedly worn its clothes. Unlike other designers like Tom Ford and Sophie Theallet, who have refused to dress the first family, D&G has embraced the exposure. Designer Stefano Gabbana, for instance, has on several occasions, posted photos of Melania Trump wearing D&G garments to his personal Instagram account with the hashtag #DGWoman.