Hans Von Spakovsky, Dr. Rick Lanham, Steve Moore, Matt Bonesteel, and Tom Fitton joined WMAL on Thursday!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C PA Special Election: What are the takeaways? Is there something we can learn from this?

5am – D/E     Goodbye to Iconic American Stores:

• Toys”R” Us informed employees on Wednesday that it will close or sell all of its more than 700 U.S. stores (Fox Business) — Toys ‘R’ Us informed employees on Wednesday that it will close or sell all of its more than 700 U.S. stores amid mounting debt and years of declining sales, according to a report. David Brandon, CEO of the Wayne, New Jersey-based toy retailer, broke the news to employees at the company’s headquarters. Toys ‘R’ Us’s impending liquidation could result in as many as 33,000 layoffs, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company will file paperwork related to the liquidation of its U.S. division on Wednesday night ahead of a bankruptcy court hearing on Thursday, the report added. “I have always believed that this brand and this business should exist in the U.S.,” Brandon said on a conference call with staffers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Brandon added that vendors who did not support the brand during a weak holiday sales season would “live to regret” the retailer’s demise. Toys ‘R’ Us representatives declined FOX Business’ request for comment on the situation.
• One of last remaining Blockbusters in US set to close (New York Post) — North Pole, Alaska — Time has run out for one of the last remaining Blockbuster Video stores in the country. Kevin Daymude, general manager of the Blockbuster in North Pole, said the store will close in April. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that the store had a loyal following but too few customers to keep the doors open. About 40 people waited outside the doors on Tuesday for the store’s liquidation sale. Customers bought stacks of movies, which were marked $5 to $15. Daymude says the Fairbanks Blockbuster Video store, which will be one of four remaining in Alaska after the North Pole closure, is safe for now. Blockbuster’s website lists three open locations outside of Alaska. Two of those are in Oregon and one in Texas.

6am – A         United Airlines Pet News:

• 24 pets died on US carriers last year. 18 of them died on a United flight. (Huffington Post) — News that a dog died aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday has renewed interest in the airline’s track record of safely transporting animals. According to data from the Department of Transportation, United Airlines had the highest number of animal deaths and injuries for any U.S. carrier in 2017. The data pertain only to pets that flew with the airline’s PetSafe cargo program, so it does not relate to the incident Monday in which a dog died after a passenger was reportedly forced to put her pet in its carrier in the overhead bin during a flight from Houston to New York. Pets that fly in-cabin are typically meant to be stowed underneath the seat in front of the owner. The airline issued a statement Tuesday saying it took full responsibility for the “tragic accident” and said it was conducting a full investigation. But United spokesperson Charlie Hobart said medical experts indicate that an overwhelming number of deaths amid pets who flew in the cargo area last year were due to things beyond the airline’s control, such as preexisting medical conditions.

• United Airlines Accidentally Flies Kansas Family’s Dog to Japan (Huffington Post) — America’s most hated, dog-killing airline is back in the news this week. And while they may not be physically dragging a passenger against their will this time, they did accidentally drag a Kansas family’s pet halfway across the world. On Tuesday, United Airlines announced they are investigating how employees mistakenly sent a 10-year-old Kansas-bound dog to Japan after the animal’s owners exited their flight from Oregon to Kansas City, Missouri to find that their Irgo was nowhere to be found. Instead, they were met with a random Great Dane — not their German Shepherd. While the dog is finally headed back to the American midwest, his exact arrival date is still up in the air.

6am – B         Rand Paul Opposes Trump’s Pick for CIA Director: She Seemed to ‘Enjoy’ Torture  (Fox News Insider) — Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday the nomination of Gina Haspel to be CIA director is “the wrong kind of message to send to the world” due to her connection with enhanced interrogation and waterboarding in the Bush administration. “She believes that waterboarding should be something that we use, and I think America shouldn’t be known for torture,” Paul (R-Ky.) said on “Outnumbered Overtime.”

Liz Cheney @Liz_Cheney

Gina Haspel has spent her career defending the American people and homeland. @RandPaul is defending and sympathizing with terrorists.

6am – C         US federal judge dismisses lawsuit filed by ‘clock boy’s’ father (Fox News) — A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by the father of a boy who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to his Texas school that officials say resembled a bomb. United States District Judge Sam Lindsay dismissed a lawsuit filed against the city of Irving, Irving Independent School District and several other defendants after finding that Ahmed Mohamed’s civil rights were not violated in September 2015 when he was arrested at MacArthur High School, Dallas News reported. Mohamed, 14, was taken into custody and after bringing a device into the school that included batteries, a printed circuit board, wires, a transformer, a display panel and an alarm bell, according to The Daily Caller. School officials warned he boy about the “clock” before he was sent to the principal’s office. Officials announced at the time that they would not be charging the boy. Mohamed’s father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, filed the lawsuit in August 2016 on behalf of his son, alleging that he was discriminated against because of his race and religion. A statement by the city said it was “extremely pleased by the court’s ruling, which supports the justifiable actions taken by the officers in the matter. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of all Irving residents and schoolchildren.”

6am – D         INTERVIEW — HANS VON SPAKOVSKY –  former counsel in the Justice Department and a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation – discussed ongoing rumors about AG Sessions considering firing former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe before he can retire and explained why we should include a citizenship question on the Census

• Sessions considering whether to fire McCabe (CNN) — Washington (CNN)Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was set to officially retire on March 18, but according to a source familiar with the matter, he could be fired just days before and lose his pension after a more than two-decade career at the bureau. The embattled official abruptly stepped down at the end of January and has been on leave since that time. CNN has learned the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility has recommended McCabe be fired and now the decision is up to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The issue stems from findings in an internal Justice. Department watchdog report that claims he misled investigators about his decision to authorize FBI officials to speak to the media about an investigation into the Clinton Foundation
• Department of Justice seeking to add citizenship status question in 2020 census (Fox 5 DC) — WASHINGTON – Are you a United States citizen? It’s a question you will not currently find on the census, but a request may change that. The question of citizenship status was removed from the U.S. census decades ago. However, the Department of Justice has asked the Census Bureau to add the question back in a letter submitted in December. The explanation in the letter outlined the need to obtain a reliable calculation of the voting-age population. Pushback has been swift with critics pointing to an added cost associated with the question along with creating fears for respondents. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is opposed to the proposal of adding the question to the 2020 Census.

6am – E         Kudlow accepts job of White House National Economic Council director, replaces Gary Cohn (Fox News) — Conservative commentator and former Reagan administration official Larry Kudlow has accepted the job of White House National Economic Council director, replacing Gary Cohn, Fox News has learned. President Trump offered Kudlow the job just one week after Cohn resigned from his post as the president’s chief economic adviser, a senior administration official told Fox News. “Larry Kudlow was offered, and accepted, the position of Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Wednesday. “We will work to have an orderly transition and will keep everyone posted on the timing of him officially assuming the role.”

6am – F         Under Heavily-Armed Police Guard, Bernie Sanders Addresses Anti-Gun Rally (Daily Caller) — A national school walk-out was held today by students protesting gun violence across the country, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders joined students in DC marching on the U.S. capitol. So did his armed guards. In multiple locations, students hit the streets and parking lots in their respective school districts to “walk out’” in solidarity with the Parkland students who are calling for more gun control after their school attacked by a deranged gunman. 17 students died in the attack. The former presidential candidate was part of a group of progressive congressmen addressing the Washington, DC march. Sanders began a live stream of his speech on his Facebook page, which featured him wading through the crowd of cheering students and shaking hands. As Sanders traveled through the gun-control crowd, at least three heavily armed Capitol police officers could be seen protecting him and clearing a way for the Senator through the students. Multiple times in the live feed, the police can be heard asking the students to step back and move away from Sanders.

7am – A   INTERVIEW – DR. RICK LANHAM – Clinical Psychologist and Asst. Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Medicine – discussed the school walkouts yesterday, the psychological aspect of these school shooters, how bullying can play a factor in leading to creating these school shooters, and how the gun control policies being pursued will not address the problem

7am – B         Diamond Piercing Is a New Engagement Ring Trend That’ll Make You Say “God, NO,” Like I Just Did (Marie Claire) — Nothing says everlasting love like burrowing a gemstone in your skin. You know the classic proposal scene—your partner gets down on one knee, asks you to marry him/her/them, slides a diamond onto your ring finger, and then pierces it through your goddamn skin. Wait, does that sound horrifying and completely wrong? Yeah, well, that’s the sequence of events that occur with this season’s newest bridal trend, diamond piercing, which is here to haunt your pretty little dreams. The trend, first spotted The Sun, involves piercing your finger with a dermal diamond stud that attaches to an anchor placed beneath your skin, then stitching up the surrounding area. So, you know, a tad bit more painful than your average proposal moment, but also much more unique? Maybe? Sure, the photos made the entire MarieClaire.com staff gasp and mutter “STOP, NO, PLEASE,” for a full five minutes, and sure the idea of accidentally getting the diamond caught on your sweater and ripped out of your skin makes me want to crawl into a hole and die, and sure, getting divorced means you’ll be left with not only an emotional scar, but a physical scar too, but who are we to judge?

7am – C         REDSKINS Acquire Quarterback Alex Smith

The Redskins have announced that they have traded for quarterback Alex Smith. (NBC Sports) — The deal that was first reported on January 30 now sends the Redskins’ third-round pick in this year’s draft plus cornerback Kendall Fuller to the Chiefs in exchange for Smith. It has been widely reported that the deal included a contract extension for Smith, who had one year left on his contract with the Chiefs. The preliminary numbers have the contract at four years and $94 million with $71 million guaranteed. The details of that deal are very important when it comes to determining how long the Redskins are tied to Smith and how much he will cost against the salary cap each year. In any case, it is expected that the deal will come on top of the final year of the contract Smith signed with the Chiefs meaning he will be under team control for five years.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – STEVE MOORE – Economist at The Heritage Foundation and served as an economic adviser to the Trump campaign – discussed Larry Kudlow replacing Gary Cohn as White House National Economic Council Director

• Kudlow accepts job of White House National Economic Council director, replaces Gary Cohn. (Fox News) — Conservative commentator and former Reagan administration official Larry Kudlow has accepted the job of White House National Economic Council director, replacing Gary Cohn, Fox News has learned. President Trump offered Kudlow the job just one week after Cohn resigned from his post as the president’s chief economic adviser, a senior administration official told Fox News.
• New economic adviser Larry Kudlow has clashed with Trump on tariffs and more. Kudlow did moderate his criticism of Trump’s tariffs decision before the president’s decision to pick him as adviser. “It’s a Trumpian way of negotiating,” Kudlow said of the tariffs announcement in a radio interview this weekend. “You knock them in the teeth and get their attention. And then you kind of work out a deal, and I think that’s what he’s done. My hat’s off to him. He had me really worried. Now I’m not.”

7am – E         Man Katy Perry Kissed On ‘American Idol’ Says He Didn’t Like It

“I wanted my first kiss to be special.” (Huffington Post) — Katy Perry kissed an “American Idol” contestant ― and he didn’t like it. Benjamin Glaze spoke to The New York Times about what he described as the “uncomfortable” kiss ― which happened to be his first kiss ever ― broadcast Sunday on the season premiere of the recently rebooted show. Glaze didn’t consent to the kiss and said he would’ve refused it if Perry had asked permission. “I wanted to save it for my first relationship. I wanted it to be special,” Glaze, now 20, told the Times. “Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no,” he said. He added that he didn’t feel sexually harassed by Perry in the audition, which was recorded earlier. “I know a lot of guys would be like, ‘Heck yeah!’ But for me, I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately,” Glaze said. “I wanted my first kiss to be special.” The kiss occurred during an audition interview with Glaze in which he said he liked meeting girls at his job as a cashier in an electronics store. “Have you kissed a girl and liked it?” “American Idol” judge and country singer Luke Bryan asked, referencing Perry’s famous song from 2008.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – MATT BONESTEEL – Sports reporter, Washington Post – discussed March Madness gambling guides, expert predictions, and the video showing minor league baseball player violently abusing his girlfriend in a surveillance video in a stairwell at Whataburger Field

• Matt Bonesteel, sports reporter: NCAA tournament gambling guide takes March Madness beyond the brackets
• BONESTEEL: Expert bracket picks: College basketball’s top minds predict the NCAA tournament
• BONESTEEL: After release of horrific domestic-violence video, minor league team cuts player.

8am – B/C     Recap of yesterday’s student walkout protest

8am – D         INTERVIEW – TOM FITTON – President, Judicial Watch – discussed rumors that AG Sessions is looking to fire former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Judicial Watch’s work to bring this issue to public attention

8am – E         Don Jr:

• Donald Trump Jr. and wife headed for divorce, friends say (Page Six) — Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Vanessa Trump, are struggling through marital problems and friends say they are heading for divorce, multiple sources have exclusively confirmed to Page Six. Vanessa and the eldest son of President Donald Trump married in November 2005 and have five children. But while they have not legally separated, friends say they have been living separate lives. Divorce proceedings have not yet been initiated, but friends say they expect the couple to file soon. A spokesperson for Don Jr., Vanessa and the Trump Organization declined to comment, despite numerous requests to do so over two days.
• Vanessa Trump called Trump Jr. ‘the one with the retarded dad’ (Page Six) — This seems like a good time to remember the beautiful moment that Vanessa Trump met Donald Trump Jr., after which she referred to the scion as “the one with the retarded dad.” In a 2006 interview with the New York Times, Vanessa — who, as Page Six exclusively reports, is heading for divorce with Don Jr., according to friends — said they were first introduced by his dad, Donald Trump, at a 2003 fashion show. She said the future president approached her and said, “I wanted to introduce you to my son Donald Trump Jr.” Vanessa said the three chatted “awkwardly,” and then during a later break in the fashion show, “Donald [Sr.] comes back up to me again, ‘I don’t think you’ve met my son Donald Trump Jr.’ ” She responded, “Yeah, we just met five minutes ago.”