Hans Von Spakovsky, Washington Post’s Fritz Hahn, National Review’s Jim Geraghty and Washington Examiner’s Susan Ferrechio joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, March 15, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C   49 killed in mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.  (CNN)At least 49 people have been killed and 20 seriously injured after mass shootings at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch Friday, in a carefully planned and unprecedented attack that has shocked the usually peaceful nation. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, called the incident a terrorist attack in a Friday press conference, saying the suspects held “extremist views” that have no place in New Zealand or the world. Forty-one people were killed at the al Noor mosque on Deans Avenue, said Mike Bush, New Zealand’s Police Commissioner. Seven people died at the Linwood mosque on Linwood Avenue, and one person died from their injuries in hospital. Both mosques are in Christchurch city center. Police placed the two locations on lockdown. A total of 48 patients, including young children with gunshot wounds, were admitted to Christchurch hospital for treatment. Bush said four people were taken into custody — three men and one woman. Police do not believe there are any other suspects but said it was still an open investigation.

5am – D/E     Peter Strzok testimony: DOJ declined to get a warrant to obtain possession of Clinton’s private email server but instead entered into an agreement with Clinton lawyers to get the server. Part of the agreement? Not searching Clinton Foundation emails.

6am – A/B/C BETO LOVEFEST:

• Democrat Beto O’Rourke compares those who are writing climate change proposals to “those who were on the beaches in Normandy”
• Beto Says He’s Open To Packing The Supreme Court
• Beto on rural broadband: “They can’t go to Tinder and find a date tonight to find that special person who’s going to make the difference in their lives.”
• Beto O’Rourke: “Any single Democrat running today — and I may not be able to enumerate every single one of them right now — would be far better than the current occupant of the White House.”
• Trump makes fun of Beto O’Rourke’s hand movements: President Trump on Beto O’Rourke: “I think he’s got a lot of hand movement. I’ve never seen so much hand movement.”

6am – D         NATIONAL EMERGENCY:

• 12 Senate Republicans sided with Democrats to reject Pres. Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to fund the U.S.-Mexico border wall Thursday, even calling POTUS’ move a “dangerous precedent.” “Veto!” the president immediately replied on Twitter.
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 14h14 hours ago VETO!
• Donald J. Trump @RealDonaldTrump: I look forward to VETOING the just passed Democrat inspired Resolution which would OPEN BORDERS while increasing Crime, Drugs, and Trafficking in our Country. I thank all of the Strong Republicans who voted to support Border Security and our desperately needed WALL!
• These are the Republicans who voted against Trump’s National Emergency Declaration: Toomey, Portman, Collins, Lee Moran, Paul Wicker, Murkowski, Alexander, Romney, Rubio and Blunt

6am – E         Abrams and Biden meet as both consider entering 2020 race. (The Hill)

Stacey Abrams, the former Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, met Thursday with former Vice President Joe Biden in Washington as both consider jumping into the 2020 presidential race. The meeting — Abrams’s latest with a high-profile Democratic hopeful — was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Two people familiar with the meeting confirmed it to The Hill. Abrams’s unsuccessful gubernatorial bid against now-Gov. Brian Kemp (R) last year drew intense national attention and prompted calls for her to run for office once again. Abrams has entertained the notion of another campaign. But exactly what office she could seek has remained shrouded in mystery. Some Democrats have pointed to Abrams as a possible presidential contender, while others have urged her to take on Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who’s up for reelection next year. Others have suggested that Abrams could seek a rematch against Kemp in 2022 when he will face reelection. Abrams fueled speculation of a White House run this week, when she tweeted that “2020 is definitely on the table.” She previously said that she would make a decision regarding her political future in March, suggesting that an announcement could come soon. She’s already met with a handful of Democratic presidential contenders, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Kamala Harris (Calif.) and Cory Booker (N.J.). Her meeting with Biden comes as the former vice president prepares for a 2020 announcement of his own.

6am – F         Southern Poverty Law Center fires co-founder Morris Dees. The Southern Poverty Law Center fired Morris Dees, the nonprofit civil rights organization’s co-founder and former chief litigator. SPLC President Richard Cohen said in a statement Dees’ dismissal over his misconduct was effective on Wednesday, March 13. When pressed for details on what led to the termination, the organization declined to elaborate. “As a civil rights organization, the SPLC is committed to ensuring that the conduct of our staff reflects the mission of the organization and the values we hope to instill in the world,” Cohen said in the emailed statement. “When one of our own fails to meet those standards, no matter his or her role in the organization, we take it seriously and must take appropriate action.” Dees, 82, co-founded the Montgomery-based organization in 1971.  “It was not my decision, what they did,” Dees said when reached by phone. “I wish the center the absolute best. Whatever reasons they had of theirs, I don’t know.” On Thursday, he said he hadn’t tried a case in at least a decade and hadn’t recently been involved in the day-to-day operations of the SPLC.  Dees’ termination is one of several steps taken by the organization this week, Cohen said.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – HANS VON SPAKOVSKY —  former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department, former commissioner for the Federal Election Commission from 2006 to 2007, and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation

• Citizenship question hearing: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses Wilbur Ross of not getting congressional approval to add a citizenship question to the census and lying about his reasoning
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) says illegal aliens are her constituents
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC: We made serious cracks in the citizenship question case, which seriously threatens the Census. You know the questioning is good when the GOP tries to challenge you into stopping, are unsuccessful, and an army of lawyers starts freaking out. Chair @RepCummings saved the day.

7am – B/C     COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL:

• SEPHORA DROPS OLIVIA JADE: Lori Loughlin’s social media influencer daughter, Olivia Jade, loses Sephora partnership in wake of college admission scandal. (NBC News) — As for Sephora, the company told NBC News in a statement: “After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately.” Giannulli, 19, is a YouTube star and was a collaborator and paid influencer with Sephora. She released a bronzing powder palette with Sephora in December 2018. The $28, six-color Olivia Jade x Sephora Collection Bronze & Illuminate Palette was no longer available on the company’s website Thursday. A search for the palette returns a message saying the product is not carried. Haircare brand TRESemmé said in a statement Thursday it was ending its partnership with Giannulli. She advertised the brand’s products on her Instagram page after attending a TRESemmé event during New York Fashion Week just last month.
• HALLMARK DROPS LOUGHLIN: Hallmark Channel Cuts Ties with Lori Loughlin: Loughlin was fired Thursday from the Hallmark Channel, on which she has been a staple, and beauty retailer Sephora announced hours earlier it has ended its partnership with Giannulli, who is a social media influencer. “We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” the parent company of the Hallmark Channel said in a statement. “We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin including Garage Sale Mysteries, an independent third party production.” The company also said all of Loughlin’s completed work will be removed.
• Lori Loughlin’s daughters won’t be returning to USC, according to TMZ  Lori Loughlin’s daughters—influencer Olivia Jade and Isabella—will reportedly not be returning to the University of Southern California for “fear of bullying” after their parents were indicted and accused of paying to secure their admission. TMZ reports that the 19 and 20-year-old students have made the decision to withdraw from the school with the full support of their parents, Loughlin and designer Mossimo Giannulli. Sources told the website Olivia was a “mess, despondent” and feels like her situation is the “end of the world.” According to the indictment, Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 to have his daughters admitted to USC as crew team recruits, even though they had never played the sport.
• GILLIBRAND DONOR: Mom ensnared in college admissions scam hosted Gillibrand fundraiser last week: (PageSix) – Here’s a political endorsement Dems don’t want. Alleged college scammer Jane Buckingham — the marketing CEO accused of paying $50,000 for her son to get into the University of Southern California — was a co-host of a Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand fund-raiser days before the indictments hit. Buckingham is listed as a co-host for a high-end Beverly Hills, Calif., event at the home of Los Angeles FC owner Larry Berg and his wife, Allison, last Saturday to fund Gillibrand’s exploratory 2020 presidential run. Co-hosts also included Will Ferrell, “Scandal” creator Shonda Rhimes and her über agent Chris Silbermann, plus Harvard MBA and author Samantha Ettus. It cost donors $2,800 to be a co-host of the event. Meanwhile, Buckingham’s scandalized son Jack came clean in the Hollywood Reporter by telling the magazine: “I know there are millions of kids out there both wealthy and less fortunate who grind their ass off just to have a shot at the college of their dreams. I am upset that I was unknowingly involved in a large scheme that helps give kids who may not work as hard as others an advantage over those who truly deserve those spots.” Buckingham allegedly explored the same scam for her daughter Lilia.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – FRITZ HAHN – Washington Post Reporter covering bars, drinks and nightlife – discussed what there is to do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the DC area this weekend:

• Things to do in the D.C. area over St. Patrick’s Day weekend:
  • St. Patrick’s Day weekend at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery: If you’re a fan of Irish beer, there are few better places to spend the holiday than Open Gate. Just know that you’ll need to plan ahead and purchase tickets in advance for Saturday or Sunday. There are two sessions per day — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. — each featuring live music and a special menu, including the debut of the Guinness food truck. The $15 admission includes one beer, a souvenir button and a donation to local charities. Look for four new beers: An amber ale brewed with Irish breakfast tea and a stout made with black currant are going on tap, while the brewery has canned an IPA with Citra and Mosaic hops and a rye stout. “Of the stouts we’ve made, the rye has been our brewers’ favorite,” brewmaster Peter Wiens says. “The spiciness comes through.” Overflow parking is available at the Halethorpe MARC station, with a free shuttle to the brewery. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. $15.
  • St. Patrick’s Day pregame at the Dubliner: The venerable Capitol Hill pub, which turned 45 last week, is one of the most comfortable barrooms in town. Doors open at noon on Saturday for a day of “pregame” music and pints, and Sunday starts at 9 a.m., with 45-cent Guinness for the first hour, followed by John McGrath, Brian Gaffney and Morris Minor performing traditional Irish music on two stages for the rest of the day. Through Sunday. Free admission.
  • St. Patrick’s Day at Ireland’s Four Courts: Because beer apparently tastes better if you earn it, the holiday weekend at the Arlington pub begins with the Four Courts Four Miler — a downhill/uphill circuit through the streets of Court House and Rosslyn, followed by a party with live music, Irish food specials, dancers and a bagpiper in the pub. Festivities continue on Sunday with a heated party tent to make room for even more revelers. Doors open at 8 a.m. both days. Through Sunday. Free admission.
  • St. Patrick’s Day at the Smashed Potato, a.k.a. Barrel: Barrel isn’t usually an Irish bar, but it will be through Sunday, thanks to general manager Ruairi De Burca, who hails from Cork. Expect a version of Irish coffee made with nitro cold brew, Irish whiskey and spices; discounted Irish whiskey; and $8 pints of Irish beers. Chef Walfer Hernandez is preparing dishes traditional (fish and chips, lamb stew) and not (green mashed potatoes). Through Sunday. Free admission.

• HAHN: Maryland’s new Guinness brewery is a destination for fans — and everyone else, too: (Washington Post) – More than 13 million pints of Guinness Draught Stout will be consumed around the world on St. Patrick’s Day. Although you can enjoy a couple of glasses of the black stuff at your local pub on Sunday, wouldn’t you rather drink Guinness at the Guinness brewery? The beloved Irish brewer made a splash in 2017 when it opened a taproom and experimental brewery on the site of the old Calvert Distillery just north of Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, marking the first time since the 1950s that Guinness operated a brewery in the United States. Last summer, it unveiled an upgraded space in the same complex: Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House now has a larger brewery, a visitors center, a spacious bar, a sit-down restaurant and a gift shop, and outside, a wide lawn features an alfresco bar and plots where beer ingredients are growing. As a result, a brewery synonymous with the Emerald Isle has become one of the fastest-growing tourist attractions in the Old Line State. Diageo, Guinness’s parent company, set a goal of 300,000 visitors in Open Gate’s first year, but it took less than 90 days to notch 100,000. On an average Saturday, the brewery says, it’s not uncommon for 2,500 people to pass through the doors for guided tours, a meal or just to see what’s pouring in the handsome taproom, an area that has couches, tables made from old barrels and a huge central bar topped with illuminated glass bricks. If you’re wondering why a brewery has become such a destination, it’s worth considering the unique position Guinness occupies in the beer world. It’s beloved by the Irish American community and by those whose only association with Ireland is a love of pubs. Although it’s part of a multibillion-dollar company, sold worldwide alongside sister brands Johnnie Walker Scotch and Smirnoff Vodka, it’s not dismissed by the craft beer aficionados who turn up their noses at any association with macro-brewers, such as Heineken or AB-InBev. Open Gate Brewery tries to appeal to all of these audiences. While Guinness’s flagship stouts, including the best-selling Draught Stout, Extra Stout and Foreign Extra Stout, are still produced at the landmark St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, the company has given the Open Gate team free rein to create IPAs, sours and other “experimental beers” to supplement the taproom’s made-in-Ireland offerings. Of the 20 draft and bottle choices available on a recent visit, more than half were produced there in Baltimore County, mostly on a small system a level below the taproom. “This brewery has been built to remind people that Guinness is a brewery, not just one beer,” jokes brewery brand ambassador Ryan Wagner. It doesn’t hurt that the Baltimore brewers have solid craft beer credentials: American brewmaster Peter Wiens brewed at Stone in San Diego and in Richmond.

7am – E         A DAY OF CHAOS:

• 49 killed in mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand:  (CNN)At least 49 people have been killed and 20 seriously injured after mass shootings at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch Friday, in a carefully planned and unprecedented attack that has shocked the usually peaceful nation. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, called the incident a terrorist attack in a Friday press conference, saying the suspects held “extremist views” that have no place in New Zealand or the world.
• Israel launches airstrikes on ‘terror sites in Gaza’ after attack on Tel Aviv, military says. The Israeli military early Friday announced it had launched airstrikes on “terror sites in Gaza,” a retaliatory move after rockets blamed on the militant group Hamas were fired on Tel Aviv. “We have just started striking terror sites in Gaza. Details to follow,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted. The strikes were occurring in Khan Younis, roughly 15 miles south of Gaza City, according to The Associated Press. There were no immediate reports of injuries. A Hamas naval base was targeted, the outlet reported, citing Palestinian media. After their initial post, the military tweeted a “rocket alert,” explaining that sirens were triggered in the Eshkol Regional Council. The military later said they confirmed “the rockets fired from #Gaza at #TelAviv earlier tonight were launched by the Hamas terrorist organization.”

8am – A         BETO LOVEFEST AND ROSARIO DAWSON CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP WITH COREY BOOKER

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – JIM GERAGHTY- senior political correspondent of National Review. @jimgeraghty – discussed his latest piece: “Brace Yourselves for Betomania.”

8am – D          INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – Chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner – discussed the looming veto of the national emergency vote.

• Senate votes to reject Trump’s emergency declaration, setting up president’s first veto. The Senate passed a resolution Thursday to overturn President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, with 12 Republicans joining all the Democrats to deliver a rare bipartisan rebuke of the president. The disapproval resolution passed the House last month, so the 59-to-41 Senate vote will send the measure to the president’s desk. Trump intends to use the first veto of his presidency to strike it down, and Congress does not have the votes to override the veto. “VETO!” Trump tweeted moments after the vote.

8am – E         ST PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATED AT THE WHITE HOUSE: President Trump Participates in the Shamrock Bowl Presentation by the Prime Minister of Ireland.