Kerry Halferty Hardy, Heritage Action’s Tim Chapman, Andrew McCarthy, RNC spokesperson Liz Harrington, White House’s Adam Kennedy, Steve Moore and Raymond Arroyo joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C             DEVASTATING NOTRE DAME FIRE:

• ‘WE WILL REBUILD’: The world is united in grief over the fire that destroyed much of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral Monday as French President Emmanuel Macron vows the historical cathedral will be rebuilt …  Investigators are treating the fire as an accident for now, the local prosecutor’s office said. Paris police will investigate the disaster as “in-voluntary destruction caused by fire” and have ruled out arson and potential terror-related motives for starting the blaze, officials said. Officials were optimistic that the cathedral’s world-famous bell towers had been saved, and that the main structure of the building remained intact.  Fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet confirmed that firefighters had managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry, the stomping ground of the fictional hunchback Quasimodo in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” However, the blaze collapsed the cathedral’s spire, which had been shrouded in scaffolding as part of a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project. Macron announced the launch of an international fundraising drive to begin raising the millions of dollars necessary to restore the Notre Dame Cathedral to its former glory.
• A fire gutted parts of Notre Dame Cathedral and altered the Paris skyline. (WMAL) — A catastrophic fire engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday, altering the city’s skyline and threatening a potent symbol of Catholicism at the start of Holy Week. The fire burned for several hours, destroying the 850-year-old cathedral’s iconic spire and roof before firefighters contained the blaze early Tuesday morning. A pair of bell towers immortalized in Victor Hugo’s tale “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” survived, along with the cathedral’s elaborate stonework facade. Officials said invaluable artifacts were saved, including the Crown of Thorns, believed to be a relic of the passion of Christ. President Emmanuel Macron lamented the destruction of an awe-inspiring building that embodied the heart of Paris for more than 800 years. But he pledged to rebuild, starting with the launch of an international fundraising campaign. “Notre Dame is our history, it’s our literature, it’s our imagery. It’s the place where we live our greatest moments, from wars to pandemics to liberations,” he said. “This history is ours. And it burns. It burns and I know the sadness so many of our fellow French feel.”

5am – D         Robert Mueller’s redacted Trump-Russia report to be released Thursday. The buzz in Washington, D.C. is at a fever pitch as Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s much-anticipated Russia report is set to be released to the public and Congress on Thursday morning, the Justice Department has announced … Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told Fox News on Monday the report would be made available — with redactions — Thursday morning to lawmakers and to the public. The news comes despite mounting calls from Democrats to first release the report to Congress without redactions.

• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax. That is, never forget, the crime…..

5am – E         TRUMP TWEETS ILLEGALS WILL BE BUSED TO SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES. (Daily Mail) — President Donald Trump says illegal immigrants the Department of Homeland Security cannot keep in custody will be transported to cities that promote themselves as safe spaces for illegal immigrants. ‘Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!’ he said in a Monday tweet.  He called on Congress to return to Washington D.C. to ‘fix the immigration laws’ in another tweet, as he blamed Democrats for his failure to deliver on a key campaign promise to slow the flow of migrants into the United States.  ‘Congress should come back to D.C. now and FIX THE IMMIGRATION LAWS!’ he insisted. Lawmakers are on a two-week, legislative recess. They’re meeting with constituents in their congressional districts.

6am – A         INTERVIEW — KERRY HALFERTY HARDY – an American in Paris – shared her perspective from France and how Parisians are reacting.  She also addressed what they are hearing about the fire, causes and the efforts to try to save it and any art/artifacts in it. She could see the smoke from her balcony in Paris.  She had visited the attic rooms about 25 years ago when a friend of the family was renovating the organ.

6am – B/C     RECAP: BERNIE SANDERS TOWN HALL ON FOX NEWS:

• SANDERS UNAPOLOGETIC IN COMBATIVE FOX NEWS TOWN HALL: Sparks flew almost immediately at Fox News’ town hall with  Bernie  Sanders as the 2020 presidential candidate refused to explain why he would not voluntarily pay the massive new 52-percent “wealth tax” that he advocated imposing on the nation’s richest individuals — even though his tax records show that he is a millionaire …  Just minutes before the town hall began, Sanders released 10`years of his tax returns. Sanders later admitted outright that “you’re going to pay more in taxes” if he became president. According to the returns, Sanders and his wife paid a 26 percent effective tax rate on $561,293 in income, and made more than $1 million in both 2016 and 2017. Sanders donated $10,600 to charity in 2016 and $36,300 in 2017, the records showed, followed by nearly $19,000 in 2018. But pressed by anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum as to why he was holding onto his wealth, Sanders laughed and asked the anchors to pressure Trump on his taxes and challenged the president to make his tax records public.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – TIM CHAPMAN – executive director of Heritage Action — discussed the Trump administration’s immigration strategy, polling and the idea of busing illegals to sanctuary cities.

6am – E/F      Legal Citizen From Togo Attacked For Wearing MAGA Hat In Maryland Neighborhood. (Daily Caller) — A legal citizen from Togo was reportedly attacked in Maryland for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat on Saturday, as police have taken two suspects into custody. The man, who lives in Germantown, MD, was reportedly attacked in his neighborhood by two men because he was wearing the hat, in support of President Donald Trump.  He was reportedly hit in the head and upper body, as the two suspects tried to steal his hat from him, according to ABC7. The Montgomery County Police Department says the victim, “who was wearing a red, Make America Great Again hat, was approached by two men who began harassing the victim and asking why he was wearing the MAGA hat.  The victim told the suspects that he was entitled to his own views and kept walking away from the suspects.  The suspects began striking the victim and telling him to take the hat off.  The victim continued to be struck by the suspects until he fell to the ground. The suspects then removed property from the victim, and destroyed items of value. The suspects then fled the scene,” in a Monday press release.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – ANDREW MCCARTHY – Former Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, contributing editor of National Review and host of “The McCarthy Report” podcast

• Robert Mueller’s redacted Trump-Russia report to be released Thursday.
• Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump: The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax. That is, never forget, the crime…..
• Andrew McCarthy’s piece at Fox News: Why isn’t Assange charged with ‘collusion with Russia?’

7am – B         Pelosi appears to take new jab at Ocasio-Cortez, says ‘a glass of water’ with a ‘D’ could win their districts. (Fox News) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday made a point to heap more praise on Democrats who flipped Republican seats in the 2018 midterms and downplayed representatives like herself and freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who carried districts where a “glass of water” with a “D” next to it could win. “When we won this election, it wasn’t in districts like mine or Alexandria’s,” Pelosi said. “[S]he’s a wonderful member of Congress as I think all of our colleagues will attest. But those are districts that are solidly Democratic.” To drive the point home she picked up a water glass next to her and said: “This glass of water would win with a ‘D’ next to its name in those districts.” Pelosi, who is traveling in Europe with a congressional delegation this week, made the comments during an appearance before the London School of Economics and Political Science. Pelosi’s comment appeared to be her latest attempt to play down the influence of the Democrats’ progressive wing. During a Sunday interview with CBS News’ Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes,” Pelosi said that faction was “like five people.”

7am – C         Bill Weld officially launches long-shot GOP primary bid against Trump. (Fox News) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld on Monday formally declared his candidacy for White House, setting him off on an extreme uphill climb to defeat incumbent President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. “It is time for patriotic men and women across our great nation to stand and plant a flag. It is time to return to the principles of Lincoln – equality, dignity, and opportunity for all. There is no greater cause on earth than to preserve what truly makes America great. I am ready to lead that fight,” said Weld in a statement as he launched his bid to try and topple Trump, who remains very popular with Republicans. Weld, a very vocal Trump critic, also released a three-minute-long video highlighting his achievements during his two terms as governor of Massachusetts in the 1990s. The video also showcased clips of some of Trump’s most controversial moments, from the infamous “Access Hollywood” video of Trump using lewd language to boast of his sexual groping and kissing of women without their consent, to the president’s comments in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Va., where he said “there were very fine people on both sides” of the clashes between supporters and protesters of the city’s Confederate monuments. Weld, who recently returned to the Republican Party after serving as the 2016 Libertarian Party nominee, launched a presidential exploratory committee in February.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — ELIZABETH “LIZ” HARRINGTON – RNC SPOKESPERSON – shared her thoughts on the Bernie Sanders town hall, the Democratic Party’s obsession with socialism and the 2020 campaign fundraising war.

• SANDERS UNAPOLOGETIC IN COMBATIVE FOX NEWS TOWN HALL: Sparks flew almost immediately at Fox News’ town hall with  Bernie  Sanders as the 2020 presidential candidate refused to explain why he would not voluntarily pay the massive new 52-percent “wealth tax” that he advocated imposing on the nation’s richest individuals — even though his tax records show that he is a millionaire …  Just minutes before the town hall began, Sanders released 10`years of his tax returns. Sanders later admitted outright that “you’re going to pay more in taxes” if he became president.
• LIZ HARRINGTON: The American Dream Trumps The Democratic Party’s Socialist Delusion https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/15/harrington-american-dream/
• TRUMP’S $30M CAMPAIGN WAR CHEST: President Trump’s re-election campaign raised $30.3 million in the first quarter of this year, far pacing the leading fundraisers among the Democrats. Among Trump’s would-be Democratic challengers, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was leading the money race after taking in $18.2 million in the first quarter of this year.

7am – E         LATEST ON THE NOTRE DAME FIRE:

• Fire Out, Organ Intact But Work Ahead For Charred Notre Dame. (WMAL) — PARIS — Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris’ iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. What remained was a blackened shell of the monument immortalized in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” a building that had survived almost 900 years of tumultuous French history but was devastated amid renovation works at the start of Catholic Easter week. Its iconic twin bell towers remained visibly intact. Paris officials said the world famous 18th century organ that boasts 8,000 pipes also appeared to have survived, along with other treasures inside the cathedral, after a plan to safeguard heritage was quickly put into action. Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire described authorities’ “enormous relief” at the salvaging of pieces such as the purported Crown of Christ, which were transported to a “secret location” after the fire. Statues removed just days ago for restoration work were also spared. At dawn, the twin 69-meter towers swarmed with building specialists and architects. “The entire fire is out,” declared Paris firefighters’ spokesman Gabriel Plus, adding that workers were “surveying the movement of structures and extinguishing smoldering residues.”
• ‘WE WILL REBUILD’: The world is united in grief over the fire that destroyed much of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral Monday as French President Emmanuel Macron vows the historical cathedral will be rebuilt.
• Notre Dame fire: French billionaire pledges $113m for cathedral rebuild. The CEO of French luxury group Kering and Rennes soccer club owner said he would provide the funding through his family’s investment firm, Artemis, AFP first reported. His actress wife, Salma Hayek, expressed her “deep shock and sadness” in a post to Instagram.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – ADAM KENNEDY – Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Communications at The White House – discussed Tax Day, the economy, the proposal for sending illegals to sanctuary cities and the looming Mueller Report coming Thursday morning.

• NY TIMES: Face It: You (Probably) Got a Tax Cut — Studies consistently find that the 2017 law cut taxes for most Americans. Most of them don’t buy it.
• Robert Mueller’s redacted Trump-Russia report to be released Thursday.
• President Donald Trump says illegal immigrants the Department of Homeland Security cannot keep in custody will be transported to cities that promote themselves as safe spaces for illegal immigrants. ‘Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!’ he said in a Monday tweet.

8am – B/C     WMAL INTERVIEW — STEVE MOORE – former campaign economic advisor to President Trump, economist at The Heritage Foundation and author of book “Trumponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive Our Economy” Moore joined WMAL’s “Mornings on the Mall” radio show in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning.  He spoke to hosts Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter about the campaign against his Federal Reserve Board nomination. He addressed reports on his differing views from President Trump. He also talked about the media coverage of his divorce and told an incredible story about how he and his ex-wife went to the courthouse to seal his divorce to protect their privacy. When the court asked if anyone objected, NY Times, Washington Post & Politico objected and stopped it from getting sealed.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – RAYMOND ARROYO — Managing Editor and Host of “The World Over” at EWTN News and NYT Best-Selling author of The WILL WILDER series. His latest book is “Will Wilder 3: The Amulet of Power”

• Raymond discussed Holy Week and the significance of the devastating Notre Dame fire.
• Washington Examiner contributor April Ponnuru  @AprilPonnuru 14h14 hours ago: Regarding the tragic fire at Notre Dame, a friend notes that journalists are wrestling with how to speak of an event with a spiritual dimension. This is so much more than architecture; it is a locus of faith and an integral part of the history of the Church.
• ELSEWHERE IN FRANCE… MOSTLY IGNORED: Satanic symbols and shattered statues: Several Catholic churches have been under attack in France
• Fox News anchors cut off guests speculating about cause of Notre Dame fire. (Washington Examiner) – Two Fox News anchors cut off guests who tried to talk about suspicions on the origins of the Notre Dame fire on Monday. Media critic and deputy mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine Philippe Karsenty’s line was cut after he insinuated the fire was a terrorist attack, while Catholic League president Bill Donohue was shut down after he said he was suspicious the fire was related to other church burnings. “It’s like a 9/11, a French 9/11,” Karsenty said during an appearance with Fox News’ Shepard Smith. “It’s a big shock. This church was there for more than 850 years. You need to know that for the past years, we’ve had churches desecrated each and every week all over France. Of course, you will hear the story of the politically — the political correctness, which will tell you it’s probably an accident.” Although Smith said he would “love to hear” definitive information on the origins of the fire, Karsenty stuck to conjecture. “No, sir, we’re not doing that here, not now, not on my watch,” Smith said. “The man on the phone with us has absolutely no information of any kind about the origin of this fire and neither do I.” In the next hour, Bill Donahue at the Catholic League’s interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto was cut short after he openly speculated how the fire originated, citing other churches and tabernacles that have been targeted and destroyed recently. “Well, Neil, if it is an accident, it’s a monumental tragedy,” Donohue said during an interview with Cavuto. “But forgive me for being suspicious.” “Just last month, a 17th century church was set on fire in Paris,” he said. “We have seen tabernacles knocked down, crosses have been torn down, statues have been smashed.”

8am – E         2020 Candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell Proposes Jailing ‘Assault Weapons’ Owners If They Don’t Surrender Guns (Mediaite) — Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a 2020 contender, said people who refuse to turn in their military-style assault weapons after his proposed ban would go to jail. He also said owners would be able to store their rifles in a gun club or a firing range. CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Swalwell: “You wrote last year ‘We should ban possession of military style assault weapons. We should buy back such weapons by all who choose to abide by the law, and should criminally prosecute any who choose to defy it by keeping their weapons.’ Criminal prosecution for keeping assault weapons, what’s the punishment for people who don’t hand in their guns, do they go to jail?” “Well, Jake, they would, but I also offer an alternative, which would be to keep them at a hunting club or a shooting range and the reason I’ve propose this, is because these weapons are so devastating,” Swalwell replied. “I’ve seen this as a prosecutor in the cases I’ve prosecuted, I’ve seen these in the school shootings from Sandy Hook to Parkland…It’s not just the violence they’ve caused. It’s the fear, the immeasurable fear our children live in, because they’re still on our streets. I want to get rid of that fear.”