Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and guest co-host Beverly Hallberg of Independent Women’s Forum

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

James Carafano, Matt Walsh, Carol Maloney, Rep. Scott Taylor, and Beverly Hallberg joined WMAL on Thursday!

5am – A/B/C IMPEACHMENT UPDATE:

• CHIEF JUSTICE Preps For Impeachment Trial… NYT: Impeachment Trial Looming, Chief Justice Reflects on Judicial Independence.     WASHINGTON — As Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. prepares to preside over the impeachment trial of President Trump, he issued pointed remarks on Tuesday in his year-end report on the state of the federal judiciary that seemed to be addressed, at least in part, to the president himself. […]   “We should reflect on our duty to judge without fear or favor, deciding each matter with humility, integrity and dispatch,” he wrote in the report. “As the new year begins, and we turn to the tasks before us, we should each resolve to do our best to maintain the public’s trust that we are faithfully discharging our solemn obligation to equal justice under law.” […]   The report seemed to continue a conversation with Mr. Trump about the role of the courts.  In 2018, the two men had a sharp exchange, with Mr. Trump suggesting that federal judges carry out the wishes of the presidents who appointed them and Chief Justice Roberts defending the independence and integrity of the judicial branch.  The exchange started when Mr. Trump called a judge who had ruled against his administration’s asylum policy “an Obama judge.” In response, the chief justice said the president had misunderstood the role of the federal courts in the constitutional system.    “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Chief Justice Roberts said in a statement. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”   Mr. Trump took issue with the chief justice’s statement on Twitter. “Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’” Mr. Trump wrote, “and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country.”
• Democrat LAWRENCE TRIBE: When the Chief Justice administers the oath of impartiality to a Senator who has said he will not be impartial, he will need to decide what his own oath demands — and whether he has jurisdiction to rule on a motion to recuse that Senator for cause.
• GOP Senator: We’ll Be Done With Impeachment By Early February.     On Tuesday, one of the GOP’s leaders in the Senate, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) said he thinks President Trump’s impeachment trial will be over by the time Trump delivers the State of the Union speech on February 4. Blunt told KSSZ  the Senate trial would be “pretty predictable” and happen “quickly,” adding, “My guess is we’ll be done with this by the time the president comes.”
• Rudy Giuliani says he is willing to testify at Trump impeachment trial.   Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, said Tuesday he would be willing to testify at Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, telling reporters that he would “love to try the case” and that he has learned of “vast” corruption involving Democrats and Ukraine.    “I would testify, I would do demonstrations, I’d give lectures, I’d give summations or I do what I do best. I try the case,” he told reporters in Mar-a-Lago. “I’d love to try the case.” […]  “What I learned is that the corruption in Ukraine is vast. It’s extensive. It highly involves the Democratic Party, not just in 2016, but for many years,” he said, describing what he called “American Ukrainian corruption.”     He said he is still meeting with witnesses, has just returned from Ukraine, and is looking for the “right forum” to air what he has gathered. “It will turn out to be a series of criminal acts that will involve the highest levels of the Obama administration,” he said. “And it’s the reason why the Democratic Party is in panic.”

5am – D         Vox Editor Rings In New Year By Spreading Fake News In Viral Tweet:    Vox founder and editor-at-large Ezra Klein capped off his year by spreading misleading information in a viral tweet Tuesday. Klein tweeted out a nine-month-old Washington Post article stating counties that hosted Trump rallies saw massive spikes in hate crimes compared to counties that didn’t host Trump rallies. Klein’s tweet garnered more than 7,000 retweets and more than 14,000 likes by Wednesday afternoon.

• Ezra Klein @ezraklein “We found that counties that had hosted a 2016 Trump campaign rally saw a 226 percent increase in reported hate crimes over comparable counties that did not host such a rally.”

But what Klein didn’t tell his 2.5 million followers was that the article was based on a study that was thoroughly debunked months prior by researchers at Harvard University. “The study is wrong, and yet journalists ran with it anyway,” Harvard researchers Matthew Lilley and Brian Wheaton wrote in a September article published in Reason magazine.

• …KLEIN is releasing a new book in January called “WHY WE’RE POLARIZED”… “…he traces the feedback loops between polarized political identities and polarized political institutions that are driving our system toward crisis. A revelatory book that will change how you look at politics, and perhaps at yourself.”

5am – E         Nudist Resort Burns Down In Major Fire During ‘Nude Year’s Eve’ Party.     Firefighters from three states responded to a nudist resort as a major blaze broke out during its “Nude Year’s Eve” party.  Avalon Resort’s lodge, located on 140 acres of woods in Paw Paw, West Virginia, was a total loss, but the pool and bar were spared, firefighters told the Cumberland Times-News. […]   “On New Years Eve we had a fire in the lodge. Thankfully no one (including pets) was injured. The aquatic center was not affected at all. The Nudsinoneeds some work and clean-up, but can be back up and running. The Bare Barn was untouched,” according to the resort’s Facebook page. “We are temporarily closed but are already working on plans to reopen.”

6am – A/B/C BAGHDAD EMABSSY ATTACK:

• US-Iran tension remains high after militiamen’s withdrawal from US Embassy compound in Baghdad. The tension between the United States and Iran remains high as both sides brace for a potential renewal of violence after Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Wednesday after two days of clashes with American security forces. Stunning photos released by The Associated Press revealed scenes of destruction inside the U.S. Embassy in Iraq’s capital after Tuesday’s attack by militants protesting recent airstrikes. The storming of the embassy led President Trump to call for an immediate response that included a surge of U.S. Marines to quell the unrest. The Pentagon sent hundreds of additional troops to the Middle East and prompted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay a European and Central Asian trip. In an interview on “Special Report” on Tuesday, Pompeo said Tehran will always be held accountable for any “malign activity.
• TRUMP’S BENGHAZI IN IRAQ?
  • Progressive group under fire for taunting Trump by calling violent Baghdad protests his ‘Benghazi’    VoteVets, a veterans group that helps progressive candidates seek public office, used the violent demonstrations on Tuesday to knock the president. “Hey @POTUS remember [your] Benghazi rants during 2016? You’re about to have your own one unfortunately in Iraq,” VoteVets wrote in the now-deleted tweet.
  • Joy Reid‏ @JoyAnnReid: As Trump’s Benghazi unfolds in Iraq…
• POMPEO’S UKRAINE TRIP POSTPONED BC OF BAGHDAD: The breach of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad has prompted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay his trip to Ukraine and four other countries. Pompeo was to arrive in Ukraine late today in his first visit to the country at the center of President Trump’s impeachment. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus says Pompeo is postponing the trip “to continue monitoring the ongoing situation in Iraq and ensure the safety and security of Americans in the Middle East.” She says he intends to reschedule soon. In Kyiv, Pompeo was to meet Ukraine’s president and reaffirm U.S. support for Ukrainian sovereignty.

6am – D         Pope apologizes for setting ‘bad example’ by swatting handshaker who yanked him. (Washington Examiner) – Pope Francis apologized for slapping a woman’s hand after she yanked him toward her at the nativity scene in Vatican City on New Year’s Eve. The encounter, which went viral, shows the pope, 83, greeting people and shaking hands on Tuesday when a woman grabbed his hand and pulled him to her as he was walking the other direction. He proceeded to scold her and swatted her hand away before moving on. It’s unclear who the woman is or what she said to him when she had his attention. Before beginning his traditional New Year’s Day address on Wednesday, the pope made some impromptu remarks and apologized “for the poor example yesterday.” “So many times, we lose patience. Me, too,” he said. “I say, ‘Excuse me,’ for the bad example.” He went on to denounce violence against women in his address, telling worshipers gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, “Women are sources of life. Yet they are continually insulted, beaten, raped, forced to prostitute themselves and to suppress the life they bear in the womb.”

6am – E         USA TODAY’S AWFUL HOT TAKE ON TX CHURCH SHOOTING: Media Continues With Awful Hot Takes About the ‘Terrifying’ Armed Churchgoers in Texas Shooting:

• USA TODAY @USATODAY: Opinion: Jack Wilson is exactly the type of person you want around with a gun because he’s a firearms instructor. But we know nothing about the at least six other parishioners who also appeared to draw their handguns. And that’s terrifying.

6am – F         Madonna brings 25-year-old boyfriend on family vacation. (PageSix) — Weeks after being spotted sharing an embrace in Miami, Madonna, 61, has all but confirmed her relationship with 25-year-old Ahlamalik Williams, bringing the background dancer along on a family vacation the pop icon took with her children just after Christmas. Williams joined the singer, her eldest daughter Lourdes, 25, son David Banda, 14, daughter Mercy James, 13, and twins Esther and Stella. “Saying Good-bye to 2019! 🎉🎉🎉,” wrote the star beside photos of Williams and son David sailing. “We Continue to Swim with Sharks! And Take the Road Less Traveled by!!  #fun #healing #davidbanda @ahla_malik.” Madge also shared footage of the family playing soccer together and enjoying a beach day. Williams’ father, Drue, recently confirmed to TMZ that things between his son and the diva have gotten serious, revealing that she met his family back in September and that the two have been dating quietly for a little over a year. The pair reportedly met in 2015 when Williams auditioned for Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour. As recently as November, the entertainer hosted his family at one of her Caesars Palace shows, later inviting them to her suite where a private chef prepared dinner. She’s reportedly already invited his parents to her 2020 shows in London and France.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – James Carafano – vice president of foreign and defense policy studies, The Heritage Foundation – discussed the Baghdad embassy attack.

• US-Iran tension remains high after militiamen’s withdrawal from US Embassy compound in Baghdad. The tension between the United States and Iran remains high as both sides brace for a potential renewal of violence after Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Wednesday after two days of clashes with American security forces. Stunning photos released by The Associated Press revealed scenes of destruction inside the U.S. Embassy in Iraq’s capital after Tuesday’s attack by militants protesting recent airstrikes. The storming of the embassy led President Trump to call for an immediate response that included a surge of U.S. Marines to quell the unrest. The Pentagon sent hundreds of additional troops to the Middle East and prompted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay a European and Central Asian trip. In an interview on “Special Report” on Tuesday, Pompeo said Tehran will always be held accountable for any “malign activity.

• Carafano: Top 5 World Headlines to Watch For in 2020 (Fox News) — As we head into the new decade, Lt. Col. James Carafano highlights what headlines we should watch for on the world stage – and some might surprise you. There will be “bargaining with North Korea, bumping heads with China and tussling with Tehran. There could also well be headlines some may not be expecting.”
  • US and UK seal the deal on a free trade agreement: “Bank on Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivering Brexit. Trade deal negotiations will follow at a speed-dating clip. It’s not beyond the pale to believe that the deal will be done and Congress will pass enabling legislation by the end of the year.”
  • Adios, Maduro: “Could this be the year, despite the flagging internal opposition, that Venezuelan strong man Nicolas Maduro finally gives up the ghost and flees the country? It could be. The U.S. continues to ratchet up the pressure and hold together an international coalition against the illegitimate regime.”
  • The Middle East gets its NATO: “The security cooperation framework that the U.S. knits together in the region won’t look like the transatlantic alliance, but it will signal the end of the worst of the squabbling among the Gulf Cooperation Council; mark the end of Israel’s strategic isolation from the Arab world; and present a united front blocking Iran.”

7am – B         MAYOR PETE NEWS:

• Pete Buttigieg Officially No Longer Mayor Of South Bend, Indiana.  Buttigieg’s term as mayor of South Bend ended Wednesday, Jan. 1. He announced in 2018 that he would not run for re-election and hand-picked his successor, James Mueller, Axios reported.
• Buttigieg Bundler Pushed “Cash For Fatties” Federal Proposal. This time it is Wendy Wanderman, an entertainment executive who specializes in film marketing and production. A taxpayer-funded initiative she proposed in 2009 has surfaced and is causing some heartburn for Buttigieg’s campaign. Her proposal, “Cash for Fatties” would pay people to lose weight. […]  Keep in mind, this woman isn’t a medical doctor or even a nutritionist. She’s an entertainment industry executive. Mayor Pete is using her to raise some big bucks for his campaign. She served on President Obama’s National Finance Committee. She has raised at least $25,000 for Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. In Buttigieg’s push to be more transparent, his campaign released a list of top bundlers. She is one of the 146 people listed.

 7am – C         Leap Year 2020: That extra day makes the holidays line up perfectly! Here’s how the leap year lines up in your favor this upcoming year. NORFOLK, Va. — Get excited, everyone! 2020 is a leap year and some of your favorite holidays are set to line up perfectly.  A leap year is a calendar year that contains an additional day (366 days as opposed to 365). The leap day generally occurs in February. Instead of February having 28 days, it has 29 days.

• Notable holiday line up for 2020:
  • Valentine’s Day is a Friday
  • Cinco De Mayo is on a Tuesday (referencing the viral phrase Taco Tuesday).
  • July 4 is on a Saturday.
  • Halloween is on a Saturday.
  • Christmas is a Friday
  • The New Year will start with a three day weekend, since January 1, 2021, falls on a Friday.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – MATT WALSH – columnist for The Daily Wire and author of new book, “THE UNHOLY TRINITY: BLOCKING THE LEFT’S ASSAULT ON LIFE, MARRIAGE, AND GENDER” — discussed whether it was right for the Pope to swat away the woman who grabbed him.

• Pope apologizes for setting ‘bad example’ by swatting handshaker who yanked him. Pope Francis apologized for slapping a woman’s hand after she yanked him toward her at the nativity scene in Vatican City on New Year’s Eve. The encounter, which went viral, shows the pope, 83, greeting people and shaking hands on Tuesday when a woman grabbed his hand and pulled him to her as he was walking the other direction. He proceeded to scold her and swatted her hand away before moving on. It’s unclear who the woman is or what she said to him when she had his attention. Before beginning his traditional New Year’s Day address on Wednesday, the pope made some impromptu remarks and apologized “for the poor example yesterday.” “So many times, we lose patience. Me, too,” he said. “I say, ‘Excuse me,’ for the bad example.” He went on to denounce violence against women in his address, telling worshipers gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, “Women are sources of life. Yet they are continually insulted, beaten, raped, forced to prostitute themselves and to suppress the life they bear in the womb.”
• Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog 18h18 hours ago If you grab someone and yank them towards you like that, you deserve to get your hand smacked away. The people scolding Pope Francis for this are being ridiculous.
• NY TIMES: Pope Francis Apologizes After Slapping Away a Clinging Pilgrim. As the pontiff greeted members of the public on New Year’s Eve, one woman grabbed his hand with both of hers. A video of the incident was shared widely online.

7am – E         De Blasio: Domino’s ‘exploited’ Times Square visitors on New Year’s Eve with $30 pizzas. (The Hill) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday called out Domino’s after the pizza chain reportedly hiked prices and sold $30 pizzas to hungry visitors waiting for the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. “Jacking up your prices on people trying to celebrate the holidays? Classy, @dominos,” de Blasio wrote on Twitter. “To the thousands who came to Times Square last night to ring in 2020, I’m sorry this corporate chain exploited you — stick it to them by patronizing one of our fantastic LOCAL pizzerias.” De Blasio shared a photo of a headline from the New York Post, which reported that the Midtown Domino’s location was hawking prices and charging $30 for pizzas, nearly double the $14.49 regular cost for a large cheese pie.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – CAROL MALONEY – host of The Carol Maloney Show on ESPN 630 (in studio) – discussed leadership changes at the Redskins and DC’s phenomenal sports year in 2019.

• Redskins have announced Ron Rivera as the team’s new head coach
• Discuss changes in leadership at the Skins:  It was a season of change in Washington. The Washington Redskins have made a few major changes this season: After an 0-5 start, head coach Jay Gruden was fired after five years at the helm. And after a 3-13 finish, team president Bruce Allen was fired by owner Daniel Snyder after 10 years with the organization. With the season over the players were left to clean out their lockers and adjust to the new reality. The Washington Redskins named Ron Rivera their new head coach Wednesday, and he promptly hired a defensive coordinator. Washington also reached agreement on a deal with former NFL head coach Jack Del Rio to be the defensive coordinator, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
• The Redskins will introduce Rivera, who coached the Carolina Panthers for nine years, at a news conference scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.
• D.C. SPORTS: DC had a phenomenal sports year in 2019. Perhaps do a look back and look ahead to DC sports in 2020

 8am – B         VIRGINIA GUNS: The Virginia state legislature is holding public budget hearings this morning at 10 AM. Gun Owners of America calls on Virginians to flood hearings with public comments on Gov. Northam’s gun control legislation.

• Hearings begin at 10:00 a.m.:
  • Northern Virginia — George Mason University, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Gregory Family Theatre, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, VA 20109
  • Blacksburg — Virginia Tech, Classroom Building, Room 260, 1455 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060
• Governor Northam wants to allocation millions to take away our guns and we need to ask legislators face-to-face if they are going to support that budget item. There are four hearings tomorrow, January 2: NoVA, Blacksburg, Hampton Roads, and Richmond. Consider: Governor is supporting SB 16, which would ban commonly-owned firearms in more than one million Virginia households — a ban that would even outlaw sporting weapons such as the Mossberg 930 Snow Goose. The Governor has requested $4 million and 18 law-enforcement positions to enforce his gun ban — a request that could be the preparatory steps for confiscating the guns which would be banned by SB 16.

8am – C         HUNTER BIDEN UPDATE:

• Judge in Hunter Biden’s Arkansas paternity case abruptly recuses himself.     The circuit court judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s paternity case, Don McSpadden, recused himself without reason on Tuesday, just days after a private investigation firm sought to intercede in the case.     D&A Investigations, based in Florida, filed a “Notice of Fraud and Counterfeiting and Production of Evidence.” with the court on Dec. 23, claiming Hunter Biden “established bank and financial accounts with Morgan Stanley et al” for Burisma Holdings — where he served as a former board member — to satisfy a “money laundering scheme.”    McSpadden had the request stricken from the record, on grounds that it violated state procedural rules, which required the intervening party to raise a claim that shared a “question of law or fact in common” with the existing case. Biden’s legal team had told the court that D&A’s filing was riddled with falsehoods and clearly procedurally improper.
• FLASHBACK: Hunter Biden’s ‘baby mama’ Lunden Roberts was stripper at club he frequented. (NY POST) — The woman suing Hunter Biden for paternity was a stripper at a Washington, DC, club he frequented around the time he was dating his brother’s widow, sources told The Post. Biden was repeatedly seen at the Mpire Club in the capital’s historic Dupont Circle neighborhood — where Lunden Alexis Roberts, the mother of his alleged love child, worked under the stage name “Dallas,” the sources said. “He was well-known,” a source said of Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic front-runner to challenge President Trump next year. Several Mpire workers said they recognized Roberts, 28, who last week filed court papers that say DNA testing proved Hunter, 49, fathered the child she gave birth to in August 2018. Roberts worked there around the time she got pregnant — and when Hunter broke up with former sister-in-law Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother, the late Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, sources said.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – REP. SCOTT TAYLOR – former VA congressman, Navy SEAL and Iraq War veteran – shared his analysis of the pro-Iranian militia attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad.

8am – E         POLL: TRUMP’S BEATING DEMS IN VIRGINIA: New Poll Shows Trump Leading Top Democrats In Solid Blue State – (Daily Caller) – President Donald Trump is leading every major Democratic presidential candidate except for Joe Biden in the solid blue state of Virginia, a new poll published Tuesday shows. The president is leading Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren 48-44, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 51-45, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg 47-45.  Trump trails Biden 49-45 , according to the pollster Mason-Dixon.  Mason-Dixon polled 625 registered voters between the dates of December 12-16, and had a margin of error of 4%. Of the registered voters polled, 42% were Democrats, 30% were Republicans, and 28% were Independents.  The shock poll is the first released in the state since Trump became just the third president in U.S. history to be impeached earlier this month.  Trump lost the state to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by 5%, and no Republican presidential nominee has carried the commonwealth since President George W. Bush in 2004.