Mornings on the Mall 

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Guests: Stephen Gutowski, Senator Joni Ernst, and CBP Deputy Commissioner Robert E. Perez

GUESTS:

7:35AM–INTERVIEW– STEPHEN GUTOWSKI — staff writer for the Washington Free Beacon

TOPIC: First-Time Gun Buyers Explain How Coronavirus Changed Their Politics

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/first-time-gun-buyers-explain-how-coronavirus-changed-their-politics/ 

8:05 AM — INTERVIEW – SENATOR JONI ERNST of Iowa – author of new book “Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me.”

With her national profile on the rise, Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa is coming out with a candid memoir entitled “Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me.”

ABOUT BOOK: Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country that Raised Me by Sen. Joni Ernst

Combining the by-the-bootstraps work ethic of Nikki Haley’s Can’t Is Not an Option with the military pluck of MJ Heger’s Shoot Like a Girl, Joni Ernst’s candid memoir details the rise of one of the most inspiring and authentic women in the United States Senate.

About the Author: Joni Ernst is a politician and former military officer serving as the senator for Iowa since 2015. After graduating from Iowa State University, Joni joined the United States Army Reserves. In 2003, she served as a company commander in Kuwait and Iraq, leading 150 Iowa Army National Guardsmen during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Joni retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard after twenty-three years of military service. In November 2014, Joni was elected as the first woman to serve in federal elected office from the State of Iowa and also became the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the United States Senate. 

8:15AM — INTERVIEW — CBP DEPUTY COMMISSIONER ROBERT E. PEREZ 

TOPICS: NY’s recent Green Light Laws (see below), in addition to the latest travel restrictions (now including Brazil) and border security:

• A recent amendment to New York’s 2020 budget and signed by Gov. Cuomo states that New York law enforcement officers who dare to share an illegal immigrants’ driver information with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE risk facing a Class E felony charge. Not being able to determine the registered owner of a vehicle or even the location of a vehicle’s registration will significantly limit CBP and ICE’s ability to target criminal organizations, human traffickers and drug smugglers, enabling them to evade detection.

SHOW RUNDOWN:

5AM HOUR:

5A/B/C – Rosenstein to testify as first witness in Senate Judiciary’s Russia probe

• The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced Wednesday that Rosenstein is scheduled to testify before the committee on June 3 at 10:00 a.m.The hearing, according to the committee, will be titled “Oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Day 1.” “Crossfire Hurricane” is the FBI’s internal code name for the bureau’s original investigation into whether members of the Trump campaign were colluding with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. That investigation was launched by the FBI in July 2016. Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s team eventually announced that it found no evidence of coordination. “Mr. Rosenstein will testify about the new revelations contained in the Horowitz report concerning the FISA warrant applications and other matters,” Graham said in a statement Wednesday. “This will be the first in a series of oversight hearings regarding all things Crossfire Hurricane and the Mueller investigation.”
• Gregg Jarrett: Trump attorney accuses Mueller of ‘monstrous lie and scheme to defraud’John Dowd, one of the lead lawyers who represented President Trump during Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian collusion, said Tuesday that the special counsel engineered a perjury trap for Trump in the exact same way that James Comey’s FBI invented a trap for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.  “Mueller’s scheme was the same one captured in the (newly released) FBI set-up notes pertaining to Flynn. They knew they had nothing, but using their official power they created and perpetuated the facade of an investigation,” said Dowd. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-attorney-accuses-mueller-lie-defraud-gregg-jarrett 

5D/E – MINNEAPOLIS PROTESTS:

• BREAKING OVERNIGHT… SHOOTING DEATH AS RIOTS CONTINUE IN MINNEAPOLIS… NBC: Protests in Minneapolis over the in-custody death of George Floyd escalated into violence Wednesday night, with a fatal shooting near the site of the demonstrations, widespread looting, multiple fires and the deployment of tear gas. It was the second night of conflict during rallies by thousands enraged by Floyd’s death. The demonstrations in the southern part of the city near the site of Floyd’s death began peacefully but grew more violent as the night went on. Gov. Tim Walz late Wednesday called it an “extremely dangerous situation” and urged residents to leave the area. Mayor Jacob Frey pleaded with residents for calm. One person was in custody in the shooting death near the site of the protests, but the motive and circumstances are unclear and being investigated, Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said at a news conference early Thursday.

• RIOTERS IN MASKS LOOT TARGET… FOX9, KMSP: The situation started to worsen as looters busted into a nearby Target store and began taking whatever they could grab. Our crews witnessed people making off with televisions, clothes, and groceries among other items. The fire at AutoZone followed shortly after along with several other reports of fires being set in the area.

• ABC5, KSTP: UPDATE: National Guard support requested by city to combat riots in south Minneapolis

• Trump says FBI, DOJ probing ‘very sad’ death of George Floyd President Trump on Wednesday called the death of Minnesota man George Floyd at the hands of white cops there a “very, very sad event” as he revealed an FBI-DOJ probe into the death. The president broke his silence on Floyd’s troubling death during a trip to the Kennedy Space Center where he was pressed by reporters on whether he thought the officers involved should be prosecuted. “We’re going to look at it and we’re going to get a report tomorrow when we get back,” Trump said. “We’re going to get a very full report but a very sad day,” he continued. “At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation,” he later tweeted. “I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to George’s family and friends. Justice will be served!

• Black man who died after cop put knee on his neck ID’d as George Floyd. The black man who died after being pinned down by Minneapolis police has been identified as George Floyd, according to a report. “We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him to the police car and get off his neck,” Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, said in a statement Tuesday, according to Fox-News. “This abusive, excessive, and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge,” Crump said. “We will seek justice for the family of George Floyd as we demand answers from the Minneapolis Police Department.” Shocking cellphone video of Floyd’s death shows Floyd pinned on the ground with a cop’s knee on his neck. I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe,” he’s heard saying. “Don’t kill me!”

6AM HOUR:

6A/B/C CORONAVIRUS

• • WORLDWIDE — 5,707,163 CASES, 355,956 DEATHS
  • USA — 1,699,933 CASES, 100,442 DEATHS
  • Dr. Anthony Fauci now says that a potential second wave of coronavirus infections in the fall or winter is no longer an “inevitability.”

• Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s March 25 order requiring nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to accept recovering coronavirus patients has disappeared from the New York State Department of Health’s website. The webpage for Cuomo’s order says the document is “not found,” though it can still be seen on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. It took the governor roughly six weeks to reverse the order, which has been blamed for the high death rate among New York’s elderly. New York knowingly omitted an unknown number of coronavirus deaths in recent reports regarding residents of nursing homes and adult care facilities as a result of a quiet rule change, the agency acknowledged earlier in May following a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation.

• The Restaurant Association of Maryland is now calling on Governor Larry Hogan to reopen Maryland’s restaurants to dine-in seating when the governor announces Phase 2 of his “Roadmap to Recovery Plan,” voicing frustrations with state guidance.

• De Blasio warns of New York City’s multibillion-dollar deficit amid coronavirus, pleads for aid
• New Jersey governor warns of educator, health-care worker layoffs without federal aid

6D – CHINA NEWS: 

• Hong Kong Has Lost Autonomy, Pompeo Says, Opening Door to U.S. Action. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that the State Department no longer considered Hong Kong to have significant autonomy under Chinese rule, a move that indicated the Trump administration was likely to end some or all of the United States government’s special trade and economic relations with the territory in southern China. Mr. Pompeo’s action came just hours before China was expected to pass a national security law that would allow Chinese security agencies to take broad actions limiting the liberties of Hong Kong residents, many of whom have protested the proposed law and clashed with police officers. The United States and China appear to be on a collision course over the future of Hong Kong, a center of global capitalism and symbol of resistance to the Chinese Communist Party. Relations between the two nations are at their worst in decades, and disputes have flared over trade, national security and the origins of the coronavirus.

• China Approves Plan to Rein In Hong Kong, Defying Worldwide Outcry China officially has the broad power to quash unrest in Hong Kong, as the country’s legislature on Thursday nearly unanimously approved a plan to suppress subversion, secession, terrorism and seemingly any acts that might threaten national security in the semiautonomous city. As Beijing hashes out the specifics of the national security legislation in the coming weeks, the final rules will help determine the fate of Hong Kong, including how much of the city’s autonomy will be preserved or how much Beijing will tighten its grip. Early signals from Chinese authorities point to a crackdown once the law takes effect, which is expected by September. Activist groups could be banned. Courts could impose long jail sentences for national security violations. China’s feared security agencies could operate openly in the city.

• House slams China human rights in first-ever proxy vote amid coronavirusThe House of Representatives condemned China’s treatment of Muslim Uyghur minorities on Wednesday with dozens of lawmakers voting by proxy for the first time in history. Democrats authorized proxy voting this month dueto the coronavirus pandemic, arguing it was a wise move to protect the health of members. Republicans oppose the reform and are suing to have it ruled unconstitutional. Although the legislation is likely to further sour relations between the US and China, it was uncontroversial among lawmakers, passing 413-1. It passed the Senate unanimously this month. The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act authorizes the Trump administration to sanction Chinese officials responsible for censorship or detaining large numbers of Uyghurs in western China in what the Chinese government claims is an antiterrorism campaign.

6E – Michael Moore film Planet of the Humans removed from YouTube

YouTube has taken down the controversial Michael Moore-produced documentary Planet of the Humans in response to a copyright infringement claim by a British environmental photographer. The movie, which has been condemned as inaccurate and misleading by climate scientists and activists, allegedly includes a clip used without the permission of the owner Toby Smith, who does not approve of the context in which his material is being used. In response, the filmmakers denied violating fair usage rules and accused their critics of politically motivated censorship.

6F – Walt Disney World plans to reopen July 11, according to a presentation the company made to an economic recovery task force Wednesday. The theme park has been closed since March 15 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and its reopening will follow its Florida rival, Universal Orlando, which is set to reopen on June 5.

7AM HOUR

7A – SPACE X UPDATES:

• Weather prevents today’s liftoff

• NASA and SpaceX will do this all over again in three days.

• The next launch attempt is slated for Saturday, May 30, at 3:22 p.m. ET.

• Until then, astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will head back to quarantine.

7B/C – BIDEN NEWS:

• CNN’s Dana Bash ridiculed for Joe Biden interview: ‘So much for journalism’

• A livestreamed campaign video chat between presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday was briefly muffled by the sound of what appeared to be a fart. Biden was asking about what “the human cost” looks like in Pennsylvania if more federal money doesn’t arrive to help with the coronavirus economic recovery when the toot rang out. He appeared to lean back in his chair at the same time as the noise, while Wolf appeared to blink and shake his head shortly after. 

• Joe Biden with Tom Wolf  Mangles History In Mash-Up Of D-Day, Pearl Harbor And Delaware’s Independence https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/27/joe-biden-mangles-history-d-day-pearl-harbor-delaware-independence/
• California DA Investigating Tara Reade For ‘False Testimony’A California district attorney has launched an investigation into Joe Biden accuser Tara Reade for potentially lying as an expert witness in court proceedings. The Monterey County District Attorney’s office confirmed the probe on Tuesday, according to Politico. Officials are investigating whether Reade, who sat as an expert witness in a pair of sexual assault cases, lied about her qualifications to testify. Reade testified under the name Alexandra McCabe for years.

7D – INTERVIEW– STEPHEN GUTOWSKI — staff writer for the Washington Free Beacon

TOPIC: First-Time Gun Buyers Explain How Coronavirus Changed Their Politics

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/first-time-gun-buyers-explain-how-coronavirus-changed-their-politics/ 

7E – VOTER FRAUD:

• POSTAL WORKER PLEADS GUILTY TO TAMPERING WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS Federal prosecutors on Tuesday lodged mail-fraud charges against a postal worker they say altered absentee ballot requests in last month’s primary election. Thomas Cooper, 47, admitted to changing information on the requests for ballots — including five where he switched the party primary from Democrat to Republican, according to investigators. He told them it was a joke.
• VOTER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS IN NJ  A Passaic County spokesman said 16,747 vote-by-mail ballots were received, but the county’s official results page shows 13,557 votes were counted — a difference of 3,190 votes. Those thousands of ballots not counted would represent nearly one in five of all votes cast, or 19 percent. The Board of Elections previously announced about 800 votes would be set aside and not counted amid charges they were found improperly bundled in mailboxes in Paterson as well as at a drop box in nearby Haledon. 

8AM HOUR:

8A – INTERVIEW – SENATOR JONI ERNST of Iowa – author of new book “Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me.”

• With her national profile on the rise, Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa is coming out with a candid memoir entitled “Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me.” Sen Ernst discusses her life growing up the daughter of hard-working farmers in the heartland, eventually rising to rank of Lt Colonel in the Army, a company commander in Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2015.   Sen. Ernst can also discuss current issues, with Covid-19 on top of that list.  The next relief package will probably still be in negotiation.  And of course her home state of Iowa figures prominently in concerns regarding the virus’ impact on meat processing plants and our nation’s food supply chain.  And Sen Ernst can comment on measures being taken and the outlook there.  

• ABOUT BOOK: Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country that Raised Me by Sen. Joni Ernst In her inspiring memoir, Joni shares her struggles and the invaluable lessons she learned through hardship—on the farm, in the home, and at work. As a woman fighting for position in the boys’ clubs of the military and politics, she found strength in courage and vulnerability, becoming a role model for women everywhere. As a US Senator, Joni is well-known and respected for her fight to hold Washington accountable and her demand for bipartisanship in a time of fierce tribalism. Daughter of the Heartland tells Joni’s incredible story in four parts, defined by the values she’s learned along the way—leadership, service, courage, and gratitude.

• About the Author: Joni Ernst is a politician and former military officer serving as the senator for Iowa since 2015. After graduating from Iowa State University, Joni joined the United States Army Reserves. In 2003, she served as a company commander in Kuwait and Iraq, leading 150 Iowa Army National Guardsmen during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Joni retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard after twenty-three years of military service. In November 2014, Joni was elected as the first woman to serve in federal elected office from the State of Iowa and also became the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the United States Senate. 

8B/C – INTERVIEW — CBP DEPUTY COMMISSIONER ROBERT E. PEREZ 

TOPICS: NY’s recent Green Light Laws (see below), in addition to the latest travel restrictions (now including Brazil) and border security:

• A recent amendment to New York’s 2020 budget and signed by Gov. Cuomo states that New York law enforcement officers who dare to share an illegal immigrants’ driver information with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE risk facing a Class E felony charge. Not being able to determine the registered owner of a vehicle or even the location of a vehicle’s registration will significantly limit CBP and ICE’s ability to target criminal organizations, human traffickers and drug smugglers, enabling them to evade detection.

8D/E – TRUMP VS TWITTER:

• SOHRAB AHMARI: Twitter wants to target conservatives — with none of a publisher’s responsibilities Lawmakers could call for revoking the company’s legal immunity under an obscure federal law that allows Big Tech companies to eat their cake and have it, too, acting as censors, editors and publishers while incurring none of the liability. Here’s the deal: If I publish libelous claims in The Post, my victims can hold The Post liable in court. But Twitter is immune to such suits under the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Section 230 of the law provides that “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” But note the underlying assumption: that online bulletin boards — and that’s what Twitter is, a glorified bulletin board — don’t act as “publishers.” But by policing conservatives and “fact-checking” the Republican president of the United States, Twitter is acting exactly like a publisher. So why should one class of publishers, such as The Post, be held liable, while another gets to escape liability merely because its “editors” are hard-left California geeks? Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri had the right idea last year, when he introduced legislation that would remove Section 230 immunity from tech companies unless they could prove that “their algorithms and content-removal practices are politically neutral.” Amen.

• Trump Is Preparing To Sign An Executive Order Targeting Social Media Companies President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday aimed at major social media companies after Twitter applied a fact-check on one of his tweets, according to Reuters. Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany announced the news on Air Force One, traveling with Trump to Washington from Florida, Reuters reportedWednesday. “[White House] press secretary told reporters on Air Force One Trump plans to sign an executive order aimed at social media companies,” CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta said in a tweet.

• Matt Gaetz Drafting Bill to Drop Big Tech’s Legal Immunity over One-Sided ‘Fact Checks’ Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will announce today that he is working with Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee to craft legislation that would strip social media giants of their Section 230 legal immunity if they fact check content on their platforms, according to a copy of his podcast which Breitbart News exclusively obtained. On the Florida conservative’s podcast, Hot Takes with Matt Gaetz, he said that he is working on a bill that would prevent social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google from fact-checking content on their platforms. Gaetz’s announcement follows as Twitter decided to fact check President Donald Trump’s tweet on Tuesday.

• Zuckerberg knocks Twitter for fact-checking Trump, says private companies shouldn’t be ‘the arbiter of truth’ Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called out Twitter for attaching a fact check to a tweet from President Trump, telling Fox News’ Dana Perino that privately-owned digital platforms should not act as the “arbiter of truth.” “We have a different policy than, I think, Twitter on this,” Zuckerberg told “The Daily Briefing” in an interview scheduled to air in full on Thursday. “I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn’t be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online,” he added. “Private companies probably shouldn’t be, especially these platform companies, shouldn’t be in the position of doing that.”

• TWITTER’S FACT CHECK OF TRUMP WAS WRONG “There was an error in Twitter’s fact check of Trump’s vote-by-mail tweets, underscoring the challenge social media platforms face trying to arbitrate truth,” Wall Street Journal reporter Dustin Volz wrote on Twitter. “It was corrected after an elections professional notified the company (and me) about the mistake.”