Todd Eberly, Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton, Jonathan Schanzer, and Hans Von Spakovsky joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C F.B.I. Raids Office of Trump’s Longtime Lawyer Michael Cohen; Trump Calls It ‘Disgraceful’ (New York Times) — The F.B.I. raided the Rockefeller Center office and Park Avenue hotel room of President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, on Monday morning, seizing business records, emails and documents related to several topics, including a payment to a pornographic film actress. Mr. Trump, in an extraordinarily angry response, lashed out hours later at what a person briefed on the matter said was an investigation into possible bank fraud by Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump accused his own Justice Department of perpetrating a “witch hunt” and asserted that the F.B.I. “broke in to” Mr. Cohen’s office. The president, who spoke at the White House before meeting with senior military commanders about a potential missile strike on Syria, called the F.B.I. raid a “disgraceful situation” and an “attack on our country in a true sense.”

5am – D/E     Syrian Chemical Attack:

• Trump calls Syria chemical attack ‘atrocious,’ says U.S. to make ‘major decisions’ in coming hours
• Mattis says US hasn’t ruled out military action against Assad
• Syria’s Assad picked the wrong time to launch a chemical attack on civilians
• U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at UN Security Council emergency meeting in wake of suspected chemical attack in Syria.
• Former Obama Spokesman On Syrian Chemical Attack: We Handed Trump ‘A Mess’

6am – A         Former AG Lynch defends Justice Department and FBI amid Trump criticism. The recent wave of harsh attacks on the Justice Department and its law enforcement arm, the FBI, have been “painful,” former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in an exclusive interview set to air Monday. Lynch, speaking with NBC News’ Lester Holt, defended the tens of thousands of people who work for the Justice Department, saying it is “troubling when people question the motivations of dedicated, committed professionals.” “I look at the department as a place that I was proud to lead,” said Lynch, an Obama administration appointee. “So watching the attacks on it is painful at times.”

6am – B         Competitive eater taken to hospital after eating world’s hottest chilli pepper (The Guardian) — Eating Carolina Reaper appears to have narrowed the arteries in his brain, causing a series of thunderclap headaches. A man who took part in a chilli pepper eating contest ended up with more than he bargained for when he took on the hottest pepper in the world. After eating a Carolina Reaper pepper, the 34-year-old started dry heaving before developing a pain in his neck that turned into a series of thunderclap headaches: sudden and severe episodes of excruciating pain that peak within a minute. Scoville scale: The hottest chillies in the world– in pictures. The Carolina Reaper, which can top 2.2m on the Scoville heat scale, was the world’s hottest pepper at the time of the incident in 2016 – although new breeds called Pepper X and Dragon’s Breath have since reportedly surpassed it. The details, published in the journal BMJ Case Reports, reveal the pain was so terrible the man went to the emergency room at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, a village in New York State.

6am – C         Facebook reconsiders ‘unsafe for community’ tag on pro-Trump Diamond and Silk videos after Fox & Friends appearance (Fox News) — Facebook is reconsidering classifying videos produced by Diamond and Silk, two of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters, as “unsafe to the community” after the dynamic duo went on Fox News’ morning show asking why the embattled social media giant had labeled them as such. In a statement to Fox News, a Facebook spokesperson said: “We have communicated directly with Diamond And Silk about this issue. The message they received last week was inaccurate and not reflective of the way we communicate with our community and the people who run Pages on our platform. We have provided them with more information about our policies and the tools that are applicable to their Page and look forward to the opportunity to speak with them.” After being deemed “unsafe to the community” by Facebook’s public policy team, Lynnette “Diamond” Hardaway and Rochelle “Silk” Richardson went on “Fox & Friends” and said they were provided with no reason why their videos were labeled as unsafe. “They gave us no rationale,” the sisters said on Sunday. “The only thing they told us is that we are unsafe for the community. We are two women of color, how are we unsafe? We don’t sell drugs, we don’t belong to no gangs. It’s offensive, it’s appalling, it taints our brand. Why are you censoring two black women? Why are you not allowing our viewers to view our content?”

6am – D         Immigration News:

• Arizona Supreme Court strikes down in-state tuition for ‘dreamers’ (AZ Central) — Arizona colleges can’t give in-state tuition to young immigrants covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday. The court issued a brief decision order saying justices unanimously agreed with the Arizona Court of Appeals’ ruling that said existing federal and state laws don’t allow the Maricopa Community Colleges to grant in-state tuition rates for DACA recipients. A full opinion further explaining the court’s ruling will be released by May 14, the order states. The court released the order Monday to allow Maricopa Community Colleges students and the state to have as much time as possible to plan for those affected by the ruling. More than 2,000 DACA recipients, commonly referred to as “dreamers,” currently attend community college or a state university in Arizona and pay in-state rates. The ruling will make DACA recipients pay much more to attend these schools, as out-of-state rates are about triple the cost of in-state tuition.
• Border Patrol breaks ground on Trump’s wall: ‘This project is underway’ (Washington Examiner) — The Department of Homeland Security marked the official start of construction on President Trump’s promised border wall Monday at a groundbreaking ceremony less than 10 miles west of El Paso, Texas. “The president has started his project,” El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron E. Hull told reporters during a press conference at the border in Santa Teresa, N.M. “This project is underway. This is the beginning, in this sector, of the president’s border wall.” The 20-mile Santa Teresa project will replace three-foot-tall posts and a taller mesh fence with 18- to 30-foot walls made primarily of concrete. The wall’s steel structure will stretch six feet under ground and be fastened into two feet of concrete beneath. The portion of the wall that is above ground and visible will have a five-foot plate at the top that will deter people from scaling it.

6am – E         China’s president offers US possible trade concessions (AP News) — President Xi Jinping promised Tuesday to cut China’s auto tariffs and improve intellectual property protection in possible concessions aimed at defusing a worsening dispute with Washington over trade and technology that investors worry could set back the global economic recovery. Speaking at a business conference, Xi made no direct mention of his American counterpart, Donald Trump, or the dispute. He promised progress on areas that are U.S. priorities including opening China’s banking industry and boosting imports but didn’t address key irritants for Washington such as a requirement for foreign companies to work through joint ventures that require them to give technology to potential local competitors. Private sector analysts saw Xi’s speech as an overture to help end the biggest trade dispute since World War II. It has fueled fears the global economic recovery might be set back if other governments are prompted to raise their own import barriers. Xi tried to position China as a defender of free trade and cooperation, despite its status as the most-closed major economy, in response to Trump’s “America first” calls for import restrictions and trade deals that are more favorable to the United States. “China’s door of opening up will not be closed and will only open wider,” said Xi at the Boao Forum for Asia on the southern island of Hainan. Xi said Beijing will “significantly lower” tariffs on auto imports this year and ease restrictions on foreign ownership in the auto industry “as soon as possible.” Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese goods worth $50 billion in response to complaints Beijing pressures foreign companies to hand over technology in violation of its World Trade Organization market-opening commitments. Beijing fired back with its own $50 billion list of U.S. goods for possible retaliation.

6am – F         A Topless Protester Who Charged Toward Bill Cosby Had Appeared On “The Cosby Show” As A Child (Buzzfeed) — A topless woman with the phrase “Women’s Lives Matter” written in red ink across the front her body was arrested Monday after she ran in front of Bill Cosby outside a Pennsylvania courthouse. Nicolle Rochelle, 39, wearing only black pants, jumped a barricade and ran toward Cosby, chanting “Hey hey hey, women’s lives matter.” She had the names of Cosby’s accusers written in blank ink on her torso. “The main goal was to make Cosby uncomfortable because that is exactly what he has been doing for decades to women,” Rochelle told reporters following her arrest, adding that she wanted him to know there were people against him. Rochelle appeared in four episodes of The Cosby Show in the 1990s when she was 12 years old. She said she never had any bad experiences with the Cosby while on the show. Rochelle was standing outside the courthouse as an observer. Right when Cosby exited his vehicle, she ripped off her jacket and rushed toward the actor. Police quickly tackled Rochelle into a bush, handcuffed her, and walked her into the courthouse. Police did not immediately respond to requests for additional information. Rochelle was charged with disorderly conduct. If convicted, she will be required to pay a fine and court costs.

7am – A         Mr. Zuckerberg goes to Washington:

• Zuckerberg goes before a joint Senate Commerce and Judiciary hearing on Tuesday afternoon, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday morning

• Ahead of testimony, Facebook tries to get its house in order.

• Zuckerberg ditches T-shirt, apologizes for Facebook mistakes
• Zuckerberg met with US senators Nelson, Thune, Grassley, and Feinstein ahead of Tuesday’s scheduled appearance before Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW – TODD EBERLY – MD Political analyst and associate professor of Political Science and coordinator of Public Policy Studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland – discussed this year’s general assembly and the various pieces of legislation that came out of it

• Maryland General Assembly passes school safety, anti-crime bills on last day of legislative session
• A Look at the Bills Approved by the Maryland General Assembly
• Gov. Larry Hogan comments on Md. General Assembly’s ‘aggressive agenda’

7am – D/E     INTERVIEW – TOM FITTON – Judicial Watch – discussed the recent NBC news interview with Loretta Lynch and what we are able to learn from this interview if anything

• Former AG Lynch defends Justice Department and FBI amid Trump criticism. The recent wave of harsh attacks on the Justice Department and its law enforcement arm, the FBI, have been “painful,” former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in an exclusive interview set to air Monday. Lynch, speaking with NBC News’ Lester Holt, defended the tens of thousands of people who work for the Justice Department, saying it is “troubling when people question the motivations of dedicated, committed professionals.” “I look at the department as a place that I was proud to lead,” said Lynch, an Obama administration appointee. “So watching the attacks on it is painful at times.”
• Ex-AG Lynch: Clinton tarmac talk was about ‘innocuous things’  (Fox News) -Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch claims she and former President Bill Clinton spoke of only “innocuous things” during their controversial meeting on a tarmac in Arizona just days before the FBI decided it would not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her handling of classified information on her private email server in 2016. During an exclusive interview to air on NBC Monday evening, Lynch addressed her “chance encounter” with the former president on her plane in July 2016 in Phoenix, telling NBC that the meeting was purely social.
• Comey Had No ‘Concerns’ With Handling of Clinton Email Investigation, Loretta Lynch Says (Newsweek) — Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch did not see a problem with calling the Hillary Clinton email probe a “matter” instead of an “investigation,” she said in a rare television interview. Lynch was attorney general under former President Barack Obama and spoke to NBC News’s Lester Holt for an interview airing Monday. President Donald Trump and other Republicans have accused Lynch of improperly influencing the FBI’s now-completed investigation into Clinton’s use of a personal email server. They have pointed out that Lynch spoke with former President Bill Clinton on an airplane days before the FBI announced the end of the investigation, and that FBI leadership began drafting the statement about the end of the probe months in advance.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – JONATHAN SCHANZER – scholar in Middle Eastern studies, and senior vice president at Foundation for Defense of Democracies – discussed President Trump’s condemnation of the Syrian government’s continued use of chemical weapons on its own civilians and discussed his own article on Putin’s Middle East blunders

• How Putin’s Folly Could Lead to a Middle East War (Politico) — Russia’s intervention in Syria has brought the region to the brink of disaster. Donald Trump needs to stop prevaricating over Syria and take advantage of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Syria failures. Putin, who unexpectedly thrust Russia into the Syria civil war in September 2015, initially claimed he was there on a counterterrorism mission to fight the Islamic State. Fast-forward two and a half years, and Putin is now in the unlikely position of trying to contain the outbreak of what could be the ugliest Middle East war of the 21st century between Iran and Israel. It was all very predictable, the moment that Putin began to partner with Iran and its lethal proxy, Hezbollah. They shared intelligence, patrolled together and fought together against the Sunni jihadists and other rebels who were warring against the Assad regime. Iran’s motivations for this unlikely marriage were crystal clear: the regime viewed Syria as a crucial territory to maintain a land bridge from their borders to the Mediterranean. For Iran, Syria was key to regional domination. It was also key to maintaining military supply routes to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

8am – B/C     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 – discussed yesterday’s raid on President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen’s, office by Mueller’s team

8am – D         Hogg / Ingraham Controversy:

• Ingraham Returns To Airwaves With No Apology, And Few Advertisers (Huffington Post) — “Did you miss me?” Laura Ingraham returned to Fox News on Monday evening defiant and defensive, a week after advertisers fled her program over her ridicule of Parkland, Florida, school shooting survivor David Hogg. Ingraham opened her program, “The Ingraham Angle,” with a 10-minute monologue about the “squelching of free speech” by the left and deemed such efforts “Stalinist, pure and simple.” “The left’s propaganda shaped a new generation of young adults, who then parroted all that malarkey about the ‘patriarchy,’ and then they came up with their own new phrases like ‘micro-aggressions’ and ‘safe spaces’ and ‘white privilege,’” Ingraham said. “Today, left-wing activists use these terms as bludgeons to intimidate those who disagree with them from entering the dialogue at all.” She offered no on-air apology to Hogg, whom she mocked last month on Twitter after he didn’t get into some of the colleges he’d applied to. Hogg, 17, took to his own social media account later that day and called for a boycott of those who advertised on Ingraham’s program. Nearly 20 advertisers left the show.
• David Hogg will take a gap year before college to work on the midterm elections (CNN) — One of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s most visible student activists will postpone his first year of college to devote time to political causes. David Hogg has been accepted at the University of California, Irvine, “but he will not be going to college this year because he’s decided to take a year off and work on the midterm elections,” his mother, Rebecca Boldrick, told CNN Monday. She said her son hopes to register and educate new voters and to “get people to vote.” Hogg, 17, is a senior at the Parkland, Florida, school where 17 people were fatally shot in February. Since then, he has emerged as a high-profile advocate for gun control measures, speaking at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, being interviewed on TV and appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Hogg’s college aspirations made national headlines last month when Fox News host Laura Ingraham mocked him on Twitter over a report that he had been rejected by at least three universities to which he had applied. (He was accepted by several others.)

8am – E         Kentucky neighborhood bans Danes, Dobermanns, German Shepherds, St. Bernards and more (Lexington Herald Leader) — People living in a Lexington neighborhood were notified last week that several dog breeds, including pit bulls, Great Danes and huskies, were being banned. Homeowners in McConnell’s Trace were sent letters by the neighborhood developer detailing a change in an existing dog restriction, which previously referred only to unspecified “aggressive breeds,” said Josh McCurn, president of the area’s neighborhood association. Now German shepherds, St. Bernards and chows are among the list of 11 dog breeds restricted from the neighborhood. McConnell’s Trace sits across Leestown Road from Masterson Station Park. McCurn said the homeowner’s association did not have a vote on the restrictions and did not “write the language.” Since the memo was sent out, McCurn said he has heard from those who don’t have pets, don’t have dogs or don’t want to be restricted in what kind of dog they can have.