The Hill’s Saagar Enjeti, WMAL Redskins Analyst Trevor Matich and The Daily Caller’s Amber Athey joined WMAL on Friday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, August 16, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A         WAPO: Volunteers picking up trash in West Baltimore save two men found overdosing.   BALTIMORE — At 8 a.m. Thursday, a team of volunteer garbage men wearing fluorescent orange shirts that read “Operation Baltimore Cleanup” walked down Monroe Street in West Baltimore, picking up trash.  They were about three blocks from where Freddie Gray was arrested in 2015 when they noticed two young men struggling to walk down the street. The garbage men, who had just arrived from New York and Florida, had pledged to clean up Baltimore after the city’s garbage issues came under national scrutiny following controversial tweets by President Trump last month. “I started searching [online for] #Baltimore,” said John Rourke, chief executive of All American Sanitation, who helped organize the trip. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” He searched a Google Street View image of Baltimore and focused his efforts on where he could see the most trash.  …    Within their first hour of work in Baltimore, one of the volunteers was administering naloxone to the two men, who appeared to be overdosing on opioids.    …  The men distanced themselves from Trump’s tweets but credited them for getting the group to West Baltimore. “He was so over-the-top,” Rourke said of the president’s remarks. “You would want him to be more presidential. But it was so over-the-top that it got my attention. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. It got me here.”

5am – B/C     Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Passes sell out instantly; Over 20,000 wanted the $500 ‘lifetime’ version. (Fox News) — Is $500 too much to pay for a lifetime of unlimited creamy mushroom fettuccine? Not at all, according to more than 20,000 die-hard Olive Garden fans. On Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. EST, the restaurant’s $100 Never Ending Pasta Passes, which actually are valid for nine weeks, became available for sale online, and all 24,000 of them sold in less than a second. Even more astounding is the fact that, of those 24,000 customers, 85 percent — some 20,400 people — opted in for a chance to purchase one of only 50 available “Lifetime Pasta Passes” for an additional $400. The Lifetime Pasta Passes — which are a new promotion for 2019 — entitle the 50 lucky recipients to unlimited pasta, soup, salad and breadsticks for their entire lifetimes. It’s the first time Olive Garden has offered a promotion of this magnitude, having only offered seasonal Never Ending Pasta Passes, and once an Annual Pasta Pass, in past years. In retrospect, it’s not entirely surprising that this year’s Pasta Passes and Lifetime Pasta Passes sold so quickly. In 2018, Olive Garden’s limited Annual Pasta Passes, which allowed the bearer to a year’s worth of unlimited food, sold out in less than a second, per the Daily Meal. And in 2017, all 22,000 of the passes Olive Garden offered sold out in one second as well.

5am – D/E     Having Multiple Husbands Can Be Beneficial In Tough Times For Some Women, Study Finds. DAVIS, Calif. — Who says marriage has to be about love? According to a new long-term study focusing on a rural village in Tanzania, Africa, local women protect themselves and their children from harsh economic and social conditions by acquiring as many husbands as possible. Researchers from The University of California, Davis collected and analyzed data on births, deaths, marriages, and divorces in a Western Tanzanian village over the course of 20 years. To their surprise, they discovered that women in the village who moved from husband to husband had more surviving children than those who stuck with just one man. Conversely, men who had multiple wives over the course of their lives actually saw less surviving children. “We can’t pin down the exact reasons for this finding, but our work (together with suggestions of others) suggests that marrying multiply may be a wise strategy for women where the necessities of life are hard, and where men’s economic productivity and health can vary radically over their lifetime due to the challenging environmental conditions,” explains lead researcher Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, a professor of anthropology at UC Davis, in a press release.

6am – A/B/C OMAR, TLAIB BARRED FROM ISRAEL

• Israel’s decision to bar Reps. Tlaib, Omar draws bipartisan criticism in Congress. (Fox News) — Tops Democrats and a few Republicans have denounced Israel’s decision to block Reps Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., from entering the country for a planned visit. Israel’s decision came with encouragement from President Trump, who had tweeted that it would “show great weakness” to allow them in. Omar accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of implementing his own “Muslim ban.” Ihan and Tlaib, both Muslim and outspoken critics of Israel, have expressed support for boycotts of the country. In a tweet, Tlaib ripped the decision as “a sign of weakness.” Similarly, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said denying the two congresswomen entry into the country was a sign of weakness, not strength and “unbecoming of the great State of Israel.” Republican Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted that, “I disagree 100% with Reps. Tlaib & Omar on #Israel” but that denying them entry into the country was a “mistake.” Netanyahu said Israel stands by its decision, arguing that Tlaib and Omar have an ulterior, anti-Israel agenda. He said Israel welcomes critics with the exception of those who support boycotts of the Jewish State. However, early Friday, the Washington Post reported that Israel would allow Democratic Rep. Tlaib to enter without Omar to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in West Bank.
• Rashida Tlaib gets Israeli minister’s OK to enter country to visit grandmother: report
• President Trump is “literally exporting intolerance,” says presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar on Israel barring Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the country. “You don’t ban them from visiting Israel. That makes you weaker, not stronger.”
• Graham says Omar, Tlaib should face “consequences” for trying to “destroy” Israel
• Pelosi: Israel’s Decision to Bar Omar, Tlaib ‘Sign of Weakness,’ ‘Beneath the Dignity’ of Jewish State
• McSally blasts Omar, Tlaib’s ‘dangerous’ rhetoric and actions, calls on US to stand with Israel
• ‘Mistake’: Marco Rubio breaks with Trump on Israel’s barring of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar
• Susan Collins breaks with Trump, says it was “a mistake” to urge Israel to bar entry to Omar, Tlaib
• Bernie Sanders defends Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar amid Trump attacks: “Opposing Netanyahu’s policies is not ‘hating the Jewish people.’ We must stand together against those who promote hatred and racism in Israel, Palestine, the U.S. and everywhere”
• Ocasio-Cortez vows not to go to Israel “until all members of Congress are allowed” after Omar, Tlaib denied entry
• McCarthy taunts “Squad” members for their failed attempt to enter Israel—or “Palestine,” as they inaccurately call it. Kevin McCarthy @GOPLeader: A record 70+ members of Congress—Reps and Dems—came to Israel this month with open minds, open eyes, and open ears. It’s unfortunate that a few freshmen members declined to join this opportunity to hear from all sides. They should have come. 1:36 PM – 15 Aug 2019
• Ryan Saavedra @RealSaavedra 14h14 hours ago: Notice how Ocasio-Cortez says *nothing* about these 16 Muslim countries that ban Israelis from entering their countries: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
• Joe Biden @JoeBiden I have always been a stalwart supporter of Israel—a vital partner that shares our democratic values. No democracy should deny entry to visitors based on the content of their ideas—even ideas they strongly object to. And no leader of the free world should encourage them to do so.
• Netanyahu says congresswomen’s itinerary, which included no meetings with Israeli officials, showed they only intended to incite against Israel
• Dermer to American Jewish leaders: decision to bar Omar and Tlaib was not a result of Trump pressure. Claims Israel changed course on issue after looking st their itinerary, which was a “BDS circus”
• Itinerary: According to their own itinerary, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib chose to refer to Israel as “Palestine”. Their trip there was little more than a self-indulgent ploy to delegitimize and malign the Jewish State from within its borders.

6am – D/E/F 2020 NEWS:

• 2020 Democrats Whine About Biased Coverage from the Media. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is leading the way, making his grievances with “corporate media” central to his anti-establishment campaign. The Sanders campaign took it up a notch this week, calling out CNN and NBC by name and making the case that The Washington Post is covering him negatively because he’s been critical of the newspaper’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos. Top media personalities are firing back at Sanders and accusing him of taking a page from Trump, who routinely attacks major outlets such as The New York Times and CNN as “fake news.” But Sanders is not alone. According to The Hill, “A top surrogate for former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign lashed out at reporters this week for giving outsized coverage to the former vice president’s recent verbal gaffes.” Meanwhile, Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro have both “blasted the press for what they describe as applying too light of a touch with Trump on issues pertaining to race.”
• Sanders campaign continues attacks on journalists: ‘Their paychecks are signed by a billionaire’. (Washington Examiner) –  Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign made the latest addition to their enemies list quite explicit on Thursday: journalists employed by “corporations” and “billionaires.”  In the first edition of “Bern Notice,” a digital newsletter released by the Sanders campaign designed to circumvent traditional media outlets, campaign speechwriter David Sirota wrote a fiery screed against so-called corporate media and its conspiracy to sink the Vermont senator’s second presidential bid. Reporters don’t have to receive a call from Jeff Bezos to know that their paychecks are signed by a billionaire with a well-known personal and corporate agenda — and knowing that agenda exists can shape overall frameworks and angles of coverage,” the left-wing reporter-turned-politico wrote.
• Beto O’Rourke on TX Senate Run: ‘That Would Not Be Good Enough’ (Breitbart) — Thursday in El Paso, TX, 2020 presidential hopeful former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) shut down speculation that he would run for the U.S. Senate in Texas if his presidential run is not successful. O’Rourke said, “There have even been some who have suggested that I stay in Texas and run for Senate, but that would not be good enough. That would not be good enough for this community, that would not be good enough for El Paso, that would not be good enough for this country.”
• Biden allies float scaling back events to limit gaffes. (The Hill) — Allies to Joe Biden have been floating the idea of altering the former vice president’s schedule in an effort to reduce the gaffes he has made in recent days.The allies, growing increasingly nervous about Biden’s verbal flubs, have said it’s an approach that’s been suggested to campaign officials on the heels of the former vice president’s stumbles. Biden has a tendency to make the blunders late in the day, his allies say, particularly after a long swing on the road, like he had last week in Iowa. They say something needs to be done to give the candidate more down time as the campaign intensifies in the fall.
• Andrew Yang: ‘What could Donald Trump possibly be better than me at? An eating contest?’ Democratic presidential candidate and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang said during his recent visit to Iowa that he’d challenge President Trump “to any physical or mental feat under the sun,” adding: “I mean, gosh, what could that guy beat me at, being a slob?”
• Police Union Rips Warren Over Ferguson Tweet: ‘Unacceptable And Dangerous.’ ‘Your labeling of law enforcement as racist and violent is unacceptable and dangerous’
• NEWSMAX: HERE’S THE NET WORTH OF EVERY 2020 CANDIDATE: Aside from Trump’s $3.1 billion and Tom Steyer’s $1.6 billion, the median net worth is $2 million. At the bottom of the list is Pete Buttigieg, who has an estimated $100,000. So how do the other candidates fare? Here is the list from least to most wealthy:
  • 20. Pete Buttigieg Net worth: $100,000
  • 19. Tim Ryan Net worth: $500,000
  • 18. Tulsi Gabbard Net worth: $500,000
  • 17. Julian Castro Net worth: $700,000
  • 16. Andrew Yang Net worth: $1 million
  • 15. Kirsten Gillibrand Net worth: $1 million
  • 17. Marianne Williamson Net worth: $1.5 million
  • 14. Cory Booker Net worth: $1.5 million
  • 13. Amy Klobuchar Net worth: $2 million
  • 12. Jay Inslee Net worth: $2 million
  • 11. Bernie Sanders Net worth: $2.5 million
  • 10. Bill de Blasio Net worth: $2.5 million
  • 9. Beto O’Rourke Net worth: $4 million
  • 8. Joe Sestak Net worth: $6 million
  • 7. Kamala Harris Net worth: $6 million
  • 6. Joe Biden Net worth: $9 million
  • 5. Elizabeth Warren Net worth: $12 million
  • 4. Michael Bennet Net worth: $15 million
  • 3. John Delaney Net worth: $200 million
  • 2. Tom Steyer Net worth: $1.6 billion
  • Donald Trump Net worth: $3.1 billion

7am – A         INTERVIEW – SAAGAR ENJETI – Chief Washington Correspondent & Host at The Hill  — discussed the latest President Trump and 2020 news.

• 2020 POLLS: Fox News poll: Biden leads Trump by 12 points in 2020 matchup  — Biden still leads Democratic race, Warren climbs into second. (The Hill) – A Fox News poll released Thursday showed President Trump losing head-to-head matchups against four of the top Democratic presidential primary contenders. The poll found Trump with 39 percent support among registered voters in head-to-head matchups against Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The poll found Sanders beating Trump with 48 percent, Warren winning over Trump with 45 percent and Harris winning with 46 percent support. Former Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, beat Trump in the theoretical matchup with 50 percent support among those surveyed, compared to Trump’s 38 percent.
• 2020 HICKENLOOPER OUT: Hickenlooper Drops Presidential Bid, May Run For Senate. Former Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is ending his presidential campaign, but his political career may not be over yet. Hickenlooper had been polling at zero or 1% in most polls, and was considered a long-shot to take the White House. Widely considered one of the more moderate Democrats in the race, Hickenlooper officially ended his campaign Thursday, although he did not rule out running for the Senate next year.
• Democrats’ uneasy 2020 reality: They need the likes of O’Rourke, Bullock and Hickenlooper to run for Senate. (Washington Post) — It’s difficult to overstate the importance of how this shakes out. The New York Times’s Reid J. Epstein reported Tuesday that former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper is considering dropping down into his state’s high-profile Senate race after failing to gain traction in the Democratic presidential primary. In Texas, the Houston Chronicle’s editorial board this weekend urged Beto O’Rourke to make a similar calculated switch. And in Montana, there have been efforts to persuade Gov. Steve Bullock.  Democrats need at least three pickups to take the Senate, and they may need four. Yet Republicans are defending only two states that went blue in the 2016 election. In that same election, every state with a Senate race picked a senator and the presidential candidate from the same party. In our increasingly polarized, almost-parliamentary political system, it’s tougher to buck the top of the ticket.
• Biden allies float scaling back events to limit gaffes. Allies to Joe Biden have been floating the idea of altering the former vice president’s schedule in an effort to reduce the gaffes he has made in recent days. The allies, growing increasingly nervous about Biden’s verbal flubs, have said it’s an approach that’s been suggested to campaign officials on the heels of the former vice president’s stumbles. Biden has a tendency to make the blunders late in the day, his allies say, particularly after a long swing on the road, like he had last week in Iowa. They say something needs to be done to give the candidate more down time as the campaign intensifies in the fall. “He needs to be a strong force on the campaign trail, but he also has to pace himself,” said one ally who has talked to members of the campaign team and others in the broader Biden World about how to move forward.

7am – B/C     GREENLAND – A NEW STATE OR U.S. TERRITORY?

• Trump has asked aides about possibility of US acquiring Greenland: report. (The Hill) – President Trump has privately asked aides about the possibility of purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Two advisers told the Journal that Trump asked them and other advisers at dinners and in passing conversations whether such a move would be possible, listening intently when they talked about its resources and geopolitical importance. He also reportedly asked his White House counsel to look into the idea. Some of his advisers were supportive of the move, the two sources told the Journal, saying it could be a good economic play. Others dismissed it as just a fascination. As the Journal noted, it is unclear how the U.S. would go about purchasing Greenland, the largest island in the world. Roughly 56,000 people live on the mostly self-governing island. Foreign and security policy is handled by Copenhagen.  The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Journal’s report.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH – WMAL’s Redskins Analyst – analyzed the Bengals vs Redskins last night.

• Bengals’ defense shines in 23-13 win over Redskins
• Redskins-Bengals takeaways: Dwayne Haskins, defense stand out but special teams need work. (Washington Post/Scott Allen) — Here are four takeaways from the Redskins’ 23-13 loss to the Bengals in their second preseason game.
• Dwayne Haskins’s second impression includes first touchdown: Just as he did last week, the rookie first-round pick started strong after replacing Case Keenum at quarterback. Haskins connected with tight end Jeremy Sprinkle in the flat for Washington’s first third-down conversion of the game late in the second quarter, and while he threw too high for Robert Davis on the next play, he redeemed himself moments later. On third-and-eight from the Washington 45-yard line, Haskins stepped up in the pocket with a pair of Bengals defenders bearing down on him and released a perfect pass to Davis, who caught the ball in stride at the Cincinnati 20 and raced into the end zone. Haskins, who threw a pair of interceptions in his preseason debut last week, struggled to find a rhythm after that, completing 7 of 14 passes for 114 yards before being removed midway through the fourth quarter. He also fumbled after being hit from his blindside and the Bengals recovered. The play was reviewed and it was confirmed that it was indeed a fumble and not an incompletion.
• Familiar names get some reps: You still needed a roster to recognize the Redskins on the field for most of the night, but a lot more of Washington’s projected starters and key backups suited up than last week at Cleveland. Adrian Peterson showed no signs of rust or age, breaking off a 26-yard gain on his first carry of the preseason. Vernon Davis was on the receiving end of a pair of Case Keenum completions for 43 yards. On defense, rookie pass rusher Montez Sweat started, but had a quiet debut. Fellow defensive linemen Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen were both in on tackles during their limited reps in the first quarter and safety Landon Collins delivered a big hit on Cincinnati’s first play from scrimmage.
• Turnover story: The Redskins’ defense has shown a nose for the ball through two preseason games. After rookie cornerback Jimmy Moreland forced a pair of fumbles last week in Cleveland, safety Montae Nicholson opened the scoring on Thursday with a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown. Payne made the pick-six possible by deflecting Andy Dalton’s pass at the line of scrimmage. The Redskins had one defensive touchdown all of last season, and it came on a fumble recovery. Greg Manusky’s unit is expected to be a strength of this team, and one of the marks of a great defense is scoring from time to time. No matter who is named the starting quarterback, the offense could use all the help it can get.

7am – E         CALLS FOR STEVE KING TO RESIGN / KING HITS BACK:

• Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Wednesday questioned whether there would be “any population of the world left” if not for rape and incest throughout history, The Des Moines Register reported. King was speaking in Urbandale, Iowa, where he defended anti-abortion legislation he sponsored in Congress that did not have exceptions for rape or incest. “What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?” King told the crowd at the Westside Conservative Club. “Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can’t say that I was not a part of a product of that.”
• Liz Cheney calls for Steve King to go after he argues rape and incest played a key role in history. Among the most pointed rebukes came from the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. The congresswoman slammed King’s remarks as both “appalling and bizarre.”
  • Liz Cheney @Liz_Cheney Today’s comments by @RepSteveKingIA are appalling and bizarre. As I’ve said before, it’s time for him to go. The people of Iowa’s 4th congressional district deserve better.
• KING HITS BACK AT LIZ CHENEY: Steve King @SteveKingIA 3h: Just like January, @Liz_Cheney  & others rushed to cameras to attack the Conscience of Conservatives based on a faulty report & misquote. Both AP & Des Moines Register corrected their story. Short a full public apology, Liz has sacrificed her claim to both conservatism & ProLife.
  • Correction: Steve King-Abortion story. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — In a story Aug. 14 about Rep. Steve King’s comments on banning abortion, The Associated Press, relying on a story by The Des Moines Register, inaccurately quoted King as saying, “It’s not the baby’s fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother.” Referring to House support for a ban on abortions, King actually said, “I’ve got 174 people who say they don’t want exceptions for rape and incest because they understand it is not the baby’s fault, to abort the baby, because of the sin of the father, and maybe sometimes the sin of the mother too.”
  • A corrected version of the story is below: Rep. Steve King says rapes, incest helped populate the world. US Rep Steve King is defending his call for a ban on all abortions by questioning whether there would be “any population of the world left’ if not for births due to rape and incest. (By SCOTT McFETRIDGE/Associated Press) – DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Rep. Steve King on Wednesday defended his call for a ban on all abortions by questioning whether there would be “any population of the world left” if not for births due to rape and incest. Speaking before a conservative group in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, the Iowa congressman reviewed legislation he has sought that would outlaw abortions without exceptions for rape and incest. King justified the lack of exceptions by questioning how many people would be alive if not for those conceived through rapes and incest. “What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?” King asked, according to video of the event, which was covered by The Des Moines Register. “Considering all the wars and all the rape and pillage that’s taken place … I know I can’t certify that I’m not a part of a product of that.” Referring to support in the U.S. House for a ban on abortions, King added, “I’ve got 174 people who say they don’t want exceptions for rape and incest because they understand it is not the baby’s fault, to abort the baby, because of the sin of the father, and maybe sometimes the sin of the mother too.” A King spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The nine-term Republican congressman, who represents a sprawling, largely rural 39-county district, has been criticized repeatedly for comments he’s made over the years, especially on issues related to race and immigration.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – AMBER ATHEY – White House correspondent, The Daily Caller – discussed the latest President Trump and 2020 news.

• Fox News poll: Biden leads Trump by 12 points in 2020 matchup — Biden still leads Democratic race, Warren climbs into second. A Fox News poll released Thursday showed President Trump losing head-to-head matchups against four of the top Democratic presidential primary contenders. The poll found Trump with 39 percent support among registered voters in head-to-head matchups against Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The poll found Sanders beating Trump with 48 percent, Warren winning over Trump with 45 percent and Harris winning with 46 percent support.
• President Trump’s approval rating has edged up, driven by long-term confidence in his economy and boosted by the lackluster performances of the two dozen Democrats trying to beat him in the 2020 election, according to the latest Zogby Analytics poll. The contrarian survey, provided exclusively to Secrets, pushes back on some other recent polls showing a surge in Trump’s disapproval rating. Namely, it found that recent issues portrayed as trouble for Trump haven’t hurt him and that he is growing in support among Africans Americans, Hispanics, independents, and younger voters. However, he continues to have trouble with suburban women, a pocket the media has described as his albatross. “The one important group Trump continues to see his support wane was with suburban women (38% approve/57% disapprove). This is an important group for him if he is going to win again in the ‘blue wall’ states he won in 2016. The blow of losing support from suburban women was blunted with his gains with urban women–46% approve/53% disapprove and urban men (56% approve/43% disapprove),” said Zogby.

8am – B/C     Full Interview: Cardi B Asks Bernie Sanders About Tax Hikes, More

Bernie Sanders wants to be Cardi B’s favorite president. (Breitbart) — Last month, we learned that the 77-year-old Vermont senator met with the 26-year-old Bronx rapper in a Detroit, Michigan nail salon to talk about the issues central to his 2020 presidential campaign. The video of their exchange is finally here. Sanders at a nail salon with Cardi B is inherently funny. The pair were clearly in on the joke, as seen in a behind-the-scenes clip the Sanders campaign posted on Instagram. But the two talked through serious issues like police brutality, student debt, wages, taxes, and jobs. They admired Cardi’s nails and gabbed about her favorite president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whom Sanders incidentally cites as an inspirational figure in his campaign for the White House. “Well, I want to be your favorite after I’m elected,” Sanders also told her.

8am – D/E     Tiffany launches men’s line, hoping diamonds are a dude’s best friend. (Washington Post) – Tiffany & Co. hasn’t had any trouble getting men to come shop for the ladies in their lives. Now the jeweler behind those iconic blue boxes wants them to stay and peruse … for themselves. Tiffany is rolling out its first comprehensive jewelry line for men, the company announced Thursday, in a bid to attract younger shoppers and reverse declining sales. Come October, the collection will include nearly 100 designs, some of which will fetch prices as high as $15,000. Tiffany also plans to add home furnishings and accessories, such as ice tongs and beer mugs, with male customers in mind. But retail experts say it could be a tough sell. The glitz and glamour of Tiffany has long been tied to feminine jewelry (along with Audrey Hepburn’s soft smile and bejeweled neck). Rolling out masculine designs are one thing. But getting male customers in the door and with themselves in mind is quite another. “[Men] still see Tiffany as a female-based proposition, just because of its heritage and even things like the color of the boxes,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData Retail. “It could be quite difficult for them to really persuade male customers that they have something to offer and that is relevant to them.” Reed Krakoff, Tiffany’s chief artistic director and who developed the collection, told the Associated Press that the new line will get its own floor space in Tiffany’s 300 stores, rather than being sold alongside other merchandise. “Men all over the world are wearing jewelry and more accessories as part of a wardrobe,” Krakoff told the AP. “You started to see it on the runways, in social media.”