Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Rep. Louie Gohmert, Tom Fitton, James Rosen and Bo Snerdley joined WMAL on Thursday!

5am – A/B/C           HIGHLIGHTS OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS: The House Judiciary Committee held its first impeachment hearing with four Constitutional scholars testifying; three of whom were selected by Democrats who agreed President Trump’s conduct merited impeachment and the fourth, George Washington University’s Johnathan Turley, chosen by Republicans who said the Democrats are moving too fast and impeachment isn’t “an impulse buy item.” First Lady Melania Trump sent a tweet critical of law professor Pamela Karlan using her son’s name in trying to say the President is not a king, a point Karlan agreed was wrong and apologized.

5am – D         ‘Are you ready?’: Pelosi makes clear to Democrats that impeachment is coming. (Washington Post) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff left little doubt with fellow Democrats Wednesday that they plan to move swiftly to impeach President Trump as soon as this month. According to multiple Democratic lawmakers who attended a closed-door Capitol meeting, Pelosi announced no firm decision or timeline in moving toward a vote on Trump’s impeachment. But, a day after Schiff delivered a 300-page report detailing charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress against Trump, she made clear what lies ahead in the House. “Are you ready?” Pelosi (D-Calif.) asked her colleagues, after describing grave constitutional circumstances posed by Trump’s alleged wrongdoing surrounding his dealings with Ukraine and his subsequent decision to stonewall the House investigation into it.

5am – E         Judge Blocks Construction of Privately-Funded Border Wall to Protect Butterfly Sanctuary. (National Review) – A Texas state judge ordered a temporary halt to the construction of a privately-funded section of border wall on Wednesday, saying the construction would infringe on land owned by a butterfly sanctuary. State District Judge Keno Vasquez of Hidalgo County granted a temporary restraining order against We Build the Wall to stop construction of the group’s wall on border land owned by the National Butterfly Center. The 100-acre wild butterfly sanctuary sued We Build the Wall, calling “illegal” the construction, which started last month, and saying it found surveyor’s stakes and construction workers “with chainsaws and heavy equipment” in the private Rio Grande Valley region on July 20. “The property and rights involved are unique and irreplaceable, so that it will be impossible to accurately measure, in monetary terms, the damages caused by the Defendants’ conduct,” Vasquez wrote in his decision.

6am – A/B/C HIGHLIGHTS OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

6am – D         ZIMMERMAN SUES TRAYVON MARTIN’S FAMILY:

• George Zimmerman SUES Trayvon Martin’s family and Florida prosecutors for $100MILLION, claiming they engineered false evidence in his homicide trial for shooting dead the unarmed black teen in 2012.  Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted of homicide charges in the 2012 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. – Zimmerman filed a lawsuit this week seeking $100million in civil damages for defamation, abuse of civil process and conspiracy. The suit alleges that the prosecution’s key witness in Zimmerman’s 2013 murder trial, Rachel Jeantel, was an imposter coached by the family and state attorneys. (Daily Mail) — George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted in the 2012 fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin, is suing Martin’s family and Florida prosecutors, claiming that they engineered false evidence in the homicide trial.  The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Polk County Circuit Court seeks $100million in civil damages for defamation, abuse of civil process and conspiracy.  It alleges that the prosecution’s key witness in Zimmerman’s 2013 murder trial, Rachel Jeantel, was an imposter coached by the family and their lawyers. The lead defendant in the suit is Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother. Fulton became a nationally-acclaimed advocate for social justice and reducing gun violence in the wake of her son’s death, and is now running for a seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission.  The second defendant is the family’s attorney, Ben Crump. He is accused of defamation and attempting to ‘deprive Zimmerman of his constitutional and other legal rights’.  The lawsuit also names Harper Collins, accusing the publisher of defaming Zimmerman by publishing Crump’s book, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People, ‘with actual malice knowing the untruth or at a minimum a reckless disregard for the truth’.  Crump responded to the lawsuit on behalf of himself and Martin’s parents in a statement Wednesday. ‘This plaintiff continues to display a callous disregard for everyone but himself, revictimizing individuals whose lives were shattered by his own misguided actions,’ he said. ‘He would have us believe that he is the innocent victim of a deep conspiracy, despite the complete lack of any credible evidence to support his outlandish claims. ‘This tale defies all logic, and it’s time to close the door on these baseless imaginings.’  Soon after reports of the lawsuit emerged, the hashtag #IStandWithSybrina began trending on Twitter as users expressed support for Martin’s mom.  Zimmerman, 36, is being represented by high-profile conservative legal crusader Larry Klayman.
• Filmmaker Joel Gilbert Releases New Film and Book, The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America. (LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Filmmaker Joel Gilbert of Highway 61 Entertainment has released his explosive new film and book release entitled, The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America. In this stunning work of investigative journalism, filmmaker Joel Gilbert claims to uncover the true story of the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a case that divided America.  By examining Trayvon’s 750-page cell phone records, Gilbert alleges that the key witness for the prosecution of George Zimmerman, the plus-sized 18-year-old Rachel Jeantel, was a fraud.  He asserts that it was a different girl who was on the phone with Trayvon just before he was shot. She was the 16-year-old whose recorded conversation with family attorney Benjamin Crump ignited the public, swayed President Obama, and provoked the nation’s media to demand Zimmerman’s arrest. Gilbert’s painstaking research takes him through the high schools of Miami, into the back alleys of Little Haiti, and finally to Florida State University where he finds Trayvon’s real girlfriend, the real phone witness, Diamond Eugene. Gilbert confirms his revelations with forensic handwriting analysis and DNA testing. After obtaining unredacted court documents and reading Diamond’s vast social media archives, Gilbert then reconstructs the true story of Trayvon Martin’s troubled teenage life and tragic death. In the process, he exposes in detail the most consequential hoax in recent American judicial history, The Trayvon Hoax, that was ground zero for the downward spiral of race relations in America. This incredible film and book have the potential to correct American history and bring America back together again.

6am – E         Actor Jason Momoa shames Chris Pratt on Instagram over plastic water bottle. Chris Pratt apologizes for posing with single use plastic bottle.

Jason Momoa shames Chris Pratt for using plastic water bottle. On Tuesday, Pratt posted a photograph on Instagram to announce a collaboration with Amazon. In the image, the Jurassic World star can be seen posing in front of a treadmill, wearing sportswear and holding a bottle of water. While the post received more than 718,000 likes and a flood of supportive comments, there was one person who was less than pleased with the snapshot. Aquaman star Momoa wrote: “Bro I love u but wtf on the water bottle. “No single use plastic. Come on.” Pratt promptly replied to Momoa’s comment, accepting that he was in the wrong.  “Aquaman! You’re completely right. Dammit. I always carry my big gallon size reusable water jug around with me too. I even had it that day!!!” The 40-year-old went on to explain the reason he was holding the plastic water bottle was because he didn’t know what to do with his hands during the photo shoot. “If I remember correctly somebody threw that plastic bottle to me in the photo shoot,” Pratt added.  “I never know what to do with my hands! So uncomfortable.  “For real tho. Love you too buddy. My bad. I don’t want your home of Atlantis covered in plastic. Hear that kids? Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” Momoa followed up his comment with a post on Instagram dedicated to Pratt. Alongside a photograph of himself and his children posing with the Guardians of the Galaxy star, Momoa wrote: “BRO you know my children and I are madly in love with you and I love everything you do.  “I’m sorry this was received so badly today I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m just very passionate about this single-use plastic epidemic. The plastic water bottles have to stop I hope u make a reusable water bottle for amazon so we all can purchase.  “You’re an inspiration to many I’m one of them.” Momoa’s public criticism of Pratt will come as no surprise to fans as the Game of Thrones actor has spent years advocating for cleaner oceans.

6am – F         Maryland school district officials adopt calendar that gives off Muslim holiday. (The Hill) – Elected officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, which lies just outside of Washington, D.C., voted Tuesday to give students a day off on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. The change will go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year, designating May 13 as a teacher professional day so students can celebrate the holiday, the Washington Post reported. College Board, the organization that facilitates testing for Advanced Placement classes, said tests planned for May 13 will be given a second time for Montgomery County students on May 18.   Muslim parents and students pressed for the day off at a recent school board meeting, the Washington Post reported. Montgomery County makes up Maryland’s largest school system with an enrollment of more than 165,000 students, and it gives students the day off for two Jewish holidays and multiple days around Christmas and Easter.  “This is a big victory for our students,” said Samira Hussein, a longtime advocate for the move told the Washington Post. “They will feel accepted and acknowledged by their teachers, their Board of Education, their superintendent.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim civil liberties organization, applauded the shift and the school board for lobbying the College Board to make the calendar work for students. The organization said the action shows “a strong commitment to inclusivity, diversity and equity.” “This kind of decision sends a message to these students that you are not only welcome here but you belong here and you are celebrated here — we want you to feel like you have a place in the school system,” Zainab Chaudry, the organization’s director of Maryland outreach told the Washington Post.   The calendar will also give students the day off for Lunar New Year, which is celebrated by many Asian families. That date will fall on Feb. 12, 2021 in the 2020-2021 school year.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – REP. LOUIE GOHMERT – R-TX, member of the House Judiciary Committee – shared his thoughts on the impeachment hearings yesterday.

7am – B/C     Hillary Clinton goes on Howard Stern’s show for the first time.  (CNN) Hillary Clinton made her debut appearance on Howard Stern’s show Wednesday and spilled her heart out. Clinton spoke with Stern as part of a promotional tour for “The Book of Gutsy Women,” which she wrote with her daughter, Chelsea Clinton.

• “The inauguration of Donald Trump was one of the hardest days of my life to be honest. I was going as a former First Lady, that was the reason I was there.”
• Hillary Clinton shoots down “lesbian” rumors to Howard Stern: “I actually like men!”
• After hearing President Trump’s inauguration speech, Hillary Clinton says she began to get nervous. And it sounds like she wasn’t the only one. “George W. Bush says to me, ‘Well that was some weird sh-t.’”
• Hillary Clinton has a coughing fit during Howard Stern Interview

7am – D/E     INTERVIEW – TOM FITTON – President of Judicial Watch – joined WMAL in studio to discuss the House Judiciary impeachment hearings on Wednesday and his thoughts on Adam schiff going after cell phone records in his impeachment report.

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – JAMES ROSEN — National Investigative Reporter for Sinclair Broadcasting and bestselling author of “The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate (2008)” — IN STUDIO — discuss Wednesday’s impeachment inquiry hearings and the Schiff report.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – JAMES GOLDEN aka Bo Snerdley and the executive producer of The Rush Limbaugh Show / https://maga.black/

• Rush Limbaugh producer ‘Bo Snerdley’ founds new PAC for black conservatives.  With partner Autry Pruitt, he promises to ‘make Black Americans Republican again’ (Washington Times) – He is well-known on the air waves as “Bo Snerdley,” the senior producer for Rush Limbaugh’s daily talk radio show, heard by an audience of 14 million. His real name is James Golden, however — and he is now on a mission to “make Black Americans Republican again.” With fellow black conservative Autry Pruitt, Mr. Golden has founded New Journey PAC,  a political action committee that promotes conservative values among black Americans — and everyone else for that matter. The organization includes MAGA.BLACK, a new online destination for one and all, they say. “For 80 years, the Democratic Party has taken the black vote for granted. Under the leadership of President Trump, Black-Americans enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded. The Trump approach has produced an economy that works for all Americans, yet Democrats are promising more of the same — votes for crumbs. It is simply not enough to stand on the sidelines and hope for the best,” the two founders say in their mission statement. “The concept was not to build a destination solely for black conservatives or to solely promote black conservatism, but to be a destination for all conservatives. Frankly, we founded this destination out of frustration. We are fed up with the racial narratives that the left uses to paint conservatives as bigots and racists, simply because we have a different view of public policy and politics,” the statement said.

8am – E         CHRISTMAS TREE NEWS:

• Trump to light National Christmas tree Thursday to ring in season. Tree Lighting Traffic nightmare Thursday night: Avoid driving or taking a bus in or near downtown D.C. Thursday afternoon. The annual National Christmas Tree lighting on the Ellipse is set to snarl traffic for hours. Delays are severe every year, and they tend to ripple out far beyond the streets near the White House and National Mall that are closed all afternoon. Taking Metro, MARC or VRE trains or simply waiting out the worst of the traffic can be the best ways to avoid traffic jams. From about 1 p.m. until about 8 p.m., 17th Street is scheduled to be closed between Independence Avenue Southwest and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest; 15th Street Northwest is scheduled to be closed between Constitution Avenue and H Street Northwest (north of New York Avenue Northwest). Constitution Avenue Northwest is also scheduled to be closed between 18th and 14th streets Northwest, D.C. police said. This is the 97th year for the tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse, where the lights are typically flipped on by the president and first family. Performers Dec. 5 include Jessie James Decker, Spensha Baker, Colton Dixon and Chevel Shepherd, plus the United States Marine Band and Max Impact, the Air Force’s rock band. It is the first year the current 30-foot Colorado blue spruce is in place on the Ellipse. The previous tree had been in place for about seven years before being replaced.
• Rob Lowe is ‘Obsessed’ With Watering His Christmas Tree With 7UP — But Should You? Rob Lowe may stick to a low-sugar diet, but his Christmas tree certainly doesn’t!  During an appearance on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday, the Holiday in the Wild star, 55, admitted to feeding his festive fir the same sticky-sweet concoction every year: half water and half 7UP soda. “I have an obsession. You know me — I’m not really involved in the house, I live in the house, I love the house, but that’s [my wife] Sheryl‘s domain,” Rob says. “But when it comes to the Christmas tree, I am all over it. I’m obsessed with it drying out too soon.” John agrees, joking: “It’s the only thing he’s ever done around the house.” “He’s right about this,” Rob admits. “I have a phobia about the pine needles, they get all brittle and fall and then they’re just going to be flammable.” That’s when the actor shared his recipe for a strong and healthy tree: “It’s half 7UP, half water. I am obsessed with this. This is all I care about during the holidays.” But does the hack really work? And is it good for your tree? PEOPLE reached out to Tim O’Connor, the Executive Director of the National Christmas Tree Association, to find out the organization’s official stance on the soda and water combo, and whether or not there’s any benefit to letting your Christmas tree drink it up.  “We hear about all kinds of things people do to their trees,” O’Connor tells PEOPLE. “We recommend just water — what the tree used while it was growing — but if something has been working for someone, we are not against it.”