The Vince Coglianese Show

INTERVIEW - JIM WASS -- ReOpen Maryland / https://www.facebook.com/ReopenMaryland/

MARYLAND NEWS:

Over 51,000 Filed Unemployment Claims In Maryland Last Week. Over 51,000 Marylanders and nearly 2,500,000 Americans overall filed unemployment insurance benefits claims last week.A total of 51,108 Maryland residents filed unemployment insurance claims in the week ending May 16, 2020, a decrease of 14,697 from the previous week, labor officials report. Last week, 65,805 Marylanders filed for unemployment insurance benefits claims with the Maryland Department of Labor Division of Unemployment Insurance amid the coronavirus pandemic.  The week ending May 2, 2020, 109,263 Marylanders filed claims overall. The unemployment numbers sharply increased the week ending in May 2 due to expanded filing under the federal CARES Act and the new website implemented by labor officials.  (WBAL link)

Montgomery might lift some restrictions within a week. Maryland’s most populous county said Wednesday that it may lift some social distancing restrictions within the next week, another tentative step toward reopening the Washington region as the rates of novel coronavirus infections and deaths show signs of slowing.  “We are moving in the right direction,” Travis Gayles, head of Montgomery County’s health department, said about plans to join other parts of the state in partially lifting restrictions on gatherings and nonessential businesses. (Washington Post link)

Prince George's County may move to a "modified reopening" as soon as June 1. Part of the region hit hardest by coronavirus, Prince George’s County, could begin a phased reopening as soon as June 1, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Thursday. “After reviewing recent data, we are cautiously moving toward a modified phase one reopening by June 1. While the data has improved, we are not out of the woods yet,” Alsobrooks said in a statement. Both COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are declining in the county, the executive said. But Alsobrooks urged residents to observe the still-active stay-at-home order over the coming Memorial Day weekend, “so that we can stay on track to begin reopening by our target date.” (DCist)

Baltimore County is to allow "nonessential" retailers to reopen if no more than 10 customers and staff are inside at a time. TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) — Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced Thursday morning that he would allow retail stores and some personal services to reopen Friday morning. “Today, we are announcing the next steps in the reopening of Baltimore County. I’ve just signed an executive order, so that beginning tomorrow at 9 a.m. retail establishments under the governor’s phase one announcement in Baltimore County will be able to be open to customers,” the county executive said. Beginning May 22 at 9 a.m., any businesses covered under Gov. Larry Hogan’s phase 1 reopening plan can reopen but are limited to 10 people, including staff inside. (CBS Baltimore link)

Baltimore cancels all major events through August. BALTIMORE, Md. - All large public events in Baltimore have been canceled through Aug. 31, including the Fourth of July fireworks and the Artscape festival, officials announced Wednesday. Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young made the announcement as the city continues to battle the spread of the coronavirus, The Baltimore Sun reported. (Fox 5 DC link)

"Dear Mr. President, please stay home!" Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young asked President Donald Trump to not make his planned Memorial Day visit to the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine due to coronavirus concerns. BALTIMORE (WBFF) — On Thursday, Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young released a statement in regards to President Donald Trump’s planned visit on Memorial Day to Baltimore’s Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. The White House says the president and first lady will participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at the site on Monday “to honor the American heroes who have sacrificed their lives serving in the US Armed Forces.”

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces 17 new COVID-19 test sites at CVS locations across the state. May 21, 11:05 a.m.: Eligible Marylanders will soon have access to COVID-19 testing at 17 CVS locations throughout the state, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday. Individuals who meet Centers for Disease Control criteria and age guidelines will be able to register for self-swab tests at CVS.com beginning this Friday. The 17 locations are distributed across the state, with three locations in Montgomery County and four in Prince George’s County. In Montgomery County, tests will be offered at CVS locations in Bethesda, Rockville, and Gaithersburg. The Prince George’s testing sites are located in New Carrollton, Upper Marlboro, and Capitol Heights. A list of participating pharmacies can be found on the governor’s website. “Patients will be required to stay in their cars and directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions,” says a press release from Hogan’s office. “A CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly.” Results will be available in about three days, according to Hogan’s office. (DCist link)

MD Governor Hogan Announces Launch of Robust Contact Tracing Operation to Support Local Health Departments. ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced that Maryland’s statewide contact tracing operation across all 24 of the state’s jurisdictions will be fully operational next week. To launch this operation, Maryland has more than quintupled its disease investigation capacity, and will have more than 1,400 case investigators statewide. “To support our local health officials, the state has built a robust contact tracing operation and massively expanded Maryland’s disease investigation capacity,” said Governor Hogan. “This will be a partnership across all 24 jurisdictions, and an all-hands-on deck effort to ensure health officials on the ground can trace and isolate the virus.” “This is a way everyone can contribute to keeping each other safe and healthy, while helping us find and fight the virus,” said Fran Phillips, Deputy Secretary for Public Health at the Maryland Department of Health. “Participating with the state’s contact tracing program helps keep you, your family, your neighbors, co-workers, and community safe from this disease. Please answer the phone if you see ‘MD COVID’ on the screen; working with our COVID-19 case investigators truly can help save lives.” MORE THAN 1,400 TRACERS STATEWIDE: At the start of the crisis, the state had a total of 250 case investigators working at local health departments. On April 22, Governor Hogan announced a contract with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), the nation’s oldest and largest university-based research firm, to hire and train additional case investigators. Maryland is on track to have more than 1,400 case investigators statewide. (Gov. Hogan website link)

INTERVIEW - FATHER FRANK PAVONE - National Director of Priests for Life - responded to FX’s documentary "AKA Jane Roe": 

Norma McCorvey Reveals In ‘AKA Jane Roe’ She Was Paid To Turn Pro-Life, Admits It Was All An Act. In FX’s first documentary AKA Jane Roe, the real-life Norma McCorvey, who was known as plaintiff “Jane Roe” in the historic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case, tells us that what she said in the feature is her “deathbed confession”. During the docu, she dropped a bomb, confessing that she went from pro-choice to pro-life because she was paid. In one jaw-dropping part of the Nick Sweeney-directed docu, McCorvey, who was interviewed a few months before her death in 2017 was asked if she was being used as a trophy by anti-abortion groups. “I was the big fish,” she admitted. “I think it was a mutual thing. I took their money and they’d put me out in front of the cameras and tell me what to say. That’s what I’d say." She gave an example of what she was told to say as the “former Jane Roe,” then she admitted it was all an act. “I did it well too. I am a good actress,” McCorvey said in the docu as people watched the footage in shock. (Deadline link)\

Father Frank Pavone was quick to reject the notion that McCorvey was lying about being pro-life. “So #abortion supporters are claiming Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of Roe v Wade, wasn’t sincere in her conversion,” Father Pavone posted to Twitter, Tuesday afternoon. “She was[.] I was her spiritual guide for 22 years, received her into the Catholic Church, kept regular contact, spoke w her the day she died, & conducted her funeral.” “One would think that any normal or honest person who wants to understand the journey of Norma McCorvey would talk with those who journeyed with her,” the priest further explained to LifeNews. “I knew her and was one of her key spiritual guides for 22 years, starting in 1995 with her baptism, right through the conversation we had on the day she died. Yes, she not only rejected abortion, but she became a new creation in Christ. I received her into the Catholic Church and rejoiced together with her as she discovered day by day the joy of prayer, and in her final years made rosaries by hand to help others experience that same joy. Her desire to protect children in the womb was no act.” “I was privileged to lead and preach at her funeral. I knew her struggles and her pain. She didn’t just have positions; she had deep wounds because of her involvement with Roe vs. Wade, and I guided her through the healing of those wounds, in the quiet hours of struggle that nobody saw or heard about,” he continued. “Those are things you don’t fake.” “There have always been people who have tried to re-shape her story, or get her to reshape it,” Father Pavone added. “She resented that and would resent it today. Norma was not somebody you could come to know in a snapshot, in an interview, or even in years of interviews. I’ll have a lot more to say about this once I see the documentary.” (Daily Wire link)

Mornings on the Mall 

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Hosts; Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Guests: Liz Sheld, Cal Thomas, Erik Kiilunen, Tom Fitton and Shelley Luther

SHOW RUNDOWN:

5 AM HOUR:

5-A/B/C -- 5:05 AM - NEW VIRUS GUIDANCE:

CDC now says coronavirus ‘does not spread easily’ on surfaces. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says the coronavirus “does not spread easily” through touching surfaces or objects. In early March, the federal health agency was warning that it “may be possible” to pass on the virus from contaminated surfaces, according to Fox News. Its guidelines now include a section on ways the virus doesn’t easily spread — including from touching surfaces or objects. “It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes,” the CDC webpage states. “This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus.” Other ways the virus doesn’t easily spread is from animals to people or people to animals, the CDC’s updated webpage states.

AND LAST MONTH... FDA says there is no evidence groceries can transmit coronavirus Your groceries apparently can’t transmit the coronavirus. There’s no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 can spread through food, or what it’s wrapped in, Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said Thursday. “We have no evidence that the virus, the Covid-19 virus, is transmitted by food or by food packaging,” Hahn said during a CNN town hall. [...] As for disinfecting your groceries, that may also be overkill, according to the FDA.

VIRUS AND SMIMMING POOLS: ‘No Evidence’ That Coronavirus Spreads In Swimming Pools, According To CDC. As temperatures inch upward and Memorial Day quickly approaches, pools across the country remain closed due to coronavirus restrictions. Many are likely concerned about going for a swim, citing the possibility that coronavirus could be spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, says that there is “no evidence” that the virus can be spread to people through pool water, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas, as long as social-distancing measures are taken. “Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water,” the CDC online guideline says. Individuals, pool owners and operators should still take the steps to ensure that the virus isn’t spread, including following local and state guidelines that determine whether pools can reopen.

5-D/E -- LATEST RUSSIA COLLUSION NEWS:

CHUCK ROSS: FBI Offered To Pay Christopher Steele ‘Significantly’ To Dig Up Dirt On Michael Flynn. An FBI offer to pay former British spy Christopher Steele to collect intelligence on Michael Flynn in the weeks before the 2016 election has been one of the more overlooked revelations in a Justice Department inspector general’s report released in December. The reference to the FBI proposal, which was made in an Oct. 3, 2016, meeting in an unidentified European city, has received virtually no press attention. But it might have new significance following the recent release of government documents that show that Steele peddled an unfounded rumor that Flynn had an extramarital affair with a Russian woman in the United Kingdom.

WAPO: Michael Flynn’s name was never masked in FBI document on his communications with Russian ambassador. But in the FBI report about the communications between the two men, Flynn’s name was never redacted, former U.S. officials said. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) announced this week that he wants to subpoena witnesses over the unmasking of Flynn, as part of a larger effort to unearth information about the FBI’s investigation of Trump campaign officials. On Tuesday, he sent a letter to acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell asking why a declassified list of Obama administration officials who had made requests that revealed Flynn’s name in intelligence documents “did not contain a record showing who unmasked” Flynn’s identity in relation to “his phone call with” the Russian diplomat, Sergey Kislyak.

Rice penned Inauguration Day email at White House counsel’s direction. On Jan. 20, 2017, the day of President Trump’s inauguration, Rice penned a memo to herself documenting a Jan. 5 meeting with Obama and others, during which he provided guidance on how law enforcement should address Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race. Parts of the email had been released previously, but the full unredacted email was declassified and made public this week. At the meeting, she, Obama, former FBI Director James Comey and other intelligence officials discussed her successor Michael Flynn’s communications with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Rice spokeswoman Erin Pelton told Fox News on Wednesday that Rice documented the contents of that meeting at the direction of Obama’s White House counsel, Neil Eggleston.

UNDERCOVER HUBER with a new theory about leaks from MUELLER'S TEAM to flip TRUMP TEAM LAWYERS AGAINST THEIR OWN CLIENTS... Somebody faked that the Crossfire Hurricane team had a FISA on Paul Manafort & "leaked" this to CNN. And the culprits may have been the Special Counsel's Office, trying to influence D.C's Chief Judge into allowing the SCO to pierce Manafort's Attorney/Client privilege. (THREAD)

NYT: Supreme Court Blocks Release of Full Mueller Report for Now. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked the release of parts of the report prepared by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election. The court’s order, concerning a request by the House Judiciary Committee for grand jury materials that the Justice Department had blacked out from the report provided to Congress, could mean that the full report would not be made available before the 2020 election. The Supreme Court’s brief order gave no reasons for blocking an appeals court ruling ordering the release of the full report while the justices considered whether to hear the case. It ordered the Justice Department to file a petition seeking review by June 1. There were no noted dissents. The House told the justices that it sought information about whether President Trump had obstructed justice, a topic on which Mr. Mueller failed to reach a conclusion.

MICHAEL COHEN TO BE RELEASED EARLY FROM JAIL: President Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will be released from federal prison today and is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence at home. Cohen has been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. Cohen will be released on furlough with the expectation that he will transition to home confinement for the remainder of his sentence.

6 AM HOUR

6-A -- 6:05 AM -- INTERVIEW - LIZ SHELD - Senior Editor, American Greatness -- discuss yesterday's "Karens" in the media and the "coronavirus Karens"

Mika Melts Down, Goes Full 'Karen': Brzezinski Demands Twitter Erase 'Sick, Disgusting' President Trump from Its Platform... 

Mika Brzezinski @morningmika: .@twitter need to know why trump is not banned? 9:16 AM - May 20, 2020

Mika Brzezinski @morningmika: I will be reaching out to head of twitter about their policies being violated every day by President Tump. Hope my call is taken. Please retweet if you agree 9:17 AM - May 20, 2020

Video: Mika being a Karen on Morning Joe:

https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1263238165650800640

CORONAVIRUS KARENS:

This woman outside of a grocery store is being called a Karen. She was freaking out in her car. Is she a Karen? 

https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1263208102951743488

A SUPER ANNOYING KAREN: This lady went out to video shame everyone who dared to have fun in the sun at the beach. Is she being a Karen? 

https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1262173200479379456

ABOUT KARENS: Karen is a slang term that is used to typify a person perceived to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is considered appropriate or necessary. One of the most common Karen stereotypes is that of a white middle-aged woman, typically American, who displays aggressive behavior when she is obstructed from getting her way; such women are often depicted as demanding to "speak to the manager" and sometimes have a variation of the bob cut. The origins of Karen as an Internet meme predominately date back to an anonymous Reddit user.  (Wikipedia link)

6-B/C - VOTING NEWS:

MICHIGAN MAIL IN BALLOTS: President Trump threatened to hold back federal funding from two election battleground states that are making it easier to vote by mail during the pandemic. He later backed away somewhat from that threat but stuck with his claim that widespread voting by mail promotes "a lot of illegality." Trump targeted Michigan and Nevada on Wednesday. At first he claimed Michigan was sending out more than 7 million mail-in ballots, but after criticism he corrected that to say mail-in ballot "applications."

Federal judge rules in favor of mail-in ballots in Texas, says 'lack of immunity' for COVID-19 a physical condition. Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, said Tuesday that his office would appeal a federal court’s preliminary injunction that allows all registered voters in the state to apply to vote by mail while the country fights the coronavirus pandemic. “The district court’s opinion ignores the evidence and disregards well-established law,” the Texas Republican said in a statement, according to the Texas Tribune. "We will seek an immediate review by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals." The paper pointed out that the Lone Star State’s current election law only grants permission for those over 65, who have a disability or plan to be abroad at the time of the vote to apply for a mail-in ballot. Democrats are largely in favor of the voting alternative while Republicans have been critical of the option due to the risk of voter fraud. Judge Fred Biery, a district court judge in San Antonio, sided Tuesday with the state’s Democratic party. "The Court finds such fear and anxiety is inextricably intertwined with voters' physical health. Such apprehension will limit citizens' rights to cast their votes in person. The Court also finds that lack of immunity from COVID-19 is indeed a physical condition," he wrote. (Fox News link)

Montgomery County Council calls on Maryland's State Board of Elections to hold emergency meeting to protect voting rights. Council expresses concerns over the distribution of ballots for Maryland’s June 2 primary election ROCKVILLE, Md., May 20, 2020—Montgomery County Councilmembers sent a letter to the Maryland State Board of Elections expressing their frustration and concern about the distribution of ballots for Maryland’s June 2 primary election. Many registered voters in Montgomery County have reported that they have not received their ballots and have reached out to the Council to voice their concerns. All Councilmembers signed the letter. “It is extremely concerning, this close to the June 2nd Maryland primary election, that there are widespread issues in delivering the appropriate absentee ballot to voters,” said Council Vice President Tom Hucker. “This is unacceptable and is increasing public anxiety and eroding confidence in our elections. The State Board of Elections needs to act immediately to ensure voters a fair and timely primary and general election. We are sending this letter to get more information on this situation and to work with the State Board on this crucial issue.” The Council has requested the Maryland State Board of Elections hold an emergency meeting to address urgent issues relating to the primary election including the timely distribution of ballots to all voters in their preferred language and to ensure that Maryland will administer the 2020 primary and general elections securely and effectively. “The Maryland State Board of Elections must do everything within its power to ensure that by perception and in reality, the coming elections are seen to be fair and just,” said Councilmember Nancy Navarro, who chairs the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. “The issues that threaten to disenfranchise voters in our county and region must be resolved as soon as possible.” (MoCo Govt link) 

More Montgomery County ballots being mailed to deceased, non-residents. A few weeks after a man described how his deceased mother was shown to have voted in Montgomery County elections for a decade after her death, another case of an illegal ballot being issued has come to light. Attorney Robin Ficker, a Republican candidate for Maryland governor, reports that his son was mailed a ballot to his old Montgomery County address. Problem: Ficker's son hasn't lived in Montgomery County for 12 years. And as a "live" ballot, it could be illegally filled out and mailed back by someone else. "Election fraud?" Ficker asked in a Facebook post showing the improperly-mailed ballot. "How many of these ballots are being mailed by someone else?" Ficker isn't the only one asking questions.  A watchdog group, Judicial Watch, has successfully sued to receive the voter registration information of all Montgomery County voters, after it found there are more names registered to vote than there are eligible voters in the county. In 2018, anomalous voting results were seen at dozens of precincts across Montgomery County in the County Council At-Large race, if not others. The voter universe in that election also increased by about 100,000 voters in only four years since 2014. Local media outlets have not challenged County officials about either issue so far. Leaving ineligible names on the voter rolls is a key source of voter fraud. Anyone who has the names of deceased or non-resident voters can walk into the appropriate polling place, claim to be that person and provide the few details asked for by judges, and cast a ballot illegally using one of those many names. In this year's by-mail elections, these illegal ballots will be mailed out and ripe for the picking by any organized voter fraud operation, further underlining the urgency in cleaning up Montgomery County's dirty voter rolls. (Robert Dyer blog link) 

Flashback in April: Judicial Watch Victory: Federal Court Orders Maryland to Release Complete Voter Registration Records. (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced that a federal court ordered the State of Maryland to produce the voter list for Montgomery County that includes the registered voters’ date of birth. This court ruling is the latest in a series of victories for Judicial Watch in its lawsuit filed July 18, 2017, against Montgomery County and the Maryland State Boards of Elections under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Judicial Watch filed suit for the Maryland voter list data after uncovering that there were more registered voters in Montgomery County than citizens over the age of 18 who could legally register (Judicial Watch vs. Linda H. Lamone, et al. (No. 1:17-cv-02006)). Ruling in Judicial Watch’s favor, Judge Hollander said: "Judicial Watch need not demonstrate its need for birth date information in order to facilitate its effort to ensure that the voter rolls are properly maintained. Nevertheless, it has put forward reasonable justifications for requiring birth date information, including using birth dates to find duplicate registrations and searching for voters who remain on the rolls despite “improbable” age." In order to avoid turning over the dates of birth for Maryland voters, the Maryland Administrator of Elections, Linda Lamone, directed her staff to remove date of birth as a field on the voter registration application. Judge Hollander ruled that Lamone could not do this, saying: "Because full voter birth dates appear on completed voter registration applications, the Administrator may not bypass the Act by unilaterally revising the Application." In August 2019, Judge Hollander ruled in Judicial Watch’s favor in the same case, ordering the State of Maryland to produce voter list data for Montgomery County. Judicial Watch is the national leader in enforcing the National Voters Registration Act. (Judicial Watch link) 

6-D - 6:35 AM --  INTERVIEW - CAL THOMAS - Syndicated columnist and author of new book "America's Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers . . . and the Future of the United States"

CAL'S LATEST COLUMN: ‘Snake oil’ cures: Trump should not promote hydroxychloroquine 

The name calling between Trump and Pelosi. So unseemly. Win on issues and debate them not who is crazy and who is morbidly obese.

6-E - LOCAL NEWS UPDATE: VIRGINIA / MARYLAND:

Ralph Northam: No 'particular timeline' for Northern Virginia to begin first phase of reopening. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said that leaders in Northern Virginia were “following the data” in determining not to move into Phase 1 of the reopening plan with the rest of the state. The city of Alexandria and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, which make up most of Northern Virginia and all border either the District of Columbia or Maryland, have the state’s worst coronavirus case numbers. Local leaders told Mr. Northam in a letter that they weren’t ready to enter Phase 1 of reopening until at least May 29. “We haven’t set any particular timeline,” the Democratic governor said. “We will continue to follow that daily. We will be in communication with those (local) leaders, and when they are comfortable, and when the data supports a movement into Phase 1, we will do so.”

Arlington County cancels summer camps for 2020. ARLINGTON, Va. - As the novel coronavirus lingers in the Northern Virginia region heading into late fall, Arlington County announced on Wednesday that it is canceling all summer camps for the season. In a statement from the county, officials said the decision was difficult to make. They noted that the camps could not be held with “proper social distancing and appropriate cleaning protocols or other safety measures,” and the county was not confident that it could safely host a camp session. Officials noted there too many variables needed to be accounted for ultimately. “We recognize how important camps are to our residents, and we are truly saddened to have to cancel for the summer. Ultimately, it is the best decision for the safety and health of our community. We will continue to explore opportunities to provide programs and services as national, state and local guidelines allow. We appreciate your patience as we work through this difficult time,” said Parks & Recreation Director Jane Rudolph. Anyone who was registered for an Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation camp will receive a full refund. Anyone who signed up for a camp with a county contractor should reach out to the contractor directly for information regarding refunds. (Fox5DC link)

Montgomery officials say county may start to reopen within a week. Maryland’s most populous county said Wednesday that it may lift some social distancing restrictions within the next week, another tentative step toward reopening the Washington region as the rates of novel coronavirus infections and deaths show signs of slowing. “We are moving in the right direction,” Travis Gayles, head of Montgomery County’s health department, said about plans to join other parts of the state in partially lifting restrictions on gatherings and nonessential businesses. (Washington Post link) 

6-F -- Tom Brady blasted for releasing 'immunity' supplement during pandemic. Tom Brady launched a new “immunity” multivitamin supplement this week — and critics quickly tackled the quarterback for the timing of the release during the coronavirus pandemic. Brady, 42, newly signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, announced the release of the “immunity blend supplement,” called Protect, through his company, TB12 Sports, on social media Monday. “Over the years, I’ve learned how important it is to be proactive in taking care of my own body,” Brady said in a video posted to Instagram. “I’m really proud to announce this amazing new product from TB12 that will provide you guys exactly what you need to stay healthy, strong and resilient for whatever comes your way.” It is sold as a 30-day supply, or 60 tablets, for $45, according to the TB12 website. Critics bashed him on Twitter for the not-so-coincidental timing of the release — and for capitalizing on people’s fears amid the pandemic. In Brady’s new home state, nearly 47,000 coronavirus cases and over 2,000 related deaths have been reported, according to the Florida Department of Health. “Oh Tom this is so disappointing,” Julia Offord Pearman tweeted. “The marketing of this product is clearly playing on people’s fears over Covid and a belief that the immune system just needs a boost to recover from it. If it’s an athlete recovery supplement say that, don’t play up to people’s fears about Covid.”“What does your product ‘PROTECT’ us from Tom?” said a person with the handle @katherine_jj6. “Does it protect the millions out of work from being duped to pay a ridiculous amount of money for this? This is a new low for you and [business partner] Alex [Guerrero].” “The reason Tom Brady doesn’t have coronavirus isn’t an immune boosting supplement, it’s because he’s obscenely rich and can isolate unlike delivery drivers, cleaners, meat workers, grocery store workers, nurses and doctors,” wrote Dr. Kate Gregorevic, who identified herself as a geriatrician. “Using this crisis to enrich himself is disgusting.” But TB12 CEO Johns Burns told Yahoo! Sports that “now more than ever, it’s important to have daily support for a healthy immune response as our bodies are subject to constant stressors that deplete its resources.” Brady’s company touts the drug for “supporting natural killer cells” and “replenishing antibodies post-exercise,” helping to “activate your immune system and counter stress-induced immune suppression,” according to a product description. (NY Post link)

7 AM HOUR

7-A -- 7:05 AM - Interview - Erik Kiilunen - organizer of Michigan Take Yourself to Work Day (May 21)

Kiilunen, a Michigan business man is leading the effort to make May 21 "Take Yourself to Work Day." He has billboards all over Michigan with the message "All Business is Essential."  

Businessman Calls for Peaceful Economic Disobedience in Response to Unconstitutional COVID-19 Lockdown. Ahmeek, MI—As reported by the Associated Press, Erik Kiilunen, business owner, entrepreneur, and founder of All Business is Essential, is calling for peaceful economic disobedience against un-constitutional executive orders which have deprived American citizens of their right to attend to their businesses, their livelihoods, and their jobs. Erik Kiilunen is “encouraging business owners of all sizes to engage in Economic Disobedience" by opening their place of business regardless of "executive orders as Michigan and the USA need commerce. Without it, the poverty created by their absence will cause far greater suffering than anything that COVID-19 will ever lead to now. I’ve opened my business as an example to others.” Over the course of a few days, Mr. Kiilunen's  GoFundMe page has already amassed tens of thousands in contributions from other Americans who support Mr. Kiilunen's message of economic freedom.   As his billboards start to spring up in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Howell, as well as across the country, Mr. Kiilunen asserts that this is only the beginning. In what is poised to be one of the most fundamentally American uprisings in US history, All Business is Essential is ready to take on anti-constitutional decrees . "All business is essential, and the government, and state governors, do not have the legal authority to pick and choose who has the right to work and feed their families, and who doesn’t....Ask a single mother running a hair salon and using the profits generated to care for her special needs child if her business is essential," says Mr. Kiilunen.

7-B/C -- LATEST ON PELOSI:

Speaker Pelosi on President Trump: “It's like a child who comes in with mud on their pants...He comes in with doggy doo on his shoes and everybody who works with him has that on their shoes, too, for a very long time to come."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) expressed confidence Wednesday that the coronavirus stimulus package approved last week will garner enough public backing to force Republicans and the Trump administration to the negotiating table. The $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act would provide funds to local and state government, hazard pay for health care workers and another round of direct cash payments to tens of millions of Americans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the package has “no chance” of passing.

Pelosi touts $3.6B vote-by-mail bill, now called ‘Voting at Home,’ after Trump warnings to Michigan, Nevada, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday night touted a $3.6 billion vote-by-mail proposal – which she rechristened “Voting at Home” – adding that the bill also would help bolster the U.S. Postal Service. Pelosi talked about the legislation during an appearance on MSNBC just hours after President Trump warned the states of Michigan and Nevada against implementing absentee-ballot and vote-by-mail plans, arguing the proposals were illegal and could potentially facilitate voter fraud. In both cases, the president threatened to withhold federal dollars from the states if they went ahead with their plans. The legality of using mail ballots is already the basis of a lawsuit in Texas, in which a federal judge sided with Democrats in allowing the forms to be sent out to voters. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately announced his office was appealing the ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Meantime, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Postal Service, calling it a “joke” and claiming it undercharges online retail giants such as Amazon. The president has said he will not support any bailout legislation for the Postal Service if the organization does not raise its service rates to generate more revenue. But in an interview on MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” Pelosi stressed that the Democrats’ proposal was aimed at making voting and shopping more convenient and safe for Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic – allowing them to perform both tasks at home without exposing themselves to risk of contracting the virus. “We’re now calling it ‘Voting at Home’ because that’s really what it’s all about -- enabling people to vote at home,” Pelosi told host Lawrence O’Donnell. (Fox News link)

Trump expresses opposition to extending unemployment benefits enacted in response to pandemic. President Trump on Tuesday privately expressed opposition to extending a weekly $600 boost in unemployment insurance for laid-off workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic, according to three officials familiar with his remarks during a closed-door lunch with Republican senators on Capitol Hill. The increased unemployment benefits — paid by the federal government but administered through individual states — were enacted this year as part of a broader $2 trillion relief package passed by Congress. The boost expires this summer, and House Democrats have proposed extending the aid through January 2021. (Washington Post link)

7-D/E  -- 7:35 AM - INTERVIEW - TOM FITTON - President of Judicial Watch

Montgomery County Council calls on Maryland's State Board of Elections to hold emergency meeting to protect voting rights. Council expresses concerns over the distribution of ballots for Maryland’s June 2 primary election ROCKVILLE, Md., May 20, 2020—Montgomery County Councilmembers sent a letter to the Maryland State Board of Elections expressing their frustration and concern about the distribution of ballots for Maryland’s June 2 primary election. Many registered voters in Montgomery County have reported that they have not received their ballots and have reached out to the Council to voice their concerns. All Councilmembers signed the letter. “It is extremely concerning, this close to the June 2nd Maryland primary election, that there are widespread issues in delivering the appropriate absentee ballot to voters,” said Council Vice President Tom Hucker. “This is unacceptable and is increasing public anxiety and eroding confidence in our elections. The State Board of Elections needs to act immediately to ensure voters a fair and timely primary and general election. We are sending this letter to get more information on this situation and to work with the State Board on this crucial issue.” The Council has requested the Maryland State Board of Elections hold an emergency meeting to address urgent issues relating to the primary election including the timely distribution of ballots to all voters in their preferred language and to ensure that Maryland will administer the 2020 primary and general elections securely and effectively. “The Maryland State Board of Elections must do everything within its power to ensure that by perception and in reality, the coming elections are seen to be fair and just,” said Councilmember Nancy Navarro, who chairs the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. “The issues that threaten to disenfranchise voters in our county and region must be resolved as soon as possible.” (MoCo Govt link) 

More Montgomery County ballots being mailed to deceased, non-residents. A few weeks after a man described how his deceased mother was shown to have voted in Montgomery County elections for a decade after her death, another case of an illegal ballot being issued has come to light. Attorney Robin Ficker, a Republican candidate for Maryland governor, reports that his son was mailed a ballot to his old Montgomery County address. Problem: Ficker's son hasn't lived in Montgomery County for 12 years. And as a "live" ballot, it could be illegally filled out and mailed back by someone else. "Election fraud?" Ficker asked in a Facebook post showing the improperly-mailed ballot. "How many of these ballots are being mailed by someone else?" Ficker isn't the only one asking questions.  A watchdog group, Judicial Watch, has successfully sued to receive the voter registration information of all Montgomery County voters, after it found there are more names registered to vote than there are eligible voters in the county. In 2018, anomalous voting results were seen at dozens of precincts across Montgomery County in the County Council At-Large race, if not others. The voter universe in that election also increased by about 100,000 voters in only four years since 2014. Local media outlets have not challenged County officials about either issue so far. Leaving ineligible names on the voter rolls is a key source of voter fraud. Anyone who has the names of deceased or non-resident voters can walk into the appropriate polling place, claim to be that person and provide the few details asked for by judges, and cast a ballot illegally using one of those many names. In this year's by-mail elections, these illegal ballots will be mailed out and ripe for the picking by any organized voter fraud operation, further underlining the urgency in cleaning up Montgomery County's dirty voter rolls. (Robert Dyer blog link) 

Flashback in April: Judicial Watch Victory: Federal Court Orders Maryland to Release Complete Voter Registration Records. (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced that a federal court ordered the State of Maryland to produce the voter list for Montgomery County that includes the registered voters’ date of birth. This court ruling is the latest in a series of victories for Judicial Watch in its lawsuit filed July 18, 2017, against Montgomery County and the Maryland State Boards of Elections under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Judicial Watch filed suit for the Maryland voter list data after uncovering that there were more registered voters in Montgomery County than citizens over the age of 18 who could legally register (Judicial Watch vs. Linda H. Lamone, et al. (No. 1:17-cv-02006)). Ruling in Judicial Watch’s favor, Judge Hollander said: "Judicial Watch need not demonstrate its need for birth date information in order to facilitate its effort to ensure that the voter rolls are properly maintained. Nevertheless, it has put forward reasonable justifications for requiring birth date information, including using birth dates to find duplicate registrations and searching for voters who remain on the rolls despite “improbable” age." In order to avoid turning over the dates of birth for Maryland voters, the Maryland Administrator of Elections, Linda Lamone, directed her staff to remove date of birth as a field on the voter registration application. Judge Hollander ruled that Lamone could not do this, saying: "Because full voter birth dates appear on completed voter registration applications, the Administrator may not bypass the Act by unilaterally revising the Application." In August 2019, Judge Hollander ruled in Judicial Watch’s favor in the same case, ordering the State of Maryland to produce voter list data for Montgomery County. Judicial Watch is the national leader in enforcing the National Voters Registration Act. (Judicial Watch link) 

8 AM HOUR

8-A -- 8:05 AM - CHRIS CUOMO AND HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE:

Flashback: CNN’s Cuomo Mocks Trump Over Hydroxychloroquine — A Version Of It Was Included In His Own COVID-19 Treatment. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo mocked President Donald Trump on Monday for announcing that he had been taking anti-malarial drugs as a preventative treatment for coronavirus even though he had also used a version of the drug in his own COVID-19 treatment regimen. In a late Monday tweet after Trump’s announcement, Cuomo responded to a video of Florida police breaking up a block party by saying “No worries. They can just take some chloroquine.” Cuomo also said in the opening of Monday’s Cuomo Prime Time that “the president knows that Hydroxychloroquine is not supported by science. He knows it has been flagged by people in his own administration” and called it a distraction from “his lack of a plan or real solutions.” Cuomo had been using a version of the anti-malarial drug in his own treatment for coronavirus, according to posts about his treatment protocol written by his wife, Cristina, in her wellness magazine “The Purist.” (Daily Caller link)

Kayleigh McEnany Rips CNN’s Chris Cuomo For Taking ‘Less Safe Version’ Of Hydroxychloroquine. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany called out CNN anchor Chris Cuomo Wednesday for mocking President Donald Trump for taking hydroxychloroquine after Cuomo took a less safe version of the drug for his coronavirus treatment. “You had Chris Cuomo saying the president knows that hydroxychloroquine is not supported by science, he knows it has been flagged by his own people and he’s using it,” McEnany said at Wednesday’s White House press briefing. “Cuomo mocked the president for this” but “it turns out that Chris Cuomo took a less safe version of it called quinine, which the FDA removed from the market in 2006 because it had serious side effects, including death. So really interesting to have that criticism of the president.” ( Daily Caller link)

From Chris Cuomo's wife's blog:  I enlisted Dr. Linda Lancaster, who put my husband on a path of natural remedies to strengthen his immune system—and now mine–and it’s working for us. (Blog link) 

CRAZY LECTURE FROM the "Doctor" (Dr. Linda Lancaster) that Chris Cuomo's wife was getting coronavirus treatment advice from (that included bathing in bleach...)

LAST NIGHT: Chris Cuomo teases brother Andrew Cuomo with giant test swab. Chris Cuomo teases brother Andrew with a prop of a giant test swab. CNN's Chris Cuomo jokes with his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, about the size of his nose. On May 17, the governor was tested for Covid-19 on live television to encourage others to get tested. CNN's Chris Cuomo does prop comedy with NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, fails to ask about nursing-home controversy.CNN anchor Chris Cuomo again did not address the growing nursing-home controversy in his latest interview with his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and instead performed some prop comedy on Wednesday night. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, recently reversed a March 25 order that forced nursing homes to accept patients who tested positive for coronavirus, despite testing deficiencies for both residents and staff. Cuomo signed an executive order on May 11 stopping hospitals from sending infected patients back to nursing homes and ramping up testing for staff.

8-B/C  -- FL GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS SLAPS THE MEDIA:

Fla. Gov. DeSantis Scorches Media For Dire Florida Predictions: ‘Hell, We’re 8 Weeks Away From That’. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis unloaded on members of the media Wednesday over their extremely grim predictions for his state, saying that the media “waxed poetically for weeks and weeks” about how bad Florida would look. “Our data is available, our data is transparent, in fact Dr. Birx has talked multiple times about how Florida has the absolute best data, so any insinuation otherwise is just typical partisan narrative trying to be spun,” DeSantis said. “And part of the reason is because you got a lot of people in your profession who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York: wait two weeks Florida’s going to be next, just like Italy, wait two weeks.” “Well hell, we’re eight weeks away from that, and it hasn’t happened. Not only do we have a lower death rate–well we have way lower deaths generally–we have a lower death rate than the Acela Corridor, DC, everyone up there,” the governor continued.

Where Does Ron DeSantis Go to Get His Apology? (By RICH LOWRY/NATIONAL REVIEW) - The Florida governor explains a COVID-19 strategy that has gotten bad press and favorable results. A couple of months ago, the media, almost as one, decided that Governor Ron DeSantis was a public menace who was going to get Floridians killed with his lax response to the coronavirus crisis. In an interview with National Review, DeSantis says he was surprised at “how knee-jerk” the hostile coverage was, but he “also knew that none of these people knew anything about Florida at all, so I didn’t care what they were saying.” The conventional wisdom has begun to change about Florida, as the disaster so widely predicted hasn’t materialized. It’s worth delving into the state’s response — as described by DeSantis and a couple of members of his team — because it is the opposite of the media narrative of a Trump-friendly governor disregarding the facts to pursue a reckless agenda. DeSantis and his team have followed the science closely from the beginning, which is why they forged a nuanced approach, but one that focused like a laser on the most vulnerable population, those in nursing homes. An irony of the national coverage of the coronavirus crisis is that at the same time DeSantis was being made into a villain, New York governor Andrew Cuomo was being elevated as a hero, even though the DeSantis approach to nursing homes was obviously superior to that of Cuomo. Florida went out of its way to get COVID-19-positive people out of nursing homes, while New York went out of its way to get them in, a policy now widely acknowledged to have been a debacle. The media didn’t exactly have their eyes on the ball. “The day that the media had their first big freakout about Florida was March 15th,” DeSantis recalls, “which was, there were people on Clearwater Beach, and it was this big deal. That same day is when we signed the executive order to, one, ban visitation in the nursing homes, and two, ban the reintroduction of a COVID-positive patient back into a nursing home.” DeSantis is bemused by the obsession with Florida’s beaches. When they opened in Jacksonville, it was a big national story, usually relayed with a dire tone. “Jacksonville has almost no COVID activity outside of a nursing-home context,” he says. “Their hospitalizations are down, ICU down since the beaches opened a month ago. And yet, nobody talks about it. It’s just like, ‘Okay, we just move on to the next target.’”

8-D -- 8:35 AM -- INTERVIEW - SHELLEY LUTHER - formerly jailed Dallas salon owner

TX SALON OWNER WENT TO MICHIGAN ON MONDAY TO HELP A BARBER REBELLING AGAINST WHITMER’S LOCKDOWN: Dallas salon owner who was jailed over coronavirus rules travels to Michigan to support defiant barber. A Texas salon owner who was sent to jail for opening her business during the coronavirus outbreak called Michigan's governor a "tyrant" on Monday as she stood next to a barber whose license was suspended for cutting hair.  "Gretchen, the state of Michigan will vote you out," Shelley Luther declared, referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Luther traveled to Owosso, a small Michigan town, to express support for Karl Manke. The 77-year-old barber reopened his shop for more than a week before state regulators suspended his license. Luther, the owner of Salon a la Mode in Dallas, was sentenced to a week in jail for flouting public health orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus. She was released less than 48 hours later when Gov. Greg Abbott dropped jail as a possible punishment for violations. "Why does your governor think that it's OK to open up for marijuana, liquor sales?" said Luther, whose boyfriend grew up an hour away in Frankenmuth. "Can't you get an abortion? But you cannot get your hair cut. What is wrong? "Stop being a tyrant," Luther said of the governor. "Open up. You don't get this control. We control you. We have the power." Whitmer has defended the business restrictions as an important way to stop the virus. She relented a bit Monday by announcing plans to reopen bars and restaurants Friday in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, which haven't been hit as hard as the rest of Michigan. (CBS News)

‘Operation Haircut’: Michigan Barbers Defy Lockdown, Offer Haircuts On Capitol Lawn. Anti-lockdown protesters gathered in Lansing on the lawn of the Michigan state capitol Wednesday to get a haircut. With barbershops and salons closed indefinitely due to the state’s coronavirus lockdown, barbers are scheduled to cut hair on the capitol lawn for three hours Wednesday afternoon. The protest, called “operation haircut,” was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, and is the latest example of Michiganders clashing with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has enacted some of the strictest coronavirus restrictions in the nation. The Michigan Department of State Police threatened to issue citations to those giving or receiving haircuts. “All individuals engaging in haircuts are being educated on the law. Those who do not comply will be cited for disorderly conduct,” the department tweeted. (Daily Caller link)

LAST WEEK: Michigan Barber Has Licenses Suspended After Defying Shutdown Orders. State officials said Karl Manke’s decision to reopen his shop during the coronavirus pandemic jeopardized public health and safety. A Michigan barber who reopened his shop in defiance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders had his business and professional licenses suspended, the latest step in his escalating battle with the state. The barber, Karl Manke, 77, who has been cutting hair in Owosso, Mich., for almost 60 years, likened Michigan under Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, to “a police state.” He said he planned to keep cutting hair, despite the suspension of his licenses. “I’m not closing up; I’m not caving in to this,” he said on Wednesday, adding: “I’m not a rabble-rouser and I’m not a scofflaw. I’m a small-town barber. I just want to make my living.” Mr. Manke is just one of the latest business owners to defy orders to keep their doors closed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. (NY Times link)

 

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-5-21

[00:00:00] 4:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[01:00:16] 6:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:26] 7:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:35] 8:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

8:35 AM -- INTERVIEW - SHELLEY LUTHER - formerly jailed Dallas salon owner

TX SALON OWNER WENT TO MICHIGAN ON MONDAY TO HELP A BARBER REBELLING AGAINST WHITMER’S LOCKDOWN: Dallas salon owner who was jailed over coronavirus rules travels to Michigan to support defiant barber. A Texas salon owner who was sent to jail for opening her business during the coronavirus outbreak called Michigan's governor a "tyrant" on Monday as she stood next to a barber whose license was suspended for cutting hair.  "Gretchen, the state of Michigan will vote you out," Shelley Luther declared, referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Luther traveled to Owosso, a small Michigan town, to express support for Karl Manke. The 77-year-old barber reopened his shop for more than a week before state regulators suspended his license. Luther, the owner of Salon a la Mode in Dallas, was sentenced to a week in jail for flouting public health orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus. She was released less than 48 hours later when Gov. Greg Abbott dropped jail as a possible punishment for violations. "Why does your governor think that it's OK to open up for marijuana, liquor sales?" said Luther, whose boyfriend grew up an hour away in Frankenmuth. "Can't you get an abortion? But you cannot get your hair cut. What is wrong? "Stop being a tyrant," Luther said of the governor. "Open up. You don't get this control. We control you. We have the power." Whitmer has defended the business restrictions as an important way to stop the virus. She relented a bit Monday by announcing plans to reopen bars and restaurants Friday in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, which haven't been hit as hard as the rest of Michigan. (CBS News)

‘Operation Haircut’: Michigan Barbers Defy Lockdown, Offer Haircuts On Capitol Lawn. Anti-lockdown protesters gathered in Lansing on the lawn of the Michigan state capitol Wednesday to get a haircut. With barbershops and salons closed indefinitely due to the state’s coronavirus lockdown, barbers are scheduled to cut hair on the capitol lawn for three hours Wednesday afternoon. The protest, called “operation haircut,” was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, and is the latest example of Michiganders clashing with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has enacted some of the strictest coronavirus restrictions in the nation. The Michigan Department of State Police threatened to issue citations to those giving or receiving haircuts. “All individuals engaging in haircuts are being educated on the law. Those who do not comply will be cited for disorderly conduct,” the department tweeted. (Daily Caller link)

LAST WEEK: Michigan Barber Has Licenses Suspended After Defying Shutdown Orders. State officials said Karl Manke’s decision to reopen his shop during the coronavirus pandemic jeopardized public health and safety. A Michigan barber who reopened his shop in defiance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders had his business and professional licenses suspended, the latest step in his escalating battle with the state. The barber, Karl Manke, 77, who has been cutting hair in Owosso, Mich., for almost 60 years, likened Michigan under Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, to “a police state.” He said he planned to keep cutting hair, despite the suspension of his licenses. “I’m not closing up; I’m not caving in to this,” he said on Wednesday, adding: “I’m not a rabble-rouser and I’m not a scofflaw. I’m a small-town barber. I just want to make my living.” Mr. Manke is just one of the latest business owners to defy orders to keep their doors closed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. (NY Times link)

7:35 AM - INTERVIEW - TOM FITTON - President of Judicial Watch

Montgomery County Council calls on Maryland's State Board of Elections to hold emergency meeting to protect voting rights. Council expresses concerns over the distribution of ballots for Maryland’s June 2 primary election ROCKVILLE, Md., May 20, 2020—Montgomery County Councilmembers sent a letter to the Maryland State Board of Elections expressing their frustration and concern about the distribution of ballots for Maryland’s June 2 primary election. Many registered voters in Montgomery County have reported that they have not received their ballots and have reached out to the Council to voice their concerns. All Councilmembers signed the letter. “It is extremely concerning, this close to the June 2nd Maryland primary election, that there are widespread issues in delivering the appropriate absentee ballot to voters,” said Council Vice President Tom Hucker. “This is unacceptable and is increasing public anxiety and eroding confidence in our elections. The State Board of Elections needs to act immediately to ensure voters a fair and timely primary and general election. We are sending this letter to get more information on this situation and to work with the State Board on this crucial issue.” The Council has requested the Maryland State Board of Elections hold an emergency meeting to address urgent issues relating to the primary election including the timely distribution of ballots to all voters in their preferred language and to ensure that Maryland will administer the 2020 primary and general elections securely and effectively. “The Maryland State Board of Elections must do everything within its power to ensure that by perception and in reality, the coming elections are seen to be fair and just,” said Councilmember Nancy Navarro, who chairs the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. “The issues that threaten to disenfranchise voters in our county and region must be resolved as soon as possible.” (MoCo Govt link) 

More Montgomery County ballots being mailed to deceased, non-residents. A few weeks after a man described how his deceased mother was shown to have voted in Montgomery County elections for a decade after her death, another case of an illegal ballot being issued has come to light. Attorney Robin Ficker, a Republican candidate for Maryland governor, reports that his son was mailed a ballot to his old Montgomery County address. Problem: Ficker's son hasn't lived in Montgomery County for 12 years. And as a "live" ballot, it could be illegally filled out and mailed back by someone else. "Election fraud?" Ficker asked in a Facebook post showing the improperly-mailed ballot. "How many of these ballots are being mailed by someone else?" Ficker isn't the only one asking questions.  A watchdog group, Judicial Watch, has successfully sued to receive the voter registration information of all Montgomery County voters, after it found there are more names registered to vote than there are eligible voters in the county. In 2018, anomalous voting results were seen at dozens of precincts across Montgomery County in the County Council At-Large race, if not others. The voter universe in that election also increased by about 100,000 voters in only four years since 2014. Local media outlets have not challenged County officials about either issue so far. Leaving ineligible names on the voter rolls is a key source of voter fraud. Anyone who has the names of deceased or non-resident voters can walk into the appropriate polling place, claim to be that person and provide the few details asked for by judges, and cast a ballot illegally using one of those many names. In this year's by-mail elections, these illegal ballots will be mailed out and ripe for the picking by any organized voter fraud operation, further underlining the urgency in cleaning up Montgomery County's dirty voter rolls. (Robert Dyer blog link) 

Flashback in April: Judicial Watch Victory: Federal Court Orders Maryland to Release Complete Voter Registration Records. (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced that a federal court ordered the State of Maryland to produce the voter list for Montgomery County that includes the registered voters’ date of birth. This court ruling is the latest in a series of victories for Judicial Watch in its lawsuit filed July 18, 2017, against Montgomery County and the Maryland State Boards of Elections under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Judicial Watch filed suit for the Maryland voter list data after uncovering that there were more registered voters in Montgomery County than citizens over the age of 18 who could legally register (Judicial Watch vs. Linda H. Lamone, et al. (No. 1:17-cv-02006)). Ruling in Judicial Watch’s favor, Judge Hollander said: "Judicial Watch need not demonstrate its need for birth date information in order to facilitate its effort to ensure that the voter rolls are properly maintained. Nevertheless, it has put forward reasonable justifications for requiring birth date information, including using birth dates to find duplicate registrations and searching for voters who remain on the rolls despite “improbable” age." In order to avoid turning over the dates of birth for Maryland voters, the Maryland Administrator of Elections, Linda Lamone, directed her staff to remove date of birth as a field on the voter registration application. Judge Hollander ruled that Lamone could not do this, saying: "Because full voter birth dates appear on completed voter registration applications, the Administrator may not bypass the Act by unilaterally revising the Application." In August 2019, Judge Hollander ruled in Judicial Watch’s favor in the same case, ordering the State of Maryland to produce voter list data for Montgomery County. Judicial Watch is the national leader in enforcing the National Voters Registration Act. (Judicial Watch link)

7:05 AM - Interview - Erik Kiilunen - organizer of Michigan Take Yourself to Work Day (May 21)

Kiilunen, a Michigan business man is leading the effort to make May 21 "Take Yourself to Work Day." He has billboards all over Michigan with the message "All Business is Essential."  

Businessman Calls for Peaceful Economic Disobedience in Response to Unconstitutional COVID-19 Lockdown. Ahmeek, MI—As reported by the Associated Press, Erik Kiilunen, business owner, entrepreneur, and founder of All Business is Essential, is calling for peaceful economic disobedience against un-constitutional executive orders which have deprived American citizens of their right to attend to their businesses, their livelihoods, and their jobs. Erik Kiilunen is “encouraging business owners of all sizes to engage in Economic Disobedience" by opening their place of business regardless of "executive orders as Michigan and the USA need commerce. Without it, the poverty created by their absence will cause far greater suffering than anything that COVID-19 will ever lead to now. I’ve opened my business as an example to others.” Over the course of a few days, Mr. Kiilunen's  GoFundMe page has already amassed tens of thousands in contributions from other Americans who support Mr. Kiilunen's message of economic freedom.   As his billboards start to spring up in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Howell, as well as across the country, Mr. Kiilunen asserts that this is only the beginning. In what is poised to be one of the most fundamentally American uprisings in US history, All Business is Essential is ready to take on anti-constitutional decrees . "All business is essential, and the government, and state governors, do not have the legal authority to pick and choose who has the right to work and feed their families, and who doesn’t....Ask a single mother running a hair salon and using the profits generated to care for her special needs child if her business is essential," says Mr. Kiilunen.

6:35 AM --  INTERVIEW - CAL THOMAS - Syndicated columnist and author of new book "America's Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers . . . and the Future of the United States"

CAL'S LATEST COLUMN: ‘Snake oil’ cures: Trump should not promote hydroxychloroquine 

The name calling between Trump and Pelosi. So unseemly. Win on issues and debate them not who is crazy and who is morbidly obese.

6:05 AM -- INTERVIEW - LIZ SHELD - Senior Editor, American Greatness -- discuss yesterday's "Karens" in the media and the "coronavirus Karens"

Mika Melts Down, Goes Full 'Karen': Brzezinski Demands Twitter Erase 'Sick, Disgusting' President Trump from Its Platform... 

Mika Brzezinski @morningmika: .@twitter need to know why trump is not banned? 9:16 AM - May 20, 2020

Mika Brzezinski @morningmika: I will be reaching out to head of twitter about their policies being violated every day by President Tump. Hope my call is taken. Please retweet if you agree 9:17 AM - May 20, 2020

Video: Mika being a Karen on Morning Joe:

https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1263238165650800640

CORONAVIRUS KARENS:

This woman outside of a grocery store is being called a Karen. She was freaking out in her car. Is she a Karen? 

https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1263208102951743488

A SUPER ANNOYING KAREN: This lady went out to video shame everyone who dared to have fun in the sun at the beach. Is she being a Karen? 

https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1262173200479379456

ABOUT KARENS: Karen is a slang term that is used to typify a person perceived to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is considered appropriate or necessary. One of the most common Karen stereotypes is that of a white middle-aged woman, typically American, who displays aggressive behavior when she is obstructed from getting her way; such women are often depicted as demanding to "speak to the manager" and sometimes have a variation of the bob cut. The origins of Karen as an Internet meme predominately date back to an anonymous Reddit user.  (Wikipedia link)

Mornings on the Mall 

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Hosts; Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Guests: Bill Dotson, Congressman Mike Kelly, Tom Homan, Newt Gingrich, Dr. Marc Siegel

 

5 AM HOUR

5-A -- UNVEILING OF OBAMA’S PORTRAIT DELAYED:

OBAMA SHUNS UNVEILING OF PORTRAIT. NBC NEWS: White House portrait ceremony may be the latest casualty of the political divide. The traditional White House portrait unveiling may be skipped for the first time in decades amid bad blood between Trump and Obama. WASHINGTON — It's been a White House tradition for decades: A first-term president hosts a ceremony in the East Room for the unveiling of the official portrait of his immediate predecessor that will hang in the halls of the White House for posterity. Republican presidents have done it for Democratic presidents, and vice versa — even when one of them ascended to the White House by defeating or sharply criticizing the other. "We may have our differences politically," President Barack Obama said when he hosted former President George W. Bush for his portrait unveiling in 2012, "but the presidency transcends those differences." Yet this modern ritual won't be taking place between Obama and President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. And if Trump wins a second term in November, it could be 2025 before Obama returns to the White House to see his portrait displayed among every U.S. president from George Washington to Bush. Trump is unconcerned about shunning yet another presidential custom, and he has attacked Obama to an extent no other president has done to a predecessor. Most recently he's made unfounded accusations that Obama committed an unspecified crime. Obama, for his part, has no interest in participating in the post-presidency rite of passage so long as Trump is in office, the people familiar with the matter said. It's too soon to know whether the absence of the uniquely harmonious occasion, when presidents set aside political differences, is just a reflection of a singular dynamic between two presidents whose differences have increasingly been aired in full view or whether it is symbolic of a broader, bitter political era. But it's nonetheless a telling snapshot of American politics in 2020. "You've got a president who's talking about putting the previous one in legal jeopardy, to put it nicely. We have not seen a situation like that in history," presidential historian Michael Beschloss said. "It takes antipathy of a new president for a predecessor to a new level." Katie Hill, a spokesperson for Obama, declined to comment. The White House also declined to comment. It's not often that two presidents are together in the White House; only five living men know what it's like to occupy it as chief executive. Official portrait unveilings are even rarer because the current first lady and her immediate predecessor also attend. A portrait of the former first lady is unveiled, as well. (NBC link)

Obama Will Reportedly Skip His White House Presidential Portrait Ceremony As Long As Trump Is In Office. NBC’s sources said that Obama will forgo the ceremony as long as Trump is in office and is willing to potentially wait until 2025 to have his and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s portraits revealed in the East Room. The Obamas began the customary consultation process for the portraits, different from those revealed in 2018 at the National Portrait Gallery, shortly after leaving office in 2017.

5-B/C -- MNUCHIN:  EMPLOYEES WHO TURN DOWN RETURNING TO THEIR JOBS LOSE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Mnuchin says employees who reject offer to return to work are ineligible for unemployment benefits, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned on Tuesday that individuals who reject an offer from their company to return to work after being laid off due to coronavirus are no longer considered eligible to receive federal unemployment benefits. Mnuchin said that companies receiving benefits under the Payroll Protection Program who are inviting employees who had been laid off or furloughed due to the coronavirus crisis to return to work should plan to notify state unemployment offices of their offers. If the employee, in turn, turns down the job, they would then be considered ineligible to receive expanded unemployment benefits. “If you offer a person a job..and that person does not take the job..then that person would not be allowed to get unemployment,” Mnuchin said Tuesday. Mnuchin’s comments come as Republican lawmakers have ramped up warnings that the recent boost in jobless benefits amid COVID-19 will “push unemployment higher,” as many individuals are able to collect more money through the unemployment programs than they made while on the job.

Trump announces executive order aiming to make hundreds of deregulations amid coronavirus permanent. President Trump announced an executive order Tuesday that aims to make hundreds of deregulations in the age of coronavirus permanent, something that would amount to a massive overhaul of regulatory policy. "We've done far more regulation cutting than any president in history," Trump said at a Cabinet meeting ahead of signing the order. Fox News is told the executive order tells regulatory agencies to look at more than 600 regulatory actions -- mostly deregulations, but also regulations and guidance -- taken during the coronavirus pandemic and tell the White House which ones should be made permanent. "We had cases where it would take 20 years to build a highway, you had to go through various agencies to get the same permit," the president said. "If a bureaucratic rule needs to be suspended during a time of crisis to help the American people, we should ask ourselves if it makes sense to keep at all," Acting Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought told Fox Business.

5-D -- U.S. Government Declassifies Susan Rice Email On Obama’s Oval Office Meeting Discussing Flynn. On Tuesday, the U.S. government declassified a suspicious email from Obama national security adviser Susan Rice dated on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration that memorialized a January 5 meeting that Rice and other top Obama officials had in the Oval Office about incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn. The email revealed that disgraced former FBI Director James Comey allegedly suggested to then-President Barack Obama that he should “potentially” not give “sensitive information related to Russia” to Flynn because of his communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Comey said that he had no indication that Flynn had passed any classified information to Kislyak but claimed that “the level of communication is unusual.” Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell declassified the document and sent it to the Department of Justice. Herridge was the first to report the declassified email. One thing in the email that stuck out to top lawmakers and journalists was Rice’s insistence that everything was done “by the book,” a phrase she mentioned three times in the short email. Sources say acting DNI Richard Grenell has declassified full text of the January 20, 2017 Susan Rice "email to self." Part of the email had been released, but part remained redacted. It has been sent to DOJ; let's hope Congress gets ahold and releases it soon. (Daily Wire) 

5-E -- Flynn attorney files emergency appeal to shut down Judge Sullivan's orders, boot him from case. Michael Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell on Tuesday filed an emergency writ of mandamus to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking the immediate removal of Judge Emmet Sullivan from the case -- and saying that under appellate precedent set by the "Fokker Services" case, Sullivan or his replacement must dismiss the prosecution, as the Justice Department has requested. Writs of mandamus are extraordinary remedies, which are appropriate when there has been a "usurpation of judicial power" that is "clear and indisputable" -- and, Powell argued, Sullivan's behavior fits the bill. Powell pointed in particular to Sullivan's bizarre suggestion in December 2018 that Flynn had "sold out his country" and could have been prosecuted for "treason," as well as Sullivan's misstatements on the facts of the case. Powell also demanded the appellate court vacate Sullivan's order appointing an "amicus curiae," or "friend of the court," to argue in favor of preserving Flynn's guilty plea on one count of making false statements to the FBI during an unusual January 24, 2017 White House interview. Oral arguments are set for July 16. The amicus appointed by Sullivan, retired federal judge John Gleeson, has openly criticized the Trump administration's handling of Flynn's case, raising concerns that he was selected to improperly bolster Sullivan's efforts to keep the Flynn case alive even though both the government and defendant want it dismissed. (In 2013, Gleeson himself held that “the government has near-absolute power under [the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure] to extinguish a case that it has brought" -- but he has since apparently changed his opinion.) Powell sought Sullivan's immediate removal, citing his incendiary comments from the bench in December 2018, a year after Flynn's guilty plea. "If the Court grants the principal relief Petitioner seeks, there may not be much by way of further proceedings in the case, but there could be. Petitioner, the Government, and the appearance of justice will best be served by having another judge—one who has not implied that [Flynn] is a traitor—conduct any further proceedings in the case," the writ says. (Fox News link) 

6 AM HOUR

6-A/B/C  --  TRUMP DEFENDS HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE AGAIN & MEDIA LOSES THEIR MIND OVER THE DRUG:

TRUMP DEFENDS HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE: President Trump continued to defend his decision to use hydroxychloroquine with zinc, despite numerous health experts saying "I think it's worthwhile as a line of defense, and I plan on staying on it for a little while longer.” Mr. Trump cited a study of veterans showing possible negative effects was an "enemy statement" and meant to embarrass him.

TRUMP RIPS THE WIDELY CITED VET STUDY ON HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE': Donald Trump says veterans study that showed hydroxy could kill was 'false' because it was given to 'extremely sick people' who were 'READY TO DIE' and dismisses FDA warning not to take it outside of hospitals (Daily Mail link)

VA SECRETARY ROBERT WILKIE DEFENDED THE DRUG AT CABINET MEETING AND DEBUNKED VA STUDY: At cabinet meeting, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie follows Trump's comments and gave an important FACT CHECK on hydroxychloroquine about the frequently cited VA study... he defends VA using the drug regularly

THE VIEW FREAKS OUT ON CONGRESSMAN WHO ADMITS HE TOOK HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WHILE HAVING CORONAVIRUS: Joy Behar freaks out when Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) reveals he took hydroxychloroquine when he had COVID-19: "Wow. I can’t believe anybody with a brain would take that stuff, but you seem like an intelligent guy... Why would you take that drug? There are terrible consequences."

DAY 2 OF ATTACKS: CAVUTO DOUBLES DOWN ON ATTACKS ON HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE: 'It did no good and in some extreme cases killed them': Fox News host Neil Cavuto renews attack on Donald Trump for recommending hydroxychloroquine by citing studies that show it can be dangerous.

6-D -- 6:35 AM - INTERVIEW - BILL DOTSON - a Charles County business owner of Modern Door and previously ran for state Senate in 2018 -- previewed Wednesday's ReOpen Charles County rally and discussed why residents in Charles County are outraged with politicians for delaying the reopening of the county. Dotson explained why there is anger in the community and why they feel the commissioners made the wrong decision.

Charles County says it is postponing its phased reopening until May 29. The county board of commissioners cited concerns about climbing infection rates in neighboring Prince George’s County and a lack of personal protective equipment among businesses that would reopen.

ABOUT RALLY: Rally to Reopen Charles County to commence in La Plata: Reopen Charles County, a 1300+ member group will hold its second peaceful demonstration to urge the County Board of Commissioners to commence Phase 1 Recovery efforts in the community. On Wednesday, May 20, at 6:00 pm, supporters will gather at 6485 Crain Highway, La Plata to hear testimony from business owners and community members who are being negatively impacted by the extended and unnecessary Stay-at-Home Order. On May 14, the Board of Commissioners for Charles County voted to extend the most restrictive aspects of Governor Hogan’s emergency orders in the face of overwhelming testimony from the health and legal experts asserting immediate readiness to enter recovery. While the Commissioners who voted to extend the order thought they were assuaging the fears of some residents concerned about the Coronarvirus, they underestimated the number of residents who have a dire necessity to get back to a level of personal and professional normalcy. This event will be the second organized public demonstration since the Board of Commissioner's vote on May 14. The group has also organized a coordinated email and social media campaign, posting a series under the hashtag #FactsNotFear. Reopen Charles County invites those who are weary of the extended lockdown to express their displeasure in a constructive way by joining the rally on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:00 pm in La Plata. For more information, please go to reopencharlescounty.com or email [email protected] / https://www.facebook.com/reopencharlescounty/

Two SoMD counties plan to open, while one waits - The Southern Maryland Chronicle. At a May 13, 2020 press conference, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that effective May 15, 2020, at 5 p.m. EST the 47 day-old Stay at Home Order would expire, and Maryland would move to a “Safer at Home” Health Advisory. Calvert County says it is following Hogan’s guidance for Phase One of the reopening. Separately, it extended its local state of emergency an additional 30 days, meaning government buildings are closed to the public. St. Mary’s County Public Information Officer ALisa Casas sent out a notice that St. Mary’s County was following the Governor’s plan of reopening with no restrictions other than what was laid out in the Amended Executive Order. BUT: The Charles County Board of County Commissioners(ChBOCC) met Thursday afternoon to vote on how they would proceed. In a 3-2 vote(Collins, Stewart & Coates vs Bowling & Rucci), voted to not proceed with the Governor’s reopening plan, instead waiting two weeks (May 29, 2020) to begin the Phase One reopening. “I am committed to a regional approach to reopening our economy;” stated Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins, II, Esq. “Our community’s response has been excellent so far and I want to continue that trend by asking our residents and businesses to continue following the Stay-at-Home order while preparing for the next phase of our recovery. Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all residents remains my highest priority.” (Southern Maryland Chronicle)

6-E -- NEW JANE ROE DOCUMENTARY:

Norma “Jane Roe” McCorvey’s Deathbed Confession: Evangelicals Paid Me To Say I Was Pro-Life. It’s shocking to read her admission but pro-choicers will be, and should be, angrier than pro-lifers. She worked against their cause for 20 years. In the end, her effort to undo that work consisted of one brief recorded interview. How many people who were touched by Jane Roe’s journey from legalized-abortion advocate to pro-life Christian will even see this clip?  “I was the big fish. I think it was a mutual thing. I took their money and they’d put me out in front of the cameras and tell me what to say. That’s what I’d say,” she says in “AKA Jane Roe,” which premieres Friday on FX. “It was all an act. I did it well too. I am a good actress.” In what she describes as a “deathbed confession,” a visibly ailing McCorvey restates her support for reproductive rights in colorful terms: “If a young woman wants to have an abortion, that’s no skin off my ass. That’s why they call it choice.”… The documentary includes scenes of McCorvey on election night 2016 — a few months before she died of heart failure at age 69 — expressing her support for Hillary Clinton. “I wish I knew how many abortions Donald Trump was responsible for,” McCorvey muses. “I’m sure he’s lost count, if he can count that high.” She passed away in 2017. The footage comes from an interview she did a few months before her death for a documentary that’s being released this week. [...] The Daily Beast notes that other interviews in the documentary suggest that McCorvey really did break off her relationship with her longtime girlfriend after she became an evangelical in the mid-90s, leading her girlfriend to feel “confused and hurt.” Maybe McCorvey really did become a pro-life Christian and then, at some point between the mid-90s and her death, soured on it for whatever reason and drifted back towards pro-choicers. Claiming in her deathbed interview that she had been acting the whole time would have been an efficient way at getting back at whoever on the right had wronged her.

6-F -- WOMEN ARE WEARING FAUCI-CUOMO-NEWSOM PANTIES:

Coronavirus Task Force Member Dr. Anthony Fauci is known for medical expertise but now he’s going to be known as a fashion symbol. Los Angeles-based clothier Canava.co is offering a special edition “Zuma Bikini-Fauci” for women ($22/pair). The same style is available with California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. For every dollar spent on the styles, the company will match with a donation to health care workers in New York or California.

LA clothing brand putting Fauci, Cuomo and Newsom's names on underwear. The designers behind an L.A.-based clothing retailer are celebrating some of the people who “impressed” them during the coronavirus pandemic — by placing their names front-and-center on some underwear. Canava, which describes itself as a “profit-for-purpose brand,” has released a line of limited-edition underpants featuring the names of Governors Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) and Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), as well as leading immunologist and doughnut legend Dr. Anthony Fauci, the latter of whom is currently on the president’s coronavirus task force. “We are living in unlikely times, and we heard you loud and clear that you wanted to show their ‘appreciation’ with more than a thank you,” wrote Canava in its product description for Fauci bikini briefs.  The brand is also advertising Cuomo-emblazoned lower-cut undies (described as being perfect for anyone “thirsty” for the New York governor) as well as Newsom hipster briefs (for those “loving on” the California governor). In addition to showing off their affections for Fauci, Cuomo and Newsom, customers who purchase the limited-edition underwear — as well as any items from its “NYC Love” line — will also be supporting Canava’s efforts to donate to health care workers in New York and California.

7 AM HOUR

7-A - 7:05 AM - INTERVIEW - CONGRESSMAN MIKE KELLY - (R-PA) - serving as representative for Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district - discussed his coronavirus recovery and how hydroxychloroquine saved his life... and he can weigh in on his state's draconian lockdown

Joy Behar freaks out when Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) reveals he took hydroxychloroquine when he had COVID-19: "Wow. I can’t believe anybody with a brain would take that stuff, but you seem like an intelligent guy... Why would you take that drug? There are terrible consequences."

7-B/C -- BIDEN NEWS: 

BIDEN LEADING TRUMP +12 IN VA: A Roanoke College Poll released Tuesday shows the former vice president and Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee with a 51-39 percent lead over the GOP incumbent in the White House.

WHITMER CONFIRMS VP TALKS WITH BIDEN': Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in an interview with NBC’s “3rd Hour of Today” on Tuesday that she has had a “opening conversation” with Biden about her potential as his running mate.

7-D -- 7:35 AM -- INTERVIEW - TOM HOMAN -  Former ICE Director and author of new book "Defend the Border and Save Lives: Solving Our Most Important Humanitarian and Security Crisis"

 

Homan spoke at the Prince William immigration rally on Tuesday

Prince William's board of supervisors voted on appointments for 3 citizen members to the regional jail board at yesterday's meeting. The jail board has the sole authority over the county's 287g contract with ICE. One appointment included anti-ICE Del. Elizabeth Guzman

Prince William County, VA had locked constituents out of the building. Citizens’ comments were online-only. No faith that they are actually listening to the constituents and will steamroll stacking the Jail board w/ nepotism. https://twitter.com/8_Bit_Bobby/status/1262804958040203264

 

Newly appointed Prince William jail board member vowed to abolish 287(g) immigration program. (Potomac Local) Virginia Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D-31, Dale City, Fauquier) has a new seat on the Prince William County Jail Board. Guzman opposes the county’s 287(g) program and has vowed to have it abolished. As the jail board oversees the program, now she may have her chance. The program checks the legal presence of those who have been arrested and charged with a crime after they are brought to the county jail in Manassas. If the inmate is found to be in the U.S. illegally, they are transferred into the custody of federal immigration and customs officials (ICE). Guzman told the Prince William Times in 2017, when she was seeking her first term as a Richmond legislator, Prince William police stopped her while she was driving her car “at least once every two weeks because I was living in a neighborhood the police officers probably did not think I could afford,” Guzman said. “And it didn’t happen only to me. It happened to other minorities then, people from the Middle East, Muslims … anybody who didn’t look white.” Now with more than 465,000 residents, Prince William is the second-largest jurisdiction in Virginia, and more than half of the county’s population is either African American, Hispanic, Asian or some other racial/ethnic background, which is substantially higher compared to the state of Virginia and U.S., according to the county’s economic development office. Guzman went onto say in the 2017 interview that programs like 287(g) are unnecessary because jails in Virginia already check immigration status. However, Prince William County Sheriff Glendell Hill told Potomac Local News in an interview this week that he wouldn’t be able to check the immigration status of inmates without a working agreement with ICE.

7-E -- TRUMP & NORTHAM EXCHANGE BARBS: TRUMP SLAMS VA, NORTHAM CLAPS BACK ON TWITTER

8 AM HOUR

8-A -- 8:05 AM - INTERVIEW - NEWT GINGRICH – Former Speaker of the House, host of “Newt’s World” podcast and author of book “Trump Vs. China: Facing America’s Greatest Threat”

TOPICS: News of the day / reopening America / China

newtgingrich @newtgingrich: Governor Cuomo has made a lot of questionable decisions in combating the virus. The media should be investigating him rather than praising him. 

More than 100 million people in China face new lockdown as second wave of COVID-19 cases emerge. Nearly 108 million people in China's Jilin province could be forced back into lockdown after a growing group of new coronavirus infections triggered a backslide in the nation's push to return to normal

Trump Snaps On ‘Waste Of Time’ Pelosi Over Obesity Remark, Claims She Has ‘Mental Problems’ President Donald Trump told The Daily Caller’s Henry Rodgers that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a “waste of time,” and told other reporters that she is a “sick woman” Tuesday. “President Trump, last night Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called you morbidly obese. I just wanted to know what you had to say in response to that?” The Caller’s Henry Rodgers asked. “Oh, I don’t respond to her, I think she’s a waste of time,” the president responded.

8-B/C -- Biden's virtual campaign speech repeatedly interrupted by geese. 

8-D -- 8:35 AM - INTERVIEW - DR. MARC SIEGEL  - Professor of Medicine at NYU and  Fox News medical correspondent @DrMarcSiegel doctorsiegel.com - reacted to the uproar over President Trump taking hydroxychloroquine... the drug also saved a family member's life

8-E --  TX SALON OWNER WENT TO MICHIGAN ON MONDAY TO HELP A BARBER REBELLING AGAINST WHITMER’S LOCKDOWN 

Dallas salon owner who was jailed over coronavirus rules travels to Michigan to support defiant barber. A Texas salon owner who was sent to jail for opening her business during the coronavirus outbreak called Michigan's governor a "tyrant" on Monday as she stood next to a barber whose license was suspended for cutting hair.  "Gretchen, the state of Michigan will vote you out," Shelley Luther declared, referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Luther traveled to Owosso, a small Michigan town, to express support for Karl Manke. The 77-year-old barber reopened his shop for more than a week before state regulators suspended his license. Luther, the owner of Salon a la Mode in Dallas, was sentenced to a week in jail for flouting public health orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus. She was released less than 48 hours later when Gov. Greg Abbott dropped jail as a possible punishment for violations.

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-5-20

[00:00:00] 4:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[01:00:16] 5:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:26] 6:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:36] 7:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[04:00:46] 8:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

8:35 AM - INTERVIEW - DR. MARC SIEGEL  - Professor of Medicine at NYU and  Fox News medical correspondent @DrMarcSiegel doctorsiegel.com - reacted to the uproar over President Trump taking hydroxychloroquine... the drug also saved a family member's life