The Vince Coglianese Show

INTERVIEW - Sean and Maria Elgut - co-founders of Veritas Collegiate Academy – discussed why it's important to raise your child in a faith-based environment, and particularly why it's more important than ever for children to have the foundation of a classical Christian education in today's world.

ABOUT VERITAS: Veritas Collegiate Academy (VCA), formerly Veritas Christian Academy, is a classical Christian school, whose philosophy of education is adapted from Dorothy Sayer’s The Lost Tools of Learning and Douglas Wilson’s The Case for Classical Christian Education. Veritas has a rigorous academic program that is based upon the wisdom of Scripture and is founded in the Trivium, consisting of grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. Veritas seeks to provide a well-rounded education through a biblical worldview. We maintain high academic standards while holding biblical faith at the center of the educational process. The rigorous academics are easily overcome by nurturing and encouraging children to reach higher.  We are continually amazed at how our students meet lofty goals and thrive. http://www.veritasca.com/

INTERVIEW - Father Paul Scalia with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Pastor of Saint James Catholic Church in Falls Church, VA, and author of "Sermons in Times of Crisis: Twelve Homilies to Stir Your Soul" – reflected on faith in modern society and the meaning of Christmas.

His latest book: Sermons in Times of Crisis: Twelve Homilies to Stir Your Soul: https://www.amazon.com/Sermons-Times-Crisis-Twelve-Homilies/dp/1505108780

https://www.stjamescatholic.org/

https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/

INTERVIEW - DR. TOM JONES - veteran NASA astronaut and author of book, “Ask the Astronaut” @TomJones_astro 

AstronautTomJones.com

Christmas Eve is the 51st anniversary of Apollo 8 reading of Genesis: About seven months before man first walked on the moon, man first orbited the moon. “Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders took mankind for the first time outside the bonds of Earth yesterday and sped away, on one of history’s greatest days, toward the moon,” read the front-page story in The Patriot. NASA’s first flight to the moon, Apollo 8, launched from Cape Kennedy, Fla. On board were Commander Frank Borman, Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders and Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell Jr. During a telecast on Christmas Eve, the crew read verses from the first chapter of Genesis and wished viewers, ‘Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth.’ All telecasts were of excellent quality. Voice communications also were exceptionally good throughout the mission,” according to NASA.gov. Apollo 8 returned on Dec. 27 with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The recovery ship was the USS Yorktown. The crew of Apollo 8 were named Time Magazine’s “Men of the Year” in 1968.

This year was an important anniversary of Apollo 11: Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin formed the American crew that landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours and 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56 UTC; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later. They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and they collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth. Command module pilot Michael Collins flew the Command Module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon's surface. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the lunar surface at a site they named Tranquility Base before lifting off to rejoin Columbia in lunar orbit. Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience. He described the event as "one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."  Apollo 11 effectively ended the Space Race and fulfilled a national goal proposed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy: "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

Air Force officials on Friday announced that Space Force is officially the 6th military branch. President Trump signed the Space Force into law Friday. Over the next 18 months, officials said, the finer details of Manning and training the new branch will be hammered out and set in motion. Air Force officials on Friday told reporters that people are clamoring for information on how to join the military’s latest branch. The short answer is, they’re going to have to wait a while. President Trump officially signed the Space Force into law Friday, but for now, all that means is everyone at Air Force Space Command will now be assigned to Space Force. Over the next 18 months, officials said, the finer details of manning and training the new branch will be hammered out and set in motion.

INTERVIEW - GORDON CHANG - author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World" and the new book "Losing South Korea" @GordonGChang

US on high alert for possible ‘Christmas gift’ missile from North Korea. U.S. officials are on high alert for signs of a possible missile launch from North Korea in the coming days that officials have referred to as a “Christmas gift.” A significant launch or nuclear test would raise the end of North Korea's self-imposed moratorium on missile launches and tests. It would also be a major blow to one of President Trump’s major foreign policy goals to get North Korea back to the negotiating table to eliminate its nuclear weapons. Amid the heightened tension, John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser, in an interview with Axios, criticized his old boss over the administration's misguided "rhetorical policy" toward North Korea along with its failure to exert "maximum pressure" during the high-stakes nuclear talks. https://www.amazon.com/Losing-South-Korea-Encounter-Broadsides-ebook/dp/B07MXPNQWB

INTERVIEW - Kathryn Jean Lopez is an editor-at-large of National Review and author of the new book "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living" and she reflected on the meaning of Christmas and faith in today’s world

ABOUT HER BOOK: "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living": There’s so much noise. Everything can seem like a distraction. Distraction, in fact, seems our oxygen. When was the last time you saw people talking on an elevator? We seem to plug in everywhere. We have earphones and screens and don’t evenlook up, never mind find time for silence. Our hearts need quiet. How are we ever going to pray otherwise? How could we ever possibly know God’s love and will, and the truth about ourselves and the world without resting in Him? Resting in Him. What does that even mean? In A Year with the Mystics, popular National Review journalist and commentator Kathryn Jean Lopez, who writes and speaks frequently about faith and public life, and prayer and the Church, offers readers a tour of the magnificent variety of mystical writing in the heart of the Church. Featuring reflections from both household and contemporary names like Saint John Paul II, Mother Teresa and Edith Stein, as well as titanic historic figures such as St. Catherine of Siena and John of the Cross. The words of these holy men and women of prayer are presented in accessible doses ideal for daily prayer amidst the seemingly all-consuming busy-ness of life. Each page is an invitation to enter more deeply into the life of faith. What does the road to union with God look like? https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07TLGB3LD/ref=nosim/nationalreviewon

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, December 24, 2019 (Christmas Eve!)

Hosts: Mary Walter and Hans Von Spakovsky

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Kathryn Jean Lopez, Gordon Chang, Astronaut Tom Jones, Fr. Paul Scalia, and Sean & Maria Elgut joined WMAL on Tuesday!

 

5am – A/B/C‘Almost All In Good Fun’: Rand Paul Takes ‘Festivus’ Potshots At Rudy Giuliani And John Bolton. (Daily Caller) - Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul kicked off Christmas Eve Eve — known to “Seinfeld” fans as “Festivus” — with his annual airing of grievances. “Good morning and Happy Festivus! Today there will be many, many grievances aired, almost all in good fun,” Paul tweeted by way of introduction. Paul began with a slap at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the recent impeachment articles that were passed by House Democrats against President Donald Trump.

He quickly pivoted to the president’s personal attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “You do have to wonder how he was the best the President could think of for a lawyer – ‘hey, get me that guy who spills his guts on CNN and butt dials everyone in Washington. He can keep a secret!'” Paul cracked. Paul then turned his attention to former National Security Adviser John Bolton, adding, “I’m talking about John Bolton. Not all the other hawks the President hired, didn’t listen to, got mad at and fired. Neocon Apprentice really wasn’t very well thought out…” Paul paused his airing of grievances briefly to give the president credit for “pretty good” instincts when it came to foreign policy — but followed with a quick golf-themed jab at his generosity toward his own possible flaws.

 

5am – D         House Dems Float Possibly Impeaching Trump Once More Over McGahn Testimony. (Daily Caller) - House Democrats are open to impeaching President Donald Trump a second time if White House counsel Donald McGahn’s potential testimony reveals the president committed other offenses. A second impeachment could be necessary if House Democrats see evidence that Trump attempted to obstruct investigations, House counsel Douglas Letter noted in a filing in federal court Monday. Letter was referring Democrats’ pressure for the White House to produce McGahn to testify. “If McGahn’s testimony produces new evidence supporting the conclusion that President Trump committed impeachable offenses that are not covered by the Articles approved by the House, the [House Judiciary] Committee will proceed accordingly — including, if necessary, by considering whether to recommend new articles of impeachment,” Letter wrote. It’s the first such filing since the House voted Wednesday along partisan lines to impeach Trump. More than 228 Democrats voiced support for impeachment or an impeachment inquiry even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initially pushed back against such attempts. Pelosi often argued that she believed Trump goaded Democrats into impeachment because he believes it will fire up his base. Justice Department lawyers acknowledged in a brief Monday that the decision to impeach does on two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — does not render moot another fight to have McGahn testify, Politico reported Monday.

 

5am – E         US on high alert for possible ‘Christmas gift’ missile from North Korea. (Fox News) -- U.S. officials are on high alert for signs of a possible missile launch from North Korea in the coming days that officials have referred to as a “Christmas gift.” A significant launch or nuclear test would raise the end of North Korea's self-imposed moratorium on missile launches and tests. It would also be a major blow to one of President Trump’s major foreign policy goals to get North Korea back to the negotiating table to eliminate its nuclear weapons. Amid the heightened tension, John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser, in an interview with Axios, criticized his old boss over the administration's misguided "rhetorical policy" toward North Korea along with its failure to exert "maximum pressure" during the high-stakes nuclear talks. Earlier this month, the North conducted what U.S. officials say was an engine test. Experts believe it may have involved an engine for a long-range missile. It warned of a possible "Christmas gift," saying the Trump administration was running out of time on nuclear negotiations.

 

6am – A/B/C Pentagon tells military personnel not to use at-home DNA kits

The Pentagon said that potential inaccuracies in at-home DNA kits pose more risk to military members than regular consumers. (NBC News) -- Senior Pentagon officials have told members of the Armed Forces to skip what may seem like the perfect holiday gift — an at-home DNA test. In a Dec. 20 memo obtained by NBC News, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Joseph Kernan and James Stewart, acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, said that DNA testing companies were targeting military members with discounts and other undisclosed incentives. “Tests that provide health information have varying levels of validity, and many are not reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration before they are offered,” the memo said. The tests might be sold without independent confirmation of their claims, the officials said — a fact that poses more risk to military members than regular consumers. Inaccuracies could negatively affect the required disclosure of those members' medical information, the memo said. “Moreover, there is increased concern in the scientific community that outside parties are exploiting the use of genetic materials for questionable purposes, including mass surveillance and the ability to track individuals without their authorization or awareness,” the memo said. The officials told military personnel to refrain from using the kits until otherwise notified. One DNA testing company, 23 and Me, told NBC News in a statement that it takes the “utmost efforts” to protect consumer privacy and ensures highly accurate results that have been authorized by government regulators. The company added that it doesn’t share information with third parties without an explicit consent form.

 

6am – D         INTERVIEW - Kathryn Jean Lopez is an editor-at-large of National Review and author of the new book "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living" – reflected on the meaning of Christmas and faith in today’s world

ABOUT HER BOOK: "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living": There’s so much noise. Everything can seem like a distraction. Distraction, in fact, seems our oxygen. When was the last time you saw people talking on an elevator? We seem to plug in everywhere. We have earphones and screens and don’t evenlook up, never mind find time for silence. Our hearts need quiet. How are we ever going to pray otherwise? How could we ever possibly know God’s love and will, and the truth about ourselves and the world without resting in Him? Resting in Him. What does that even mean? In A Year with the Mystics, popular National Review journalist and commentator Kathryn Jean Lopez, who writes and speaks frequently about faith and public life, and prayer and the Church, offers readers a tour of the magnificent variety of mystical writing in the heart of the Church. Featuring reflections from both household and contemporary names like Saint John Paul II, Mother Teresa and Edith Stein, as well as titanic historic figures such as St. Catherine of Siena and John of the Cross. The words of these holy men and women of prayer are presented in accessible doses ideal for daily prayer amidst the seemingly all-consuming busy-ness of life. Each page is an invitation to enter more deeply into the life of faith. What does the road to union with God look like?

 

6am – E         Fifty one years ago on Christmas Eve, three Apollo 8 astronauts read from the Book of Genesis on live TV as they orbited the moon.

 

6am – F         Obama talks up Warren behind closed doors to wealthy donors. (The Hill) - Sen. Elizabeth Warren has spent her presidential campaign railing against the donor class, making it known she doesn't want their help.  She has publicly bashed millionaires, has sworn off high-dollar fundraisers and has refused large checks from Democratic bundlers.  But behind the scenes in recent months, former President Obama has gone to bat for Warren (D-Mass.) when speaking to donors reluctant to support her given her knocks on Wall Street and the wealthy. And if Warren becomes the nominee, Obama has said they must throw the entirety of their support behind her.  The former president has stopped short of an endorsement of Warren in these conversations and has emphasized that he is not endorsing in the Democratic primary race.  But he also has vouched for her credentials, making it clear in these private sessions that he deems her a capable candidate and potential president, sources say. “He’s asked all of the candidates who have sought his advice three questions: Is your family behind you? Why you? And why now? She checked the box for all,” said one longtime Obama ally. “I think he feels licensed to give an opinion on her because he’s ‘hired' her,” the longtime Obama ally said.

 

7am – A         INTERVIEW - GORDON CHANG - author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World" and the new book "Losing South Korea" @GordonGChang

US on high alert for possible ‘Christmas gift’ missile from North Korea. U.S. officials are on high alert for signs of a possible missile launch from North Korea in the coming days that officials have referred to as a “Christmas gift.” A significant launch or nuclear test would raise the end of North Korea's self-imposed moratorium on missile launches and tests. It would also be a major blow to one of President Trump’s major foreign policy goals to get North Korea back to the negotiating table to eliminate its nuclear weapons. Amid the heightened tension, John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser, in an interview with Axios, criticized his old boss over the administration's misguided "rhetorical policy" toward North Korea along with its failure to exert "maximum pressure" during the high-stakes nuclear talks.

 

7am – B/C     Brian Stelter: Trump impeachment polling steady because of 'Fox News, talk radio firewall' (Washington Examiner) -- CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter claimed Fox News is behind why more Americans do not support removing President Trump from office. "There’s been barely any movement throughout the hearings and the debates on the floor of the House and then to the vote. People are exactly where they were: basically a 50/50 country," Stelter said Sunday on CNN. "So, when you hear hype about movement and individual polls or when you hear Trump claim that he’s suddenly gaining tons of support, just remember that it’s a flat line," he continued. "One of the many reasons why is because the Fox News, talk radio firewall is holding incredibly strong." Stelter, 34, went on to show headlines from Fox News and claim the president could not write more positive headlines himself. "There's no way to tweet yourself out of impeachment," he added.

 

7am – D         INTERVIEW - DR. TOM JONES - veteran NASA astronaut and author of book, “Ask the Astronaut” @TomJones_astro

Christmas Eve is the 51st anniversary of Apollo 8 reading of Genesis: About seven months before man first walked on the moon, man first orbited the moon. “Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders took mankind for the first time outside the bonds of Earth yesterday and sped away, on one of history’s greatest days, toward the moon,” read the front-page story in The Patriot. NASA’s first flight to the moon, Apollo 8, launched from Cape Kennedy, Fla. On board were Commander Frank Borman, Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders and Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell Jr. During a telecast on Christmas Eve, the crew read verses from the first chapter of Genesis and wished viewers, ‘Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth.’ All telecasts were of excellent quality. Voice communications also were exceptionally good throughout the mission,” according to NASA.gov. Apollo 8 returned on Dec. 27 with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The recovery ship was the USS Yorktown. The crew of Apollo 8 were named Time Magazine’s “Men of the Year” in 1968.

This year was an important anniversary of Apollo 11: Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin formed the American crew that landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours and 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56 UTC; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later. They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and they collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth. Command module pilot Michael Collins flew the Command Module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon's surface. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the lunar surface at a site they named Tranquility Base before lifting off to rejoin Columbia in lunar orbit. Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience. He described the event as "one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."  Apollo 11 effectively ended the Space Race and fulfilled a national goal proposed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy: "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

Air Force officials on Friday announced that Space Force is officially the 6th military branch. President Trump signed the Space Force into law Friday. Over the next 18 months, officials said, the finer details of Manning and training the new branch will be hammered out and set in motion. Air Force officials on Friday told reporters that people are clamoring for information on how to join the military’s latest branch. The short answer is, they’re going to have to wait a while. President Trump officially signed the Space Force into law Friday, but for now, all that means is everyone at Air Force Space Command will now be assigned to Space Force. Over the next 18 months, officials said, the finer details of manning and training the new branch will be hammered out and set in motion.

 

7am – E         WORST CHRISTMAS SONGS?

SATIRE PIECE: “Songwriting Was My Only Grief Outlet After We Lost Grandma in That Reindeer Accident” BY SHEA STRAUSS | DECEMBER 23, 2019 / (TheHardTimes) You may say there’s no such thing as Santa, but me and my Grandpa, we believe. We know all to well that jolly old son of a b*tch is out there and if you get in his way for just one second, God help you. As an artist, I use my music as an outlet to process and express my emotions during the darkest times in my life. When my grandmother was tragically taken from us, I turned to song to express my grief when she was brutally stampeded by that God damn reindeer… Now every year on Christmas, my family gathers around the piano and we all sing along to Grandma’s song. Nowadays I’m singing it with grandchildren of my own. Although they’ll never have the pleasure of knowing her, their great grandmother’s memory lives on through the tune. I can only hope that when I pass away, one of my grandchildren will write a novelty holiday song about my horrific, untimely death as well.”

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW - Father Paul Scalia - with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Pastor of Saint James Catholic Church in Falls Church, VA, and author of "Sermons in Times of Crisis: Twelve Homilies to Stir Your Soul" – reflected on faith in modern society and the meaning of Christmas.

 

8am – B/C     Saturday Shopping Sets U.S. One-Day Sales Record. (Bloomberg) - Holiday shopping set records over the weekend, with Super Saturday sales reaching $34.4 billion, the biggest single day in U.S. retail history, according to Customer Growth Partners. “Paced by the ‘Big Four’ mega-retailers -- Walmart, Amazon, Costco and Target -- Super Saturday was boosted by the best traffic our team has seen in years,” said Craig Johnson, president of the retail research firm. Job growth and fatter wallets, along with stronger household finances, have put consumers in a buying mood this season, Johnson said. And more of them are shopping online. As retailers offer improved web platforms, online spending so far this season has accounted for 58% of sales growth from a year earlier, he said. Super Saturday’s results topped Black Friday’s $31.2 billion in sales by 10%. The next biggest shopping days were Dec. 14, with $28.1 billion, and Cyber Monday, with $19.1 billion.

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - Sean and Maria Elgut - co-founders of Veritas Collegiate Academy – discussed why it's important to raise your child in a faith-based environment, and particularly why it's more important than ever for children to have the foundation of a classical Christian education in today's world.

ABOUT VERITAS: Veritas Collegiate Academy (VCA), formerly Veritas Christian Academy, is a classical Christian school, whose philosophy of education is adapted from Dorothy Sayer’s The Lost Tools of Learning and Douglas Wilson’s The Case for Classical Christian Education. Veritas has a rigorous academic program that is based upon the wisdom of Scripture and is founded in the Trivium, consisting of grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. Veritas seeks to provide a well-rounded education through a biblical worldview. We maintain high academic standards while holding biblical faith at the center of the educational process. The rigorous academics are easily overcome by nurturing and encouraging children to reach higher.  We are continually amazed at how our students meet lofty goals and thrive. http://www.veritasca.com/

8am – E         Discussed Christmas traditions

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2019-12-24

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Mornings on the Mall

Monday, December 23, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Hans Von Spakovsky

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Legal analyst Joe diGenova, WMAL’s Redskins Analyst Trevor Matich, VA Del. Todd Gilbert and Hans Von Spakovsky joined WMAL on Monday!

 

5am – A/B/CFISA:

FISA court judge demands info about FBI lawyer linked to Carter Page warrant. (Fox News) - The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s presiding judge has sent another directive to the Justice Department, ordering officials to identify previous surveillance requests from an FBI lawyer linked to the 2016 warrant from former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. In an order unsealed Friday, Judge Rosemary Collyer asked the Justice Department to identify steps to ensure the accuracy of those filings and whether the unnamed DOJ lawyer was ever disciplined. DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz recently identified in a scathing public report numerous mistakes and omissions in the warrant used against Page that launched the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Adam Schiff: ‘It’s Hard To Be Sympathetic’ Toward Carter Page After FBI Smeared Him. (Daily Wire) - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) made a series of false statements on Friday about the inspector general’s (IG) report on the FBI’s misconduct in surveilling the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, and even went as far as to say that it was hard to feel any sympathy toward a Trump campaign adviser who was smeared by the FBI. The California Democrat made the remarks on PBS’s “Firing Line With Margaret Hoover,” a show that normally asks notable figures tough questions, but did not press Schiff hard on a variety of issues over which he has been repeatedly criticized.

Lindsey Graham Promises to Call in EVERY PERSON Who Signed Bogus Carter Page FISA Warrants …Comey, McCabe, Yates, Rosenstein… Senator Lindsey Graham, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures. Graham promised Maria Bartiromo he will call in EVERY PERSON who signed the bogus Carter Page FISA Warrants. The list includes: James Comey — Then-FBI Director James Comey signed the first three FISA applications on behalf of the FBI… Andrew MCabe — Then-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe signed the fourth one… Sally Yates — Then-DAG Sally Yates… Dana Boente — then Acting DAG Dana Boente and Rod Rosenstein — DAG Rod Rosenstein signed one or more FISA applications on behalf of the DOJ, according to the FISA memo

 

5am – D/E     IMPEACHMENT:

The White House is projecting confidence that it will prevail in a constitutional spat with Democrats over the nature of the Senate's impeachment trial, which threatens to deprive President Trump of the swift acquittal he seeks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has delayed sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate until Republicans provide details on witnesses and testimony in hopes of shaping the upcoming trial. Democratic and Republican leaders in the chamber remain at an impasse over the question of whether witnesses will be called.

 

6am – A/B/C Millennials want to ban Secret Santa. (FOXBusiness) - When Secret Santa offers Millennial office workers a present with one hand, they feel like he's rifling through their wallets with the other. Many say they feel triggered by their workplaces honoring the tradition, in which groups of people draw names to buy Christmas presents for each other, according to research from the British job-hunting board Jobsite. Frustrated by pressure to shell out cash for presents they can't afford, and sometimes having to dip into their savings to cover them, they'd like to see the practice banned. “Celebrating special events for our colleagues is great for morale in the workplace. However, there can be unfortunate unintended consequences," said Dr. Ashley Weinberg, an expert in workplace psychology at the University of Salford in the UK. "The spirit of giving – especially at a seasonal time of exchanging gifts via ‘Secret Santa’ – is something we’d hope can be expressed in many ways, and it’s worth remembering that where this involves financial contributions, not all colleagues have the same disposable income."

Seventy-three percent of office workers from 23 to 28 years old have regularly have spent above their means when contributing to an office celebration, according to the report. Twenty-six percent of those younger workers have dipped into their savings or used overdrafts in order to "chip in."

Part of the reason they do so is that not giving enough or not contributing at all can prompt co-workers to unfairly label them as "stingy," which can cause lasting damage, according to Weinberg. In fact, 17 percent of survey participants say they have been accused of being "stingy" with gifts, leaving them ashamed.

Twenty-two percent of employees between the ages of 23 and 38 reported anger toward the organizer for not considering varying financial situations; some said they have been "called out" about the size of their contributions.

 

6am – D         US service academies say hand gestures at Army-Navy game were a game and not racist. (CNN)The US Naval Academy and US Military Academy at West Point said Friday that the hand gesture some cadets and midshipmen were seen making on camera was part of a game known as the "circle game" and not a white supremacist symbol. The circle game is commonly played when a person forms an "OK" with their hand below their waist to trick a second person into looking at it. If the second person is caught looking at the hand gesture, that person is then punched by the person who made the gesture. The academies were investigating to see if the cadets and midshipmen were making a sign that can be associated with white nationalism, which is someone forming the "OK" sign with their fingers and thumb to symbolize the letters "WP" -- which stands for white power. The academies launched internal investigations on Sunday after cadets and midshipmen were captured on ESPN's pre-game show for the Army-Navy game making the hand gesture, which some interpreted as white nationalist and others interpreted as innocent. "We are confident the hand gestures used were not intended to be racist in any way. However, we are disappointed by the immature behavior of the two Fourth Class Midshipmen, and their actions will be appropriately addressed," Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck said in a written statement. "The Naval Academy is fully committed to preparing young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps; in this case, we recognize there is more work to be done."

6am – E         DC Owed $835M in Unpaid Parking Tickets. Nearly a billion dollars in unpaid tickets are due to District taxpayers. District taxpayers are due $835,750,067 in unpaid tickets, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act by News4. The missing funds stem from more than 5 million tickets in Washington, D.C., some of them more than 20 years old. These include parking tickets and tickets issued via speed cameras, red light cameras or by police officers. While D.C. has reciprocity with other states to compel drivers to pay fines, parking tickets and tickets issued by cameras are generally non-enforceable because the driver's identification details are not included.  In response to this news, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she would have to look into how the District is addressing the issue of unpaid tickets.

6am – F         STATE OF THE UNION INVITE:

Nancy Pelosi Invites Trump To Deliver State Of The Union The Day After Iowa Caucuses. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has officially invited President Donald Trump to deliver his State of The Union address on Feb. 4, the day after the first votes are cast in the 2020 presidential election in the Hawkeye State.

President Trump accepted Speaker Nancy Pelosi's invitation to deliver State of the Union address on Feb. 4. (Roll Call) -  Address will be the first time Trump visits the House chamber since Democrats impeached him. President Donald Trump accepted Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s invitation Friday to deliver his State of the Union address on Feb. 4, which will be his first visit to the House since Democrats voted to impeach him. The invite came in a letter Pelosi sent to Trump citing “the spirit of our Constitution,” which calls for the president to give Congress information on the state of the union “from time to time.” The presidential State of the Union address has turned into an annual tradition — one that created some drama earlier this year

 

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to The District of Columbia – discussed impeachment, FISA and Admiral Rogers cooperating with Durham.

Former NSA Director Michael Rogers Cooperating with Durham Investigation into Trump-Russia Probe. Former National Security Agency director and retired Adm. Michael Rogers has met multiple times with U.S. attorney John Durham as part of an ongoing probe into the origins of the counterintelligence investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign, The Intercept reported Friday. Rogers, who served as NSA director under Obama and Trump, “has cooperated voluntarily,” according to sources. Durham, who did not agree with DOJ inspector general Mike Horowitz’s report on the predication of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, is also looking into what role former CIA director John Brennan played in the 2017 intelligence community assessment that detailed Russian interference in the election. The assessment, compiled by the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA, stated that Vladimir Putin “ordered an influence campaign” that “aspired to help” Trump and discredit Clinton. While the FBI and the CIA had high confidence in the conclusion, Rogers’s NSA reported a moderate confidence and was the “lone exception,” as Brennan testified in May 2017.

IMPEACHMENT: The White House is projecting confidence that it will prevail in a constitutional spat with Democrats over the nature of the Senate's impeachment trial, which threatens to deprive President Trump of the swift acquittal he seeks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has delayed sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate until Republicans provide details on witnesses and testimony in hopes of shaping the upcoming trial. Democratic and Republican leaders in the chamber remain at an impasse over the question of whether witnesses will be called.

FISA court judge demands info about FBI lawyer linked to Carter Page warrant. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s presiding judge has sent another directive to the Justice Department, ordering officials to identify previous surveillance requests from an FBI lawyer linked to the 2016 warrant from former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. In an order unsealed Friday, Judge Rosemary Collyer asked the Justice Department to identify steps to ensure the accuracy of those filings and whether the unnamed DOJ lawyer was ever disciplined. DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz recently identified in a scathing public report numerous mistakes and omissions in the warrant used against Page that launched the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

 

7am – D         INTERVIEW - TREVOR MATICH - WMAL's Redskins Analyst – analyzed the key moments from the Redskins’ 41-35 overtime loss to the Giants.

NFL Week 16 recap: GIANTS 41, REDSKINS 35: Daniel Jones led the New York Giants with five touchdown passes in their overtime victory over the Washington Redskins. Jones also had 352 passing yards. His touchdown to Kaden Smith was the game-winner. Redskins rookie Dwayne Haskins started the game but left due to an injury. He had two touchdown passes before his departure.

Dwayne Haskins says Washington owner Daniel Snyder told him not to return to Giants game after ankle injury. (Yahoo! Sports) -- Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins left Sunday’s game against the New York Giants with an ankle injury early in the third quarter. He was initially listed as questionable after the sack that knocked him out of the game. He wanted to return after X-rays came back negative, but said he had to be talked down by team owner Daniel Synder.

 

7am – E         DEM DEBATES:

Michael Bloomberg tells CBS News that the Democratic debates aren’t a priority for his campaign: “I don’t think the debates really matter that much. It’s good entertainment.”

POOR RATINGS FOR THE LAST DEM DEBATE: The Hill's media reporter Joe Concha @JoeConchaTV: Dec 20: Total viewers for the 6th Democratic debate on CNN/PBS: 6 million. Context: 18.1M tuned in for the first Democratic debate in late June. Math: More than 2/3 of the audience who watched 1st debate didn’t watch the 6th. Impeachment fatigue a factor, but still a big concern for DNC.

Latest Democratic debate had lowest viewership yet. Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate offered more fireworks than the previous political shout-fests — but fewer Americans tuned in to watch it than any of its five predecessors. The debate in Los Angeles drew an audience of 6.17 million viewers — lowest so far of the cycle, according to early numbers from Nielsen, Deadline reported Friday. PBS NewsHour and Politico hosted the debate at Loyola Marymount University, and it also was simulcast by CNN. Nielsen reported that the debate posted 2.062 million viewers on PBS and 4.088 watched it on CNN. Despite the sinking ratings, CNN boasted that it beat its cable news rivals in the key 8 to 11 p.m. block with an average of 3.97 million viewers, compared to 3.64 for Fox News and 1.83 million for MSNBC.

 

8am – A         Sanders Campaign Offers ‘Family Persuasion Guide’ So Supporters Can Ruin Christmas. (Daily Wire/Emily Zanotti) - The Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) presidential campaign is struggling with voters over age 50. It turns out, those who’ve already made their money, paid off their student loans, and are eligible for actual Medicare, aren’t really up for voting for Bernie Sanders, and it’s starting to have an impact on his ability to win in states with early primaries. So, The Wall Street Journal reports, Sanders is arming his young followers with “family persuasion guides” so that they can more effectively ruin Christmas by injecting politics into the conversation at every opportunity — and it starts by suggesting that students remind their non-socialist parents and grandparents that they’ll be dead one day. “It’s up to us as students and young people to make the moral appeal to our older relatives to join us in voting for Bernie, because let’s face it: they won’t be around for as long to deal with the consequences of this election, but we will be,” the “Students for Bernie: Family Persuasion Guide” reads.

 

8am – B/C     EDDIE MURPHY MAKES DIG AT BILL COSBY / COSBY'S PUBLICIST FIRED BACK: A spokesman for Bill Cosby has fired back at Eddie Murphy after the comedian made jokes at Cosby's expense during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live. Murphy compared his current situation to Cosby's, who's serving three to 10 years in prison after being found guilty in April 2018 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004. "But if you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring, stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail," Murphy said to laughter, "even I would have took that bet." "Who is America's Dad now?" Murphy added, impersonating Cosby.  In a statement released Sunday, Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt criticized Murphy for the jokes, calling them "disparaging”, adding "One would think that Mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation, so that he could make his own decisions; but he decided to sell himself back to being a Hollywood Slave."

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - Virginia House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (Republican) – discussed the Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement in Virginia.

Virginia AG Herring: ‘Second Amendment sanctuary’ proclamations have no force. irginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring issued an opinion Friday that there is no legal weight to the "Second Amendment sanctuary" resolutions being passed in localities around the state in reaction to potential new gun-control laws. If the General Assembly passes new gun restrictions, “they will be enforced, and they will be followed,” Herring (D) said in announcing the opinion. “These resolutions have no legal force, and they’re just part of an effort by the gun lobby to stoke fear.” House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said Herring’s opinion contradicts his stance from 2014, when the attorney general declined to defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage because he considered it unconstitutional. That was 18 months before the Supreme Court struck down such bans nationally. “Attorney General Herring’s opinion is interesting, as it directly contradicts his own statements and actions regarding the supremacy of state law over the preferences of the officials who must enforce them,” Gilbert’s statement said. “His opinion today notes that ‘it has long been the indisputable and clear function of the courts . . . to pass upon the constitutionality of legislative acts.’ ”

9 Out of 10 Virginia Counties Declare Themselves 2nd Amendment Sanctuaries. . As of Friday, 85 counties, 9 cities, and 17 towns had formally declared themselves sanctuaries, according to Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL).

 

8am – E         Florida man wants to sell Trump a whole town for $1B, and Vanilla Ice is reportedly involved | Fox Business. One Florida man has big plans for President Trump: buy up a whole town and redevelop it into some sort of combination presidential library/hotel/something called a "presidential township." The theoretical sale price for the town of Briny Breezes, Florida? Just $1 billion, the Palm Beach Post reported. Local real estate broker James Arena outlined his vision in a video he posted on Facebook this week, explaining he would pursue the plan if elected mayor of Briny Breezes. He said he wants to "allow the Trump Organization to redevelop this entire town into the first 'presidential township' in America, renaming it Trump Town, USA in honor of the greatest president in American history, Donald J. Trump." Briny Breezes is located in Palm Beach County, the same county as Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, which he and first lady Melania Trump recently designated as their primary residence.

 

 

Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2019-12-23

[00:00:00] 5:00 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

[03:00:37] 8:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

INTERVIEW – Virginia House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (Republican) – discussed the Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement in Virginia.

Virginia AG Herring: ‘Second Amendment sanctuary’ proclamations have no force. irginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring issued an opinion Friday that there is no legal weight to the “Second Amendment sanctuary” resolutions being passed in localities around the state in reaction to potential new gun-control laws. If the General Assembly passes new gun restrictions, “they will be enforced, and they will be followed,” Herring (D) said in announcing the opinion. “These resolutions have no legal force, and they’re just part of an effort by the gun lobby to stoke fear.” House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said Herring’s opinion contradicts his stance from 2014, when the attorney general declined to defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage because he considered it unconstitutional. That was 18 months before the Supreme Court struck down such bans nationally. “Attorney General Herring’s opinion is interesting, as it directly contradicts his own statements and actions regarding the supremacy of state law over the preferences of the officials who must enforce them,” Gilbert’s statement said. “His opinion today notes that ‘it has long been the indisputable and clear function of the courts . . . to pass upon the constitutionality of legislative acts.’ ”

9 Out of 10 Virginia Counties Declare Themselves 2nd Amendment Sanctuaries. . As of Friday, 85 counties, 9 cities, and 17 towns had formally declared themselves sanctuaries, according to Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL).

INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH – WMAL’s Redskins Analyst – analyzed the key moments from the Redskins’ 41-35 overtime loss to the Giants.

NFL Week 16 recap: GIANTS 41, REDSKINS 35: Daniel Jones led the New York Giants with five touchdown passes in their overtime victory over the Washington Redskins. Jones also had 352 passing yards. His touchdown to Kaden Smith was the game-winner. Redskins rookie Dwayne Haskins started the game but left due to an injury. He had two touchdown passes before his departure.

Dwayne Haskins says Washington owner Daniel Snyder told him not to return to Giants game after ankle injury. (Yahoo! Sports) — Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins left Sunday’s game against the New York Giants with an ankle injury early in the third quarter. He was initially listed as questionable after the sack that knocked him out of the game. He wanted to return after X-rays came back negative, but said he had to be talked down by team owner Daniel Synder.

INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to The District of Columbia – discussed impeachment, FISA and Admiral Rogers cooperating with Durham.

Former NSA Director Michael Rogers Cooperating with Durham Investigation into Trump-Russia Probe. Former National Security Agency director and retired Adm. Michael Rogers has met multiple times with U.S. attorney John Durham as part of an ongoing probe into the origins of the counterintelligence investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign, The Intercept reported Friday. Rogers, who served as NSA director under Obama and Trump, “has cooperated voluntarily,” according to sources. Durham, who did not agree with DOJ inspector general Mike Horowitz’s report on the predication of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, is also looking into what role former CIA director John Brennan played in the 2017 intelligence community assessment that detailed Russian interference in the election. The assessment, compiled by the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA, stated that Vladimir Putin “ordered an influence campaign” that “aspired to help” Trump and discredit Clinton. While the FBI and the CIA had high confidence in the conclusion, Rogers’s NSA reported a moderate confidence and was the “lone exception,” as Brennan testified in May 2017.

IMPEACHMENT: The White House is projecting confidence that it will prevail in a constitutional spat with Democrats over the nature of the Senate’s impeachment trial, which threatens to deprive President Trump of the swift acquittal he seeks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has delayed sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate until Republicans provide details on witnesses and testimony in hopes of shaping the upcoming trial. Democratic and Republican leaders in the chamber remain at an impasse over the question of whether witnesses will be called.

FISA court judge demands info about FBI lawyer linked to Carter Page warrant. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s presiding judge has sent another directive to the Justice Department, ordering officials to identify previous surveillance requests from an FBI lawyer linked to the 2016 warrant from former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. In an order unsealed Friday, Judge Rosemary Collyer asked the Justice Department to identify steps to ensure the accuracy of those filings and whether the unnamed DOJ lawyer was ever disciplined. DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz recently identified in a scathing public report numerous mistakes and omissions in the warrant used against Page that launched the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.