The Morning Briefing: Laura Ingraham, Trump 2020, Clinton's 'Traumatic' Election, and Much, Much More

Good Friday Morning.

Literally, it is Good Friday, the day Christians (Western Christians, anyway) remember the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Whatever you think about Jesus, His death and resurrection had a huge impact on history. Here’s how the Bible Museum commemorates Good Friday. Here’s why Jesus Christ on Good Friday arguably suffered sexual assault. #JesusToo.

Without further ado…

Mea Culpa.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham apologized to David Hogg after facing a boycott over a tweet.

On Wednesday, Ingraham shared a Daily Wire story about the four colleges that rejected Parkland shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg. “David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA…totally predictable given acceptance rates.),” she tweeted.

David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA…totally predictable given acceptance rates.) https://t.co/wflA4hWHXY

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 28, 2018

Although Hogg has launched into profanity-laced tirades blaming the National Rifle Association (NRA) — and even NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch personally — for the tragic mass shootings in schools across America, he did not actually whine about college rejections.

David Hogg’s sister Lauren reached out to first lady Melania Trump to report “cyberbullying.” David Hogg himself tweeted a list of the biggest advertisers on Ingraham’s show…

Pick a number 1-12 contact the company next to that #

Top Laura Ingraham Advertisers
1. @sleepnumber
2. @ATT
3. Nutrish
4. @Allstate & @esurance
5. @Bayer
6. @RocketMortgage Mortgage
7. @LibertyMutual
8. @Arbys
9. @TripAdvisor
10. @Nestle
11. @hulu
12. @Wayfair

— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) March 29, 2018

Companies actually started pulling ads.

Rachael Ray's pet food line will no longer advertise during Laura Ingraham's Fox News show after she mocked David Hogg on Twitter.

"The comments she has made are not consistent with how we feel people should be treated" — @Nutrish spox tells HuffPosthttps://t.co/F70vYPcpho

— Hayley Miller (@hayleymiller01) March 29, 2018

TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor says it will stop ads for right-wing TV host Laura Ingraham after she criticized Parkland shooting survivor https://t.co/TV2r0uiReX

— CNBC (@CNBC) March 29, 2018

Wayfair.

. @Wayfair pulls ads from @IngrahamAngle telling @CNBC "We do not plan to continue advertising on this particular program."

— Ryan Ruggiero (@RyanRuggiero) March 29, 2018

Ingraham apologized. “Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA —incl. [David Hogg]. On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland,” the Fox host tweeted.

“For the record, I believe my show was the first to feature David… immediately after that horrific shooting and even noted how ‘poised’ he was given the tragedy. As always, he’s welcome to return to the show anytime for a productive discussion,” she concluded.

Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA —incl. @DavidHogg111. On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland. For the record, I believe my show was the first to feature David…(1/2)

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 29, 2018

David Hogg wasn’t satisfied with the apology, however, declaring that “an apology in an effort just to save your advertisers is not enough.”

“I will only accept your apology only [sic] if you denounce the way your network has treated my friends and I in this fight. It’s time to love thy neighbor, not mudsling at children,” Hogg declared.

I 100% agree an apology in an effort just to save your advertisers is not enough. I will only accept your apology only if you denounce the way your network has treated my friends and I️ in this fight. It’s time to love thy neighbor, not mudsling at children. https://t.co/H0yWs4zMGk

— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) March 29, 2018

Vote of no confidence?

Is President Donald Trump in trouble for the 2020 election? From USA TODAY’s Ryan Miller:

More than half of Americans think President Trump is doomed in his 2020 re-election bid, according to a new CNN poll released Thursday.

Per the poll, 54% said said they think Trump will lose in 2020. Comparably, 40% expect him to win.

Americans thought former president Barack Obama had a similar shot at winning his re-election bid at this point in his presidency. According to CNN, 54% percent said Obama would lose in March 2010, and 44% thought he’d win.

Still, the poll found 75% of Republicans think their party should re-nominate him, while another 20% want a new candidate.

But none of his potential GOP challengers — such as Mike Pence, Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan — garnered more than 1% of Republicans’ support.

Most young Republicans said they want Trump to face a primary challenge in two years. In this CNN poll, a full 84 percent of Democrats said they were either somewhat or very likely to support former vice president Joe Biden.

Biden has signaled his willingness to run. Last week, he suggested he’d love to go fisticuffs with Trump. Even so, Biden has a few skeletons in his closet. His adventures in Ukraine and his soft policy on China have enriched his son Hunter Biden.

Trump may seem weak, but Obama was at a comparable point at this time in his presidency, and he won re-election. No Republican candidate has quite the following to primary the sitting president.

Even so, it is remarkably early to be discussing 2020 at all…

Trigger Warning — 2016.

Hillary Clinton has called the 2016 election a “traumatic” experience. Fox News’s Paulina Dedaj:

Almost a year and a half since losing her bid for president, former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton still is talking about election woes, calling it a “traumatic” experience.

Speaking at Rutgers University Thursday, Clinton spoke primarily about being a woman in politics — and being targeted as a result, the problem Republicans face as a disjointed unit, the upcoming elections and her hopes that the recent events under the Trump administration would motivate people enough to vote for change.

In another part of her Rutgers remarks, Clinton suggested that Russian election meddling could have swung 21 states into the Trump column…

“At some point, I worry that we don’t know what we don’t know my friends. We don’t know,” Clinton said while speaking at Rutgers University. “When they say, ‘well, you know, the Russians got into 21 states and their voter registration files but nothing changed.’ I’m sitting there thinking well how do we know?”

NTK Network pointed out:

Russia was successfully able to penetrate the voting systems in 21 states during the 2016 election.

Despite Clinton’s open speculation that Russia could have changed votes, federal officials have determined and repeatedly said that this interference did not result in any votes changing.

Former FBI Director James Comey said as much during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in 2017.

“Are you confident that no votes cast in the 2016 presidential election were altered?” Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) asked Comey.

“I’m confident,” Comey responded. “When I had left as director, I had seen no indication of that whatsoever.”

Worse than Hillary’s insulting remarks…

Hillary Clinton infamously made extremely insulting remarks about women who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, suggesting their husbands effectively brainwashed them to do it. Sandra Bernhard, a star of ABC’s “Roseanne,” managed to become even more offensive. Watch her interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber below.

Historical picture of the day:

Pope John Paul II carries the cross during the first segment of the ”Way of the Cross” (Via Crucis ) traditional Good Friday procession inside Rome’s ancient Colosseum Friday, April 2, 1999. The procession symbolically retraces Jesus Christ’s steps to his crucifixion on Calvary hill in Jerusalem. Card. Camillo Ruini, second from left, and bishop Piero Marini, second from right, look on. (Ap Photo/Massimo Sambucetti)

Other morsels:

Fired FBI official Andrew McCabe soliciting online donations for legal defense fund

New ‘Paul: Apostle of Christ’ Film Falls Into Classic Christian Movie Traps

The Parkland Kids Have A Lot In Common With Pentecostal Child Preachers

Democrats More Okay With Adultery, Envy, and Dishonoring Parents

The Police Shooting of Stephon Clark Is Deeply Problematic

2020 Watch: Tom Steyer to Hold Debates in Democratic Primaries

White House reviewing plan to restrict immigrants’ use of government programs

It’s Time To Teach The Bible In Public Schools

BREAKING: Notoriously Liberal Ninth Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt Dies

Note to Evangelicals: Donald Trump With Stormy Daniels Is Not Like King David With Bathsheba

Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Suggests Repealing the Second Amendment