If this were a synagogue or a black church and someone shot up those places, would we really

be asking whether this is a hate crime or not? Free speech is not a defense of this. We have no free

speech right to yell fire in a crowded theater. And what is happening right now is that

Asian Americans are in a crowded theater where we are being endangered.

If America were such a hate-filled, discriminatory, racist society filled with animus against Asian-Americans,

how do you explain the remarkable success of Asian Americans in our country?

It deeply saddens me that instead of uniting as Americans,

this hearing seeks to divide us as Americans.

The first congressional hearing in more than three decades on violence and discrimination against

the Asian American community. Many say that it's reached a crisis, and the question is,

what are we prepared to do about it?

Plus, the FBI releases a whole slew of new videos that officials say are the egregious assaults

on police officers during the Capitol riot. The question is, will it help them identify more suspects?

And the Biden administration now says it will send doses of the COVID vaccine to Mexico and Canada.

The question is, when will the U.S. approve the vaccine that it is just agreed to share?

It's way too early for this.

Good morning and welcome to way too early, the show that apparently missed the memo that today is World Sleep Day.

Thanks for the reminder, Associated Press.

I am Casey Hunt on this Friday, March 19th. We'll start with the news. President Biden and Vice President Harris will travel to Atlanta today in the wake of the spa shootings that left eight people dead on Tuesday, including six women of Asian descent. It's the president and vice president's first joint trip since taking office. The visit was initially scheduled as part of the administration's tour to promote the COVID relief package. The White House says the president and vice president

will meet with representatives of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,

lawmakers and advocates to offer support after the attack and to get their perspective on the rise

of incidents of anti-Asian hate.

...