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Developing now, Monday, March 18, 2019

BETO FEELS THE HEAT ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS RNC TWEET FALLS FLAT: Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke vowed Sunday that nothing from his questionable past will sidetrack his campaign ... On the campaign trail in Wisconsin, denied he'd ever taken the drug LSD and vowed to stop using profanities, particularly the F-word, especially in front of kids. The Republican National Committee sparked an uproar when it attempted to capitalize on O'Rourke's past transgressions by tweeting his 1998 drunken driving mugshot - with a photoshopped leprechaun hat atop - that read "Please drink responsibly." Fellow Republicans slammed the tweet as insensitive, especially since it was St. Patrick's Day.

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WHITE HOUSE DISTANCES TRUMP FROM NEW ZEALAND MASSACRE: Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney on Sunday defended President Trump against any attempts to link him to last Friday's terror attack on two New Zealand mosques that left 50 people dead ... In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Mulvaney said Trump is not a white supremacist and it was unfair to characterize the New Zealand gunman arrested in the attack as a Trump supporter.

A FAILED 'POLITICAL STUNT': The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee voted for the resolution calling for any final report in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation to be made public, but told Fox News on Sunday it was unnecessary -- because it was a failed attempt by Democrats to divide the GOP ... “It was a political stunt by the Democrats who felt that they could divide Republicans into voting no upon it," said Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., on "Sunday Morning Futures." The largely symbolic, Democratic-backed resolution, which passed 420-0, came as Mueller appears to be nearing an end to his investigation.

WHY THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL WAS INEVITABLE: One noted higher education critic says the widespread college admissions scandal that rocked the nation last week was bound to happen, simply because of the elitist nature and power structure of prestigious universities ... "The celebrity college-admissions cheating scandal has two clear takeaways: an elite college degree has taken on wildly inflated importance in American society, and the sports-industrial complex enjoys wildly inflated power within universities." writes Heather Mac Donald, contributing editor of City Journal in a piece appearing on FoxNews.com. "None of this could have happened if higher education had not itself become a corrupt institution, featuring low classroom demands, no core knowledge acquisition, low grading standards, fashionable (but society-destroying) left-wing activism, luxury-hotel amenities, endless partying, and huge expense." Meanwhile, actress Lori Loughlin's humble-bragging about money spent on daughter Olivia Jade’s education appears to have come back to haunt her.

DEVELOPMENT OF BOEING'S 737 MAX UNDER SCRUTINY: Federal prosecutors and Department of Transportation officials are examining the development of Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX jetliners, the Wall Street Journal reports ... At least one person involved in the 737 MAX's development, the Journal reports, was issued a broad subpoena by a Washington, D.C. grand jury on March 11, the day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board.



THE SOUNDBITE

BEWARE OF BETO - "Take it from me as someone who has worked at the highest levels of government and politics. The most important thing about a candidate is not their promises - those hardly ever get delivered anyway. It's about how they would respond to unpredictable future events. And that's about their character. Whatever else people knew about Donald Trump going into 2016, it was obvious he was strong. He said what he thought, no matter who it offended. But Beto O'Rourke says whatever people want to hear." – Steve Hilton, on "The Next Revolution," on why he believes Beto O'Rourke is a dangerous 2020 candidate. (Click the image above to watch the full video.)

TODAY'S MUST-READS

Howard Kurtz addresses Judge Jeanine's absence from Fox News Channel.

OPINION: There aren’t enough billionaires in the world to pay for AOC, Beto, and Bernie’s socialist proposals.

Michael Goodwin: We’re nowhere near a solution on the immigration crisis.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

U.S.-China trade: How a deal with Beijing could be enforced.

Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank go public on merger talks.

Report: Toronto Blue Jays to boost pay for minor leaguers.

STAY TUNED

On Fox Nation:

Catching El Chapo

A top DEA agent's shocking tell-all about the three-decade long hunt for the world's most notorious drug lord. Watch a preview now.

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On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Is a $5 billion investment in a border wall peanuts compared to what illegal immigration costs America? Plus, March Madness, 2020 edition: The 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls are put in brackets. Special guests include: Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump.

Special Report, 6 p.m. ET: An interview with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The Ingraham Angle, 10 p.m. ET: Ben Carson, Secretary of H.U.D.; Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire; Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of The Intercept.

Fox News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, gives a must-see interview.

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: John Boehner, former Speaker of the House.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Naomi Schaefer Riley, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman, 3 p.m. ET: Joe Loomis, founder of CyberSponse, Inc. and Russell Holly, managing editor of Mobile Nations.

On Fox News Radio:

The Fox News Rundown podcast: "New Zealand Gun Debate Heats Up After Shooting" - New Zealand's prime minister has promised changes to the country's gun laws following last week's mass shooting. Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich discusses the gun debate there and how social media giants were slow to stop images of the tragedy from going viral. Democrat media standout Beto O'Rourke announced his run for president and while there are more hints at a Joe Biden run, it's not official yet. Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh discusses these two candidates and whether or not they pose a threat to President Trump. Plus, commentary by Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst.

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The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: The aftermath of the New Zealand terror attack, the latest in the 2020 presidential race and President Triump's controversial comments over the weekend on the infamous dossier and Sen. John McCain will the topics of discussion with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin, Shannon Bream, host of "Fox News @ Night," Bret Baier, host of "Special Report," and A.B. Stoddard, RealClearPolitics associate editor.

The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: Todd speaks with Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill about why he believes President Trump’s national emergency declaration is legally sound and attorney Andrea Shaw about a new case dealing with gender identity.

#TheFlashback

2005: Doctors in Florida, acting on orders of a state judge, remove Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. (Despite the efforts of congressional Republicans to intervene and repeated court appeals by Schiavo's parents, the brain-damaged woman would die on March 31, 2005, at age 41.)

1980: Frank Gotti, the 12-year-old youngest son of mobster John Gotti, is struck and killed by a car driven by John Favara, a neighbor in Queens, N.Y. (The following July, Favara vanishes, the apparent victim of a gang hit.)

1965: The first spacewalk takes place as Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov goes outside his Voskhod 2 capsule, secured by a tether.

Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good Monday! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.