VA Del. Tim Hugo, Andrew McCarthy, Matt Schlapp, Gordon Chang, Jessie Jane Duff and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C             INTERVIEW — JESSIE JANE DUFF – Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps (ret); Senior Fellow, London Center for Policy Research

• VA secretary minimizes wait times scandal by comparing vets’ care to lines at Disney World:

5am – D         DEMS IN DISARRAY:

• Harry Reid on a VP from a GOP state: ‘Hell no’ (USA Today) — The prospect of Hillary Clinton choosing a senator from a state with a GOP governor as her running mate gets a big fat “hell no” from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, given the likelihood a Republican would be tapped to fill the newly created vacancy if Clinton is elected president. “Do you think it’s wise to even consider pulling someone like a Sherrod Brown or an Elizabeth Warren out of the Untied States Senate at a time when Democrats are trying to win the body back?” MSNBC’s Joy Reid asked the Nevada Democrat. “If we have a Republican governor in any of those states, the answer is not only no — but hell no. I would do whatever I can, and I think most of my Democratic colleagues here would say the same thing,” Reid said on MSNBC. “I would yell and scream to stop that,” he added.
• Sanders: Democratic Convention Could Be ‘Messy’ Bernie Sanders predicted Monday that the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia could be “messy” as he pushed the party to adopt his progressive agenda, but added, “Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle.” The Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with The Associated Press that his supporters hoped to see a platform at the July convention that reflects the needs of working families, the poor and young people as opposed to one that represents Wall Street and corporate America. “I think if they make the right choice and open the doors to working-class people and young people and create the kind of dynamism that the Democratic Party needs, it’s going to be messy,” Sanders said. “Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle but that is where the Democratic Party should go.”
• Clinton declines Fox News debate with Sanders. Hillary Clinton has declined an invitation to participate in a Democratic debate on Fox News, the campaign said Monday evening. “We have declined Fox News’ invitation to participate in a debate in California. As we have said previously, we plan to compete hard in the remaining primary states, particularly California, while turning our attention to the threat a Donald Trump presidency poses,” campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri said in a statement. “We believe that Hillary Clinton’s time is best spent campaigning and meeting directly with voters across California and preparing for a general election campaign that will ensure the White House remains in Democratic hands.”

5am – E         VA Gov. Terry McAuliffe under investigation for campaign contributions

Washington (CNN)Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI and prosecutors from the Justice Department’s public integrity unit, U.S. officials briefed on the probe say. The investigation dates to at least last year and has focused, at least in part, on whether donations to his gubernatorial campaign violated the law, the officials said. McAuliffe wasn’t notified by investigators that he is a target of the probe, according to the officials. The Governor will certainly cooperate with the government if he is contacted about it,” said Marc Elias, attorney for McAuliffe campaign, in a statement to CNN.

6am – A/B/C Gallup: Republicans Pay Closer Attention to Election Than Democrats. Republicans are paying closer attention than Democrats to the race for the White House, a new poll shows. The Gallup survey released Monday found that 47 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they’re following election news “very closely,” compared with 39 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaning independents — a pattern the pollster says has been evident all year.

6am – C         Police Officer in Freddie Gray Case Is Acquitted of All Charges. (NY Times) — BALTIMORE — A police officer was acquitted of all charges on Monday in the arrest of Freddie Gray, a black man who sustained a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody. The verdict is likely to renew debate over whether anyone will be held responsible for Mr. Gray’s death. The officer, Edward M. Nero, sat with a straight back and stared forward as Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who ruled on the case after the officer opted to forgo a jury trial, read his verdict on the charges of second-degree assault, misconduct and of reckless endangerment. “The verdict on each count,” said Judge Williams, concluding his reading after about 30 minutes, “is not guilty.”

6am – D/E     Priyanka Chopra on playing a possible Bond girl: ‘F— that — I wanna be Bond’ Even before the premiere of Spectre in November, rumors were swirling about who might be the next person to play 007 — or one of the spy’s many love interests. One of the names that’s been bandied about is Quantico star Priyanka Chopra, but in a new interview with Complex for the magazine’s latest cover story, she revealed that she has no interest in being considered for a role as a Bond girl. “I get that all the time,” she told Complex. “But f— that — I wanna be Bond.” In the wide-ranging interview, Chopra also said that she’s excited for her part in the upcoming Baywatch movie, adding that her role as the bad guy was originally written for a man.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – VA DEL TIM HUGO — representing the 40th district, which includes the municipalities of Catharpin, Clifton, and Fairfax Station and is the Majority Caucus Chairman for the Virginia House Republican Caucus

• Hugo is the Majority Caucus Chairman for the House Republican Caucus. He is the Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee and also serves on the Commerce and Labor, Transportation, and Privileges and Election Committees. Delegate Hugo represents Centreville, Clifton, Fairfax, and Fairfax Station in Fairfax County as well as Catharpin, Gainesville, Haymarket, and Manassas in Prince William County.
• Fairfax Public Schools moving ahead & implementing the transgender policy. YESTERDAY: Fairfax County School Board Member ELIZABETH SCHULTZ told WMAL: Principals Are Being Given Guidance About Obama’s Transgender Mandate
• Virginia GOP sues governor over restoring voting rights to felons. Virginia Republicans on Monday sued to nullify Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe’s order restoring voting rights to 206,000 felons, a move that could affect the November presidential election. The lawsuit in the Virginia Supreme Court asked justices to require the voting registrars not to sign up felons based on McAuliffe’s April 22 order and to cancel felons’ registrations since the order was issued. Republicans argued that McAuliffe’s order was unconstitutional.
• VA Gov. Terry McAuliffe under investigation for campaign contributions. Washington (CNN)Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI and prosecutors from the Justice Department’s public integrity unit, U.S. officials briefed on the probe say. The investigation dates to at least last year and has focused, at least in part, on whether donations to his gubernatorial campaign violated the law, the officials said.

7am – B        INTERVIEW — ANDREW MCCARTHY — is a senior policy fellow at the National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review. He is a former Chief Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

• Travesty in Baltimore, Next Chapter: Officer Acquitted in Second Freddie Gray Trial.

by Andrew C. McCarthy May 23, 2016 2:01 PM @AndrewCMcCarthy / The officer should not have been charged in the first place. The second officer to be tried in the Baltimore prosecutions arising out of Freddie Gray’s death in April 2015 has been acquitted in a bench trial. The case against the officer, Edward Nero, was among the most inane brought by the incompetent, race-baiting prosecutor, Marilyn Mosby.

7am – C        D.C. man accused of raping woman at knifepoint before 10 a.m. on Metro train. A 39-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint on a moving Metro train just before 10 a.m. last month in the Wheaton-­Glenmont area of Montgomery County, prosecutors said in court Monday. “This is a horrifically terrifying experience. It certainly was for the victim in this case,” Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Haynos said in court. She said the woman, not surprisingly, had felt safe riding alone in a train car. “I don’t know many people who would have thought this would have happened in such a public arena — and that somebody would have the audacity to do that, particularly at 10 a.m.,” Haynos said .The suspect, John Prentice Hicks, 39, of Northeast Washington, was making his first court appearance in Montgomery County District Court in the case. Judge Zuberi Bakari Williams ordered Hicks held in jail on no-bond status. Hicks is due back in court June 10. According to Haynos and Metro Transit Police, on April 12, Hicks approached a seated passenger aboard a northbound Red Line train and began speaking to her. He allegedly pulled out a knife, forced her to a different part of the car, raped her, then ordered her to another area of the car, and forced her to perform a sex act, court statements and records allege.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – MATT SCHLAPP – Chairman of American Conservative Union, the organization that hosts the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) every year

• Facebook admits rogue employees may have shown bias against conservatives. Social media giant denies ‘systematic’ discrimination. (Washington Times) — In one instance Facebook rejected a story this year about the opening of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference — the largest gathering of right-wing activists in the country. Facebook says that was likely because there were already enough stories about the Republican presidential primary. But the company said since it allowed CPAC posts in 2015, and covered other parts of the 2016 conference, there wasn’t any discrimination. “Our investigation has revealed no evidence of systematic political bias in the selection or prominence of stories included in the Trending Topics feature. In fact, our analysis indicated that the rates of approval of conservative and liberal topics are virtually identical in Trending Topics,” Colin Stretch, the company’s general counsel, said in an extensive reply to Sen. John Thune, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, who is probing the allegations of bias. Former Facebook employees told Gizmodo earlier this month that they detected bias in the way news was “curated” by the site, with stories on top GOP figures, conservative commentators and right-wing causes getting short shrift.

• ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp’s Reaction to the Results of Facebook’s Investigation Into Suppression of Content. WASHINGTON DC – ACU has been vindicated. This issue is still unresolved even after these admissions of wrongdoing by Facebook. We will continue to press this matter until we are satisfied that conservatives will be fairly treated. Facebook has admitted to harming CPAC, but they have not called us to apologize, and they have failed to explain what they did. This two-week long investigation (it’s amazing how fast an internal investigation can be conducted) seems to scratch the surface. Sen. Thune has done the right thing to press them and we urge Congress to vigorously scrutinize Facebook to prevent deceptive practices and false advertising in the future.

7am – E         Food News:

• Meet the new food labels for better shopping. The Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods is getting a makeover to help you make healthier choices when shopping, and it may persuade you to eat less sugar. By July 26, 2018, major manufacturers will have to make their labels conform to a new look unveiled Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and First Lady Michelle Obama. “You will no longer need a microscope, a calculator, or a degree in nutrition to figure out whether the food you’re buying is actually good for our kids,” Michelle Obama said.
• President Obama Dined with Anthony Bourdain in Vietnam — Guess Who Picked Up the Check. Anthony Bourdain had a very special dinner companion Monday night in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Parts Unknown host—and Real Housewives phobic—grabbed a casual meal with President Obama at Bún chả Hương Liên, a restaurant near the capital city’s old quarter. (Bún chả is a traditional dish from the area that includes grilled pork served in a broth or dipping sauce,with by rice noodles and fresh herbs.). The sit-down will air on the chef’s CNN show in September when the culinary travel series returns for its eighth season. Despite the laid-back setting, the scene outside was anything but chill.

• Taco Bell considers nationwide release of chicken-fried chalupa. Taco Bell’s Naked Chicken Chalupa May Be Setting Up for a National Launch. Plus, how the fried chicken taco shell is made. The American South meets fast-food Tex-Mex in the soon- to-debut chicken-fried chalupa at Taco Bell, the newest way customers will be able to up the freak factor, calories and crunch. Though the new menu item is still in test mode, a company spokesperson says, “The results and consumer feedback are very encouraging.” Looks like the Naked Chicken Chalupa’s fried chicken taco shell might soon be making its way to Taco Bell fans nationwide. Though the new menu item, formerly called the Naked Crispy Chicken Taco, has not been officially approved for a national launch quite yet, a Taco Bell spokesperson tells BuzzFeed “the results and consumer feedback are very encouraging.” Kat Garcia, Taco Bell’s senior manager of marketing, said. “We’re just planning what’s the right the timing.”

8am – A         INTERVIEW – GORDON CHANG – Daily Beast columnist, Foreign policy analyst and author of “The Coming Collapse of China” – discussed Obama’s trip to Asia.

8am – B         Entertainment News:

• Mayor Bowser appears on Jeopardy. WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appeared on Jeopardy Friday night to deliver the Final Jeopardy clue. Mayor Bowser took to Facebook on Monday to share the clip of her appearance. On Facebook, she asked people to make a guess about the clue before watching the clip. The category was U.S. History and the clue read as follows: In 1790, a deal made Washington the nation’s capital; the room where it happened was at Jefferson’s house and negotiators included Madison and this cabinet member.
• Broadway’s attendance soars but box office mostly flat . NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway’s attendance figures hit a record high this season, but box office revenue ticked upward only slightly. The Broadway League said Monday that box offices reported a record total gross of $1.37 billion — up 0.6 percent from the previous season, or about $8 million. The trade association for theater owners, operators and producers said attendance was up 1.6 percent to 13.3 million ticket buyers. Both numbers are new records. The number of playing weeks — Broadway’s occupancy rate — was up 1.4 percent from last season’s to end at 1,648, a new record. There is a total of 2,080 total playing weeks available each year.
• Idina Menzel is down to #GiveElsaAGirlfriend. Idina Menzel is all for Elsa building a snowman with her girlfriend. While walking the carpet for Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards, Entertainment Tonight asked Menzel about the #GiveElsaAGirlfriend campaign that pushed for her character to have a lady love interest in the Frozen sequel.
• Sony Music reportedly signs Adele for record £90M. The British pop star could make history if she puts pen to paper on the Sony contract. Pop star Adele is reportedly saying hello to a new home at Sony Music after landing a record deal with the label worth a reported £90 million (around $130 million). Adele’s contract with her original label XL has expired, which has given Sony the opportunity to sign the star, marking the biggest deal in British music history, according to The Sun.

8am – C         IRS chief won’t appear at House hearing on his impeachment. (AP) —

The IRS says the agency’s commissioner won’t appear at a House hearing on Tuesday examining whether he deserves to be impeached. A statement by the IRS on Monday says that John Koskinen has not had time to prepare for the House Judiciary Committee hearing because of recent travel and because he must also get ready for a second, unrelated hearing.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm

8am – E         TSA head of security forced out amid furor over long airport lines. (Fox News) — The Transportation Security Administration’s head of security operations was removed from his post Monday, law enforcement sources told Fox News. The departure of Kelly Hoggan was one of a series of shakeups at the agency amid a furor over growing security delays at American airports. Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee expressed outrage in a May 12 hearing over a $90,000 bonus package Hoggan received, even after reports surfaced of systematic security screening failures at airports around the country. Those security lapses were detailed in a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report last year. TSA administrator Peter Neffenger announced Darby LaJoye, former head of security operations at Los Angeles International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, as Hoggan’s replacement effective immediately, according to the email obtained by Fox News.