Joe diGenova, Dan Bongino, David Drucker and guest host Vince Coglianese joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, January 16, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A         John Lewis vs Donald Trump:

• John Lewis: Donald Trump is not a ‘legitimate’ president.

• Rep. Lewis: I Would Not Invite Trump to Selma..
• At Least 22 Democratic Congress Members Plan to Skip Inauguration.
• Trump calls out ‘angry’ Democrats on Twitter.

5am – B         Forget basketball, President Obama loved golf while in office. (NY Daily News) — While President Obama has a special spot in his soul for basketball, the sport closest to his heart during his presidency was golf. And Obama played a lot of it. The sporty president, whose well-chronicled love of sports was a signature of his two terms in the White House, played more golf than any commander-in-chief since Dwight Eisenhower. During Obama’s eight years in office, he played more than 300 rounds, the most since Ike infamously logged more than 800.  The king of all golfing presidents, though, was Woodrow Wilson, who is said to have played every day − more than 1,000 rounds − while in office from 1913-21.

5am – C         Talk radio’s Laura Ingraham eyes Senate bid. (Washington Examiner) – The queen of conservative talk radio, Laura Ingraham, is eyeing a Senate run in Virginia and a challenge to Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine. Knowledgeable sources said that several party insiders have approached the media giant to run and that she is considering it. In preparation for a bid, her business partner, Peter Anthony, has begun buying website domains for Ingraham to use should she decide to move forward. It includes: ingrahamsenate.net, ingrahamsenate.com, ingrahamforvirginia.com and ingraham2018.com. Ingraham wouldn’t comment on any run.

5am – D         CAVUTO rant: How does it feel to be dismissed, CNN?

5am – E         Trump vows ‘insurance for everybody’ in Obamacare replacement plan (Washington Post) — President-elect Donald Trump said in a weekend interview that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of “insurance for everybody,” while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid. Trump declined to reveal specifics in the telephone interview late Saturday with The Washington Post, but any proposals from the incoming president would almost certainly dominate the Republican effort to overhaul federal health policy as he prepares to work with his party’s congressional majorities.

6am – A/B/C Maryland Terrapins Womens Basketball Coach Brenda Frese complains about honking. Are you a honker or often honked at?

6am – D         Inauguration News:

• Inauguration 2017: Almost One Million Attendees, Plus Protestors, Say Officials.  Officials expect almost 1 million people to attend Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration — and they also worry about the potential arrival of hundreds of thousands of protestors who are expected to attend a protest march the next day. “Obama drew an estimated 1.8 million people to the National Mall eight years ago, according to federal and local agencies. Planners say they are expecting no more than 900,000 people to attend Trump’s ceremonies Jan. 20,” NBC reported.
• Trump transition team says it asked D.C. National Guard general to stay. The transition team for President-elect Donald Trump asked the head of the D.C. National Guard to remain in command throughout Inauguration Day after media reports that he would leave in the middle of the ceremony created controversy, the Guard said.
• Politico: Protesters distraught over Trump’s victory will be flooding into Washington next weekend, creating a potent — and potentially tense — mix as they collide with the billionaire’s die-hard supporters at hotels and restaurants, and on the National Mall. Like much of Trump’s campaign, the festivities and crowd descending on Washington for the inauguration will not neatly fit into Washington’s norms. “These are unprecedented numbers,” Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service, said about the protests. “We’re trying to help the groups find suitable alternate locations.” The Park Service has credentialed at least 28 groups on the National Mall and is expecting more than 350,000, according to an internal agency spreadsheet. That’s compared to the five or six requests from groups that they usually receive for inaugurations. The service has struggled to accommodate all of the protesters, including a demonstration of about 200,000 women protesting Trump, and others who will sing and fast, for next weekend, Litterst said.
• ‘Bikers for Trump’ will form ‘wall of meat’ to protect inauguration from protestors. One of president-elect Donald Trump’s biggest supporters is taking it upon himself and his group of bikers to make sure the inauguration event goes smoothly, promising to form a “wall of meat” to guard against any protestors. Chris Cox is founder of the pro-Trump organization “Bikers for Trump,” and is expecting more than 5,000 bikers from his group to be in attendance at the inauguration. On Sunday, Cox spoke with news show “Fox & Friends” and said that should there be any rowdy protesters in attendance, his group will be there to back up security. “In the event that we are needed, we certainly will form a wall of meat,” Cox told the show. “What does that mean?” interrupted co-host Abby Huntsman. “What does that mean, ‘A wall of meat’?”

6am – E         Trump slams outgoing CIA director Brennan after criticism over Russia threat. (Fox News) — President-elect Donald Trump blasted outgoing CIA Director John Brennan on social media Sunday after Brennan said Trump does not have a “full understanding” of Russia’s power and threat to the world. “I don’t think he has a full understanding of Russian capabilities and the actions they are taking on the world,” Brennan told “Fox News Sunday.” He also suggested that Trump lacks a “full appreciation” of Russia’s aggression or about why President Obama imposed sanctions on the Kremlin for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. “Mr. Trump has to understand that absolving Russia is a road that he needs to be very, very careful about moving down,” Brennan said.

6am – F         Reflecting on MLK JR DAY: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.)[1] is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King’s birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

• Clinton Emails: DOJ Inspector General to Review FBI, Comey Actions. (NBC News/Jan 12 2017) —  The Justice Department Inspector General says he will review how the FBI and Justice Department handled certain aspects of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. The probe by Michael E. Horowitz will include a review of FBI Director James Comey’s news conference in July and his two letters to lawmakers in late October and early November. “In response to requests from numerous Chairmen and Ranking Members of Congressional oversight committees, various organizations, and members of the public, the Office of the Inspector General will initiate a review of allegations regarding certain actions by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in advance of the 2016 election,” the Justice Department said in a statement.  Just 11 days before the 2016 general election, Comey notified Congress that the FBI was reviewing a new batch of emails that appeared to be pertinent to their investigation. The emails, discovered during a probe, were found on a laptop that former New York congressman Anthony Weiner allegedly used to send lewd text messages and pictures to an underage girl.
• Controversial Clinton Global Initiative closing its doors for good. (The Blaze) — In a fitting end, The Clinton Global Initiative will shutter operations at their main office in New York City for good on Tax Day, April 15, 2017. A WARN filing with the Department of Labor indicates that the 22 remaining employees employed there will be terminated on that date and that the official reason given for the layoffs is a “discontinuation of the Clinton Global Initative.” The CGI came under scrutiny during the 2016 election. The many foreign government donors and wealthy benefactors the organization claimed contributed to the belief that the organization was a “pay-to-play” operation designed to enrich the Clintons by trading on their political influence, and by using the speaking circuit as a way to elevate the “Clinton” brand while Hillary Clinton campaigned for president. Clinton defenders countered those allegations by citing the many charitable organizations the CGI funded around the world.
• Loretta Lynch warns of ‘waves of intolerance’ (Politico) – In her final speech as attorney general, Loretta Lynch said Sunday in a historic church in Birmingham, Alabama, that there is still work to do as “waves of intolerance and injustice” are “still blowing in this country.” “I know that while our accomplishments should make us proud, they must not make us complacent,” she said, speaking a day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day and less than a week until President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as president. “We cannot stop. We have to work. I know that in our pursuit of a brighter future, we still face headwinds. We still face oppositions. We see it. Waves of hatred, waves of intolerance and injustice that are still blowing in this country, and they seem to grow stronger the more that we achieve,” she said speaking at 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of a lethal 1963 bombing that killed four African American girls.

7am – B         Trump Team Considers Moving Press Corps, Alarming Reporters. (NY Times) — In the 1890s, journalists covering the president were forced to stand vigil outside the White House fence, querying visitors for scraps of information and appealing for audiences with presidential aides. Today’s reporters are concerned that President-elect Donald J. Trump could send them back into the past.  The White House press corps was stunned on Sunday by reports of a proposal by the Trump administration to eject reporters from their home in the West Wing — a move that, if carried out, would uproot decades of established protocol whereby journalists are allowed to work in the White House close to senior officials. Reince Priebus, Mr. Trump’s incoming chief of staff, appeared to backpedal on the idea after it was reported by Esquire magazine, saying that only the location of the press briefing room was being discussed and that the administration was merely considering a larger area to accommodate the hundreds of journalists seeking to cover Mr. Trump.

7am – C         Ringling Bros. Shutdown: The End of the Circus Industry?‘Greatest Show on Earth’ has struggled with sagging ticket sales and opposition from animal rights groups. For generations, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus proved itself an enduring family entertainment, a show so popular that its self-proclaimed status as “The Greatest Show on Earth” was simply accepted as a matter of fact. But in recent years, the show struggled with sagging ticket sales and opposition from animal rights groups. Saturday’s announcement that the show is closing later this year, after nearly a century-and-a-half run, may signal the final act of an entertainment tradition embedded in American culture.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – DAN BONGINO – former Secret Service agent and author of new book “The Fight: A Secret Service Agent’s Inside Account of Security Failings and the Political Machine”

• Preview security concerns with Trump’s Inauguration
• Inauguration 2017: Almost One Million Attendees, Plus Protestors, Say Officials.
• Politico: Protesters distraught over Trump’s victory will be flooding into Washington next weekend, creating a potent — and potentially tense — mix as they collide with the billionaire’s die-hard supporters at hotels and restaurants, and on the National Mall.
• ‘Bikers for Trump’ will form ‘wall of meat’ to protect inauguration from protestors

7am – E         Packers upset top-seeded #Cowboys, 34-31 in NFL Playoffs on last-second field goal. The Packers will face the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. Pittsburgh tops Kansas City, Green Bay holds off Dallas. KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Who needs to reach the end zone when you have Le’Veon Bell chewing up yards and the clock, and Chris Boswell setting an NFL playoff record with six field goals? Throw in a stingy Pittsburgh defense for most of Sunday night, and a multitude of mistakes by Kansas City, and the Steelers’ 18-16 victory sent them into the AFC championship game. The Steelers (13-5) needed to hold off a last-ditch threat by the Chiefs (12-5) before advancing to face New England next Sunday night for a spot in the Super Bowl. The Patriots won at Pittsburgh 27-16, but Ben Roethlisberger was injured and didn’t play.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – DAVID DRUCKER — Senior Congressional Correspondent for the Washington Examiner.

• Preview what’s left for confirmations in Congress this week
• Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos – Jan. 17, 5 p.m.
• Secretary of Labor: Andy Puzder – Jan. 17 (tentative / Puzder hearing could be delayed until February)
• U.N. Ambassador: Nikki Haley – Jan. 18
• EPA: Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt –  Jan. 18
• Trump vows ‘insurance for everybody’ in Obamacare replacement plan. (Washington Post/By Robert Costa and Amy Goldstein January 15 at 10:00 PM) — President-elect Donald Trump said in a weekend interview that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of “insurance for everybody,” while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid. Trump declined to reveal specifics in the telephone interview late Saturday with The Washington Post, but any proposals from the incoming president would almost certainly dominate the Republican effort to overhaul federal health policy as he prepares to work with his party’s congressional majorities.

8am – B         Maryland School Employee Fired for Tweet Mocking Student’s Spelling. (NBC Washington) – A school system employee in Maryland who mixed it up with a student on Twitter over the student’s poor spelling has been fired. Katie Nash tells The Frederick News-Post that she was fired on Friday afternoon from her $44,000-a-year job. A Frederick County Public Schools spokesman confirmed that Nash had been let go, without providing details. Nash ran the school district’s Twitter account.  On Jan. 5, a student tweeted to the account, asking that schools be closed “tammarow.” Nash responded from the district’s account, “But then how would you learn how to spell `tomorrow?'” She says she was told not to tweet anymore after the interaction. Nash says she understands why she was let go and that she didn’t “want to be a distraction to the school system.”

8am – C         Caps blow out Flyers 5-0 to win 9th straight. Despite a sluggish start, the Capitals came alive with four goals on seven shots in the first seven minutes of the third period to turn the game into a laugher.

Capitals win ninth straight, defeat Flyers. Washington takes over first place in NHL standings with 63 points. WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals won their ninth consecutive game with a 5-0 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers at Verizon Center on Sunday.  The Capitals (29-9-5) took over first place in the NHL with 63 points with four goals in the first 6:36 of the third period. They have outscored opponents 40-11 during their winning streak and haven’t allowed an even-strength goal in six games.

8am – D         John Lewis vs Donald Trump:

• John Lewis: Donald Trump is not a ‘legitimate’ president . Washington (CNN)Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis says he doesn’t see President-elect Donald Trump as a “legitimate” commander in chief following Russian meddling in the 2016 election. “I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate president,” Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, told NBC News’ Chuck Todd in a clip released Friday. “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.” Lewis — an ally of Martin Luther King Jr. who was brutally beaten by police in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 while marching for civil rights — also said he planned to skip Trump’s inauguration next week, which he said would be the first ceremony he would not attend since coming to Washington. He was elected to Congress in 1986.

• Rep. Lewis: I Would Not Invite Trump to Selma. (NBC News) — Rep. John Lewis said he would not invite President-elect Donald Trump to visit Selma, Alabama, with him, though he also would not “do anything to prevent him from coming.” On what became known as “Bloody Sunday” in 1965, Lewis was badly beaten by Alabama state troopers on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge during a march for voting rights.
• At Least 22 Democratic Congress Members Plan to Skip Inauguration. (ABC News) — At least 22 Democratic members of Congress have announced that they will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration. While some made their decision in earlier weeks, several have come forward today, citing the president-elect’s insult of Rep. John Lewis as the final straw. Trump lashed out at the civil rights icon after Lewis said he didn’t view Trump as “a legitimate president.” Lewis also said he would not attend the inauguration.
• Trump calls out ‘angry’ Democrats on Twitter. (NY Post) — The Commander-in-Tweet ripped Democrats again Sunday for still being unable to accept that he won the election, promising that his support will only grow. “The Democrats are most angry that so many Obama Democrats voted for me,” Trump tweeted at 9 a.m. “With all the jobs I am bring back to our nation, that number will only get higher.”

8am – E         Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, Andrew Garfield, others perform ‘I Will Survive’ ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration. (NY Daily News) — Several of Hollywood’s biggest stars are using their voices — literally — to take a stand against Donald Trump. Natalie Portman, Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, Matthew McConaughey and other A-listers formed their own all-star cast to perform “I Will Survive” in advance of the President-elect being sworn into office this week. In the clip released by W magazine, the actors and actresses — many of whom are frontrunners for Oscar nominations — sing, speak and dance to the empowering lyrics of the 1979 Gloria Gaynor classic.