Dan McHugh, Joe diGenova, Dan Bongino and Susan Ferrechio joined WMAL on Monday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, March 20, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C Immigrant high school student on deport list charged in rape of girl, 14.

Two Maryland high school students – one of whom has an “alien removal” case pending – forced a 14-year-old female classmate into a bathroom stall on Thursday morning and viciously raped her, police said. The suspects, Henry E. Sanchez, 18, and Jose O. Montano, 17, are in ninth grade at Rockville High School. Both are recent arrivals to the U.S., Sanchez from Guatemala and Montano from El Salvador, WUSA9 reported. The pair appeared in court Friday and Montano is being charged as an adult, despite his age, due to the seriousness of the crime. Sanchez and Montano, charged with first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sexual offense, were held without bond.

5am – D CONGRESS PREVIEW:

• SCOTUS: Gorsuch Supreme Court hearings preview: What to Expect at Gorsuch Confirmation Hearing. The stage is set for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing to begin on Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• COMEY / RUSSIA HEARING: FBI Director James Comey to testify at Russia hearing on Monday. FBI Director James Comey is set to testify Monday before a House committee investigating Russian activities during the 2016 presidential election, amid expectations he’ll provide long-awaited answers and evidence on that issue and whether President Trump was indeed wiretapped. The Justice Department on Friday gave the House intelligence committee requested information about Trump’s claim of being wiretapped during the presidential election.
• Nunes: There ‘never was’ evidence of a wiretap at Trump Tower. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday there “never was” evidence that former President Barack Obama — or anyone else — wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign. “If you take the president literally, it didn’t happen,” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was, and the information on Friday continues to lead us in that direction.”
• House intel chair: “No evidence of collusion” between Trump campaign and Russia. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on Sunday said he’s seen no evidence of collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia. Nunes was asked during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” if he has seen any evidence of any collusion between “Trump world” and Russia to swing the 2016 presidential election. “I’ll give you a very simple answer: ‘No,’ ” Nunes said. “Up to speed on everything I have up to this morning. No evidence of collusion.”
• HEALTH CARE VOTE THIS WEEK: Fox News Capitol Hill producer Chad Pergram‏ @ChadPergram Mar 17: McCarthy tells Hse mbrs to be prepared to stay late (potentially on health care bill) next Thursday
• Trump says health care bill will be changed to shore up GOP support as House leaders plan Thursday vote. Washington (CNN) Republican leaders plan a vote Thursday to repeal and replace much of Obamacare, optimistic that President Donald Trump can help them close the deal, multiple House Republican sources tell CNN. Leaders continue to work toward the 216 votes needed to pass the health care bill led by House Speaker Paul Ryan, and believe some of the changes they are willing to make will secure additional support. Friday morning, members of the Republican Study Committee — who have expressed serious doubts about the House’s health care bill — emerged from a meeting at the White House backing the legislation. Trump said Friday he is “100% in favor” of the health care measure.
• Fox News Capitol Hill producer Chad Pergram @ChadPergram: House GOP Whip Scalise to his whip team as health care vote approaches Thurs: These next few days could define us for years to come.

5am – E SECRET SERVICE SECURITY SCARES:

• Secret Service reveals White House intruder wandered for 17 minutes before arrest
• Secret Service employees “extremely disappointed and angry” over handling of White House fence jumper
• Secret Service agents under investigation for taking selfies with Trump’s sleeping grandson
• Secret Service laptop containing Trump Tower evacuation and floor plans stolen
• Secret Service laptop, pins, radio stolen. (Politico) — A Secret Service computer containing sensitive security information about Trump Tower was stolen from an agent’s vehicle in New York on Thursday, along with a set of security perimeter pins, a personal laptop, and other items, federal and New York City law enforcement sources told POLITICO. The Secret Service laptop, which contained information about the layout and evacuation routes in Trump Tower, was still missing as of Friday afternoon, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
• Saturday: Secret Service stops suspect before reaching White House fence. An unidentified person was apprehended Saturday jumping a barrier in front of the White House, resulting in a full lockdown of the complex. The incident occurred at about 12:45 p.m. on the front side of the White House, along Pennsylvania Avenue. The person jumped over a stretch of bike-racks that serves as a barrier between visitors and the White House’s roughly 6-foot, black wrought-iron fence. President Trump was not inside the White House at the time, having left Friday for his resort home, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida.Sean Spicer‏ @PressSec: Individual jumped bike rack on Pennsylvania Ave, not @WhiteHouse fence. Great response by @SecretService
• Trump’s executive residence faces its THIRD security scare in eight days. Suspect is detained after ‘driving up to White House checkpoint and claiming to have an explosive device’ (Daily Mail) — A man has been detained after driving up to a security checkpoint at the White House and claiming he had an explosive device inside, authorities have said. Officials stopped the car Saturday night, about a quarter-mile from President Trump’s executive residence. The incident marks the third safety scare in eight days at the White House, raising concerns about lapses in security under the Secret Service’s watch. Earlier Saturday, someone jumped a low metal barrier just outside a White House fence. About a week earlier a man breached an outer perimeter fence and scaled a vehicle gate to gain entry to the White House grounds and was said to have spent 16 minutes on the property before he was stopped.

6am – A RIP CHUCK BERRY:

• Chuck Berry, Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer, Dies at 90. (CNN) — Chuck Berry, a music pioneer often called “the Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” died Saturday at his home outside St. Louis, his verified Facebook page said. He was 90
• Chuck Berry tributes flood in after news of rock and roll legend’s death:
• Bruce Springsteen tweeted: “Chuck Berry was rock’s greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock ‘n’ roll writer who ever lived.”
• Rolling Stones posted on their website: “The Rolling Stones are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Chuck Berry. He was a true pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll and a massive influence on us. Chuck was not only a brilliant guitarist, singer and performer, but most importantly, he was a master craftsman as a songwriter. His songs will live forever. ”
• It was perhaps John Lennon — who died in 1980 — who put it most succinctly. “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’”

6am – B CLINTON NEWS:

• Hillary Clinton says she’s ‘ready to come out of the woods.’ SCRANTON, Pa. — Hillary Clinton said Friday she’s “ready to come out of the woods” and help Americans find common ground. Clinton’s gradual return to the public spotlight following her presidential election loss continued with a St. Patrick’s Day speech in her late father’s Pennsylvania hometown of Scranton. “I’m like a lot of my friends right now, I have a hard time watching the news,” Clinton told an Irish women’s group.
• Finally: Brazile admits she forwarded town hall questions to Clinton camp. Former interim Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile admitted Friday that she forwarded Democratic primary town hall questions to members of Hillary Clinton’s campaign – something she had previously denied. In an essay for Time published Friday, called “Russian DNC Narrative Played Out Exactly As They Hoped,” the Democratic strategist said she had in fact passed on topics, despite saying she had not when her communications with the campaign were leaked by WikiLeaks in October. “[I]n October, a subsequent release of emails revealed that among the many things I did in my role as a Democratic operative and D.N.C. Vice Chair prior to assuming the interim D.N.C. Chair position was to share potential town hall topics with the Clinton campaign,” she wrote.
• Chelsea Clinton Lands New Gig As Expedia Board Member. Chelsea Clinton is joining the board of directors of the travel website Expedia. Expedia filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week to add Clinton to their board, creating a new seat for her. “On March 16, 2017, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Expedia, Inc. (the “Company”) expanded the size of the Board from thirteen to fourteen members and elected Chelsea Clinton to fill the newly-created directorship,” the filing said.

6am – C FIRST DAY OF SPRING:

• First day of spring officially arrives early Monday. (USA Today) — Spring officially arrives at 6:28 a.m. EDT (3:28 a.m. PDT) Monday, when the sun will be directly over the equator, marking the spring (aka vernal) equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. For the folks down under in the Southern Hemisphere, it will be the first day of autumn. The word equinox is derived from two Latin words: aequus (equal) and nox (night), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

6am – D   INTERVIEW – DAN MCHUGH – Montgomery County Young Republicans – discussed the horrific incident in which two immigrants raped a 14 year old at Rockville High and how this incident only proves more how making Rockville a sanctuary city is a bad idea.

• Immigrant high school student on deport list charged in rape of girl, 14. Two Maryland high school students – one of whom has an “alien removal” case pending – forced a 14-year-old female classmate into a bathroom stall on Thursday morning and viciously raped her, police said. The suspects, Henry E. Sanchez, 18, and Jose O. Montano, 17, are in ninth grade at Rockville High School. Both are recent arrivals to the U.S., Sanchez from Guatemala and Montano from El Salvador, WUSA9 reported. The pair appeared in court Friday and Montano is being charged as an adult, despite his age, due to the seriousness of the crime. Sanchez and Montano, charged with first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sexual offense, were held without bond.

6am – E MERKEL’S AWKWARD MEETING:

• Merkel asks Trump: “Do you want to have a handshake?” The U.S. president did not respond.
• Spicer: Trump didn’t hear Merkel’s handshake request. White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended President Donald Trump’s failure to shake German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hand on Friday. Spicer told Germany’s Der Spiegel that Friday’s incident was a misunderstanding. “I do not believe he heard the question,” Spicer told the paper.
• Angela Merkel gave an impassioned plea for refugees, and Trump just ignored her. She has been a leading advocate for Syrian refugees. He tried to indefinitely ban them. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed her commitment to refugees during a press conference held after her meeting with President Donald Trump, who has actively fought to keep Syrian refugees out of the U.S. He totally dodged the topic in his response. “Immigration has to be worked on, but this has to be done by looking at refugees as well,” she said. Helping countries in need is a priority, she added, and accepting refugees is “the right way of going about it and that’s obviously what we have an exchange of views about.” Trump completely ignored Merkel’s comments, returning instead to a point he stressed previously: Trade needs to be reformed in order to be more favorable to U.S. interests.
• Trump tells Merkel: ‘At least we have something in common’ in nod to wiretap claim

6am – F Hogan announces support for fracking ban in Maryland. Governor Larry Hogan addressed the media on Friday afternoon to announce a new bipartisan ban on fracking for the state of Maryland. Gov. Larry Hogan says he would support banning fracking in Maryland. Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday he supports banning fracking, a surprise revelation that could make Maryland one of the first states to ban the controversial method of drilling for natural gas. The Republican governor said passing legislation to prohibit fracking was “an important initiative to safeguard our environment.

7am – A INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former US Attorney to the District of Columbia

• Gorsuch Supreme Court hearings preview: What to Expect at Gorsuch Confirmation Hearing
• FBI Director James Comey to testify at Russia hearing on Monday. FBI Director James Comey is set to testify Monday before a House committee investigating Russian activities during the 2016 presidential election, amid expectations he’ll provide long-awaited answers and evidence on that issue and whether President Trump was indeed wiretapped. The Justice Department on Friday gave the House intelligence committee requested information about Trump’s claim of being wiretapped during the presidential election.
• Nunes: There ‘never was’ evidence of a wiretap at Trump Tower. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday there “never was” evidence that former President Barack Obama — or anyone else — wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign. “If you take the president literally, it didn’t happen,” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was, and the information on Friday continues to lead us in that direction.”
• House intel chair: “No evidence of collusion” between Trump campaign and Russia. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on Sunday said he’s seen no evidence of collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia. Nunes was asked during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” if he has seen any evidence of any collusion between “Trump world” and Russia to swing the 2016 presidential election. “I’ll give you a very simple answer: ‘No,’ ” Nunes said. “Up to speed on everything I have up to this morning. No evidence of collusion.”
• Latest on Executive Order on Travel: Trump admin challenges Hawaii judge’s halt on new travel ban The Justice Department is asking the federal judge in Hawaii who temporarily halted President Trump’s new travel ban to limit the scope of his ruling so that the United States can immediately stop taking in refugees worldwide. Justice Department attorneys argued in a motion Friday that U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson’s temporary restraining order was essentially based on the argument that the ban appears to unconstitutionally target Muslims. So his ruling should be limited to the part of Trump’s March 6 executive order that temporarily bans visas to travel from six mostly-Muslim countries into the U.S., not the temporary refugees ban, they say. The attorneys essentially want Watson’s ruling to be in line with a federal judge’s ruling in Maryland on Thursday that temporarily halts the travel ban. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang cited earlier Trump statements and said the purpose of the new executive order “remains the realization of the long-envisioned Muslim ban.” However, he declined to issue an injunction blocking the entire executive order.

7am – B IMMIGRATION NEWS:

• Trump wants to build 30-foot-high wall at Mexican border. WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration wants to build a 30-foot-high border wall that looks good from the north side and is difficult to climb or cut through, according to a pair of contract notices posted to a government website further detailing President Donald Trump’s promise to build a “big, beautiful wall” at the Mexican border. The notices were made public late Friday by Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security Department agency that will oversee the project and eventually patrol and maintain the wall. The proposals are due to the government by March 29. One of the CBP contract requests calls for a solid concrete wall, while the other asks for proposals for a see-through structure. Both require the wall to sunk at least six feet into the ground and include 25- and 50-foot automated gates for pedestrians and vehicles. The proposed wall must also be built in a such a way that it would take at least an hour to cut through it with a “sledgehammer, car jack, pick axe, chisel, battery operated impact tools, battery operated cutting tools, Oxy/acetylene torch or other similar hand-held tools.” The government will award a contract based on 30-foot-wide sample walls that are to be built in San Diego.
• Philadelphia’s Cinco de Mayo festival was just canceled amid fears of an ICE raid – The Washington Post After immigration raids across the country and reports of White House deportation plans, Philadelphia’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration has been canceled.“Everyone’s pretty much afraid because they’re saying that, basically, ICE is just going to come in out of nowhere,” resident Florencia Gonzalez told NBC 10 on a quiet, wet street that El Carnaval de Puebla used to fill in late April.
• 30 Countries Are Refusing To Take Back Illegal Immigrants Convicted Of Serious Crimes. Approximately 30 countries are refusing to accept the deportations of illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes in the U.S., according to Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar. (Daily Caller) — Approximately 30 countries are refusing to accept the deportations of illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes in the U.S., according to Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar. While these countries are refusing to accept the deportations of these criminals, the U.S. government is still issuing visas and student visas to citizens of those countries, according to the Texan congressman. There is already a law on the books which allows the U.S. to hold visas from a country that is not taking back its criminals, but according to Cuellar, the U.S. is not enforcing it. “We’re not enforcing it, which is amazing. So now my intent is to go back to our committee on appropriations and affect their funding until they do that,” Cuellar told Sharyl Attkisson, host of Full Measure, in an interview. Cuellar, a Democratic member of the House Committee on Appropriations, told Attkisson that the Supreme Court has ruled that illegal immigrants arrested for criminal activity can only be held for a certain period of time before they must be released.
• Canada sees major uptick in Mexican immigration in first part of 2017. More Mexican nationals attempted to enter Canada in the first 67 days of 2017 than in any of the three previous years, according to a report published Friday evening. The Canada Border Services Agency detained 444 Mexicans from Jan. 1 to March 8. In 2016, the country detained a total of 410 people, while in 2015 that number was 351 and in 2014 it was 399. The dramatic upshift comes after Canada’s federal government rescinded its requirement that Mexican citizens have a visa to enter the country. Now, any Mexican citizen who wishes to enter Canada can apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization, which is attainable online. Canada issued more than 72,000 of these authorizations to Mexicans from Dec. 1 to March 10.
• Immigrant high school student on deport list charged in rape of girl, 14. Two Maryland high school students – one of whom has an “alien removal” case pending – forced a 14-year-old female classmate into a bathroom stall on Thursday morning and viciously raped her, police said. The suspects, Henry E. Sanchez, 18, and Jose O. Montano, 17, are in ninth grade at Rockville High School. Both are recent arrivals to the U.S., Sanchez from Guatemala and Montano from El Salvador, WUSA9 reported. The pair appeared in court Friday and Montano is being charged as an adult, despite his age, due to the seriousness of the crime. Sanchez and Montano, charged with first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sexual offense, were held without bond.

7am – C SPORTS NEWS:

• WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Capitals are the first team to make the NHL playoffs. Capitals clinch playoff spot by beating Lightning 5-3. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Capitals have their third consecutive 100-point season and are postseason-bound for the ninth time in 10 years. T.J Oshie had three goals and an assist, Justin Williams and John Carlson had early third-period goals, and the Capitals became the first team to clinch a playoff spot by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Saturday night.
• MARCH MADNESS:
• 3-seed UCLA beats 6-seed Cincinnati 79-67 to advance to the #Sweet16
• UPSET! 7-seed South Carolina beats 2-seed Duke 88-81 to advance to their first #Sweet16 in school history.
• 3-seed Baylor holds on to beat 11-seed USC 82-78 and advance to the #Sweet16 to face the winner of Duke/South Carolina.
• 3-seed Oregon comes back to beat 11-seed Rhode Island 75-72 to advance to face Michigan in the #Sweet16
• 1-seed UNC survives a scare against 8-seed Arkansas, 72-65 despite blowing a 17-point lead. Tar Heels advance to face Butler in #SWEET16
• 1-seed Kansas routs 9-seed Michigan State 90-70 to advance to the #SWEET16. The Jayhawks will face Purdue Thursday in Kansas City.
• 2-seed Kentucky survives a scare from 10-seed Wichita State, 65-62 to advance to the #Sweet16 #NCAATournament
• Maryland women advance to the #Sweet16 with a 83-56 win over West Virginia. Jones: 22 pts, 11 rebs. #Terps will face winner of Duke/Oregon. Maryland cruises past West Virginia 83-56 into Sweet 16 // COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland was already enjoying a heck of a second quarter when Destiny Slocum scrambled in position to take a buzzer-beating shot. Squaring up from just outside the opposite arc, Slocum stretched both arms behind her head and let the ball fly. Swish! Slocum’s 70-foot shot capped a pivotal run, and the Terrapins blew past West Virginia 83-56 Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Brionna Jones had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Slocum scored 21 and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 19 for third-seeded Maryland (32-3), which will next face the winner of Monday’s game between No. 2 seed Duke and Oregon. The Terrapins will be hard-pressed to play better than they did in this one. “On a scale of 1 to 100, today was 100,” coach Brenda Frese said. Teana Muldrow led West Virginia (24-11) with 16 points. Leading scorer Tynice Martin was limited to 10 points on 3 of 18 shooting. The game turned in the second quarter, when Maryland outscored West Virginia 26-8 to take a 38-24 lead. After opening with a 23-4 surge, the Terrapins gave up two straight baskets — the last with 4 seconds left — before Slocum connected.
• No. 4 West Virginia beats No. 5 Notre Dame to reach Sweet 16. BUFFALO — West Virginia’s pressing defense was too much for Notre Dame’s usually efficient offense Saturday and the Mountaineers advanced to the Sweet 16 with an 83-71 victory. WVU jumped out to a 10-0 lead right out of the gate and the Irish could never work their way all the way back. ND’s Bonzie Colson, who played much of the second half with four fouls, led all scorers with 27 points. WVU’s Javon Carter had 24, including four of five from three-point land.
• FINAL: Mild upset as 7 seed Michigan gets by 2 seed Louisville, 73-69 in the 2nd round of the #NCAATournament
• NCAATournament Number 5 Virginia is beaten by Number 4 Florida 65-39
• March Madness: Villanova feels the pain from early elimination. No. 1 Villanova Knocked out by Wisconsin. It took three days, but Madness finally arrived at the N.C.A.A. tournament. The top overall seed, Villanova, fell to No. 8 Wisconsin, 65-62, in a stunner in Buffalo. Tied at 59 with two minutes remaining, Bronson Koenig hit a 3-pointer to put Wisconsin ahead. The Wildcats were down one, 62-61, when Donte DiVincenzo stole a pass and Nigel Hayes fouled him. DiVincenzo made 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game. With 11.4 remaining, Nigel Hayes avoided a double team along the baseline and scooped a lay-up up and in to put Wisconsin ahead. On the ensuing possession, Josh Hart drove to the rim but got tangled up with Vitto Brown, who stole the ball before Hart could shoot. With 3.4 seconds left, Brown connected on 1 of 2 free throws, opening the door for the Wildcats to tie with a long shot. But Jalen Brunson’s final heave from well beyond halfcourt came up short. And the Badgers, again, took down a No. 1 seed in the N.C.A.A. tournament.

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”

SECRET SERVICE SECURITY SCARES:

• Secret Service reveals White House intruder wandered for 17 minutes before arrest
• Secret Service employees “extremely disappointed and angry” over handling of White House fence jumper
• Secret Service agents under investigation for taking selfies with Trump’s sleeping grandson
• Secret Service laptop containing Trump Tower evacuation and floor plans stolen
• Saturday: Secret Service stops suspect before reaching White House fence.
• Trump’s executive residence faces its THIRD security scare in eight days. Suspect is detained after ‘driving up to White House checkpoint and claiming to have an explosive device’

7am – E VIRGINIA NEWS:

• Va. Democrat Northam ramps up energy in bid for governor, calls Trump a ‘narcissistic maniac’ (Washington Post) — Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D), vying to be the next governor, is often called low-key. Genteel. Even dull. Not so Friday night at the annual St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) that drew about 1,200 people — and every Democrat running for statewide office — to the ballroom of the Kena Shriners Temple in Fairfax County. In fiery remarks that sometimes bordered on shouting, Northam twice denounced President Trump as a “narcissistic maniac” in a four-minute speech frequently interrupted by cheers from a crowd decked out in green hats, ties and shirts and a smattering of blue Northam stickers. “We have a fight on our hands, and I want to let you know tonight, I’m ready for the fight,” Northam said. “We need to make sure that that narcissistic maniac doesn’t come anywhere close to Virginia, and we need to make sure together that we take Virginia to the next level.”
• In Va. governor race, GOP hopeful vows to cut state income taxes. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ed Gillespie says he’s going to make cutting taxes a centerpiece of his campaign. Gillespie said Thursday he would trim state income tax rates for all tax brackets in Virginia. The plan would lower taxes on income over $17,000 a year from 5.75 percent to 5.15 percent.
• Tax increase favored for Va. transit shortfall. WASHINGTON — Money keeping Virginia’s transit systems from falling apart is set to drop by more than 40 percent over the next three years, and a state panel is preparing to recommend increasing the regional gas tax or other taxes to close the gap. “By 2020, we are not going to be able to continue to meet just the state of good repair needs for what we have today, not even talking about new capacity at all,” said Jennifer Mitchell, director of the Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation. It could have a big impact in Northern Virginia, where the state spends more than 90 percent of its transit capital money.

8am – A INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – Washington Examiner’s Chief Congressional Correspondent

• Preview Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing
• FBI Director James Comey to testify at Russia hearing on Monday
• Health care bill vote expected on Thursday

8am – B ENTERTAINMENT:

• BOX OFFICE: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ roars to historic $170-million debut. Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” brought so many guests to movie theaters this weekend that the live-action remake became the biggest box-office opener so far of the year, and the seventh-best debut of all time. The picture brought in an impressive $170 million, well above analyst expectations of $130 million to $150 million. It’s the highest domestic debut ever for a Disney live-action title and the seventh Walt Disney Studios release to open over $150 million.
• RIP CHUCK BERRY:
• Chuck Berry, Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer, Dies at 90. (CNN) — Chuck Berry, a music pioneer often called “the Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” died Saturday at his home outside St. Louis, his verified Facebook page said. He was 90
• Wife: Glen Campbell can no longer play guitar. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Glen Campbell’s wife says Alzheimer’s disease has robbed the 80-year-old singer’s ability to play guitar. But Kim Campbell tells The Tennessean that her husband occasionally breaks into a solo air guitar routine, which she says is “kind of fun.” Glen Campbell was diagnosed with the brain-ravaging disease in 2011 and went on a world tour afterward. The singer known for such hits as “Rhinestone Cowboy,” ”Wichita Lineman” and “Southern Nights” was moved to a long-term care facility in 2014.
• ‘I’ve Got Friends in Safe Spaces’: Country Duo Turns Hit Into Anti-Snowflake Anthem. The Garth Brooks hit “Friends in Low Places” has now been turned into an anthem for conservatives. The country duo of Chad Prather and Steve “Mudflap” McGrew turned the iconic 1990 song into “Friends in Safe Spaces.”

8am – C FIRST DAY OF SPRING:

• First day of spring officially arrives early Monday. (USA Today) — Spring officially arrives at 6:28 a.m. EDT (3:28 a.m. PDT) Monday, when the sun will be directly over the equator, marking the spring (aka vernal) equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. For the folks down under in the Southern Hemisphere, it will be the first day of autumn. The word equinox is derived from two Latin words: aequus (equal) and nox (night), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• D.C.-area forecast: A springlike week with a brief interlude of winter in the middle. Spring’s arrival today is met with springlike weather, as temperatures make a run toward 60 degrees. It’s nice and mild again Tuesday before a strong cold front brings back a winterlike chill Wednesday and Thursday. But Friday into the weekend, spring re-takes control. Saturday is looking like the pick of the weekend. Winds from the south draw up very mild air and highs should reach the 60s, at least, and have a good chance to break through into the 70s.
• CHERRY BLOSSOMS UPDATE: Cold snap kills HALF of Washington’s cherry blossoms after they appeared early in unusually warm February. (Daily Mail) – The most picturesque time of year in Washington, D.C. is delayed thanks to Winter Storm Stella. This week’s bitter cold snap killed about half of Washington’s beloved cherry blossoms, and the survivors are now expected to peak at the end of next week, the National Parks Service said Friday. Freezing temperatures that had abruptly followed unseasonably warm weather had the nation’s capital fearful for its more than 3,000 prized Japanese cherry trees, a major tourist draw. The mercury dip to about 23 degrees Fahrenheit ‘killed virtually all of the blossoms that had reached “puffy white”‘ – the late stages of the bloom cycle – NPS spokesman Mike Litterst said in a statement.

8am – D/E Immigrant high school student on deport list charged in rape of girl, 14. Two Maryland high school students – one of whom has an “alien removal” case pending – forced a 14-year-old female classmate into a bathroom stall on Thursday morning and viciously raped her, police said. The suspects, Henry E. Sanchez, 18, and Jose O. Montano, 17, are in ninth grade at Rockville High School. Both are recent arrivals to the U.S., Sanchez from Guatemala and Montano from El Salvador, WUSA9 reported. The pair appeared in court Friday and Montano is being charged as an adult, despite his age, due to the seriousness of the crime. Sanchez and Montano, charged with first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sexual offense, were held without bond.