Former Supreme Court clerk  Lucas Walker, Fox 5’s Marina Marraco, Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler, former Justice Scalia law clerk Ed Whelan and WMAL reporter Steve Burns joined WMAL on Wednesday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C/D         Rockville Incident – What Should We Do With These Illegal Children?

• Rockville High School parents issue concerns at school meeting days following rape arrests. (Fox 5) — ROCKVILLE, Md. – Parents of students at Rockville High School and other concerned Montgomery County community members finally got their chance to have some of their questions answered by school administrators at a PTA meeting held Tuesday night, five days after police say a 14-year-old girl was  raped by two other students inside a school bathroom. Before the meeting, anti-illegal immigration protesters were seen outside of the school holding signs in opposition of being a sanctuary county or state. Inside the high school, the meeting was filled to capacity, but FOX 5 and other media organizations were not allowed to bring their cameras inside. Rockville High School parents issue concerns at school meeting days following rape arrests
• Fairfax Supervisor suggest proposal for standalone schools for gangs and illegals: Suggestions from elected leaders and law enforcement to tackle the gang problem include intervention, prevention and education such as providing more after-school programs and teaching parents what to look for.  “We’ve had about 1,500 undocumented minor children put in our school systems over the past couple years. So, [these] problems shouldn’t really be too surprising,” Supervisor Pat Herrity of the Springfield District said. Such like what happens in Prince William County, Herrity suggested federal resources be sought to support standalone schools for undocumented immigrants — many of whom can’t read or write in their own language, Herrity said.

5am – E         Recap Day 2 of Supreme Court Nomination Hearing for Judge Neil Gorsuch

6am – A/B/D Rockville Incident – Were You Satisfied With Montgomery County Officials Response?

6am – E         LATEST ON HEALTH CARE BILL VOTE:

• These Republicans Could Doom Their Party’s Health Care Bill. (NBC NEWS) – House Republicans are in danger of losing a vote on their health care bill, a defeat that would be hugely damaging for the party and President Donald Trump. Trump campaigned on the promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and replace it with “something terrific.” According to a tally by NBC News, at least 27 Republicans have said they are voting against or leaning toward voting against the bill, called the American Health Care Act, as of Tuesday afternoon, about 48 hours before a vote is expected to occur.   Republican leadership has been busy trying to secure the 216 votes necessary to pass the bill, which means they can lose the support of only 21 Republicans. They’ve made modifications to accommodate both conservative and moderate Republicans who opposed the bill, though those tweaks were panned by physicians’ organizations and right-wing groups alike.

• Trump warns GOP lawmakers their seats in Congress could be at risk on health care bill: (AP) — President Donald Trump is warning House Republicans that their seats in Congress could be at risk is they fail to pass the GOP health bill. Trump addressed Republican lawmakers in a closed-door meeting at the Capitol Tuesday. Afterward, Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina relayed Trump’s message to reporters. Jones said Trump’s message was, “It’s an important vote. If you don’t pass the bill there could be political costs.” The House is scheduled to vote on the bill on Thursday.

6am – F         Chuck Barris, creator and host of ‘The Gong Show,’ dies at 87. Charles Hirsch “Chuck” Barris, creator of “The Gong Show” and “The Dating Game,” died Monday night at home in Palisades, New York, according to a representative of his wife. He was 87. The popular game show creator, producer and host died of natural causes. It was in 1965 that Barris launched “The Dating Game,” which was an instant hit with numerous imitations. Continuing to dominate the TV game show landscape, Barris next introduced “The Newlywed Game,” “The Game Game” and a Mama Cass special, among others.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — LUCAS WALKER — former law clerk for JUSTICE ALITO and former clerk for Judge Gorsuch – discussed thoughts on Gorsuch’s performance and experience working with Gorsuch.

• After four years at MoloLamken, Mr. Walker served as a law clerk to the Honorable Samuel A. Alito of the United States Supreme Court, before returning to the firm.  Prior to joining MoloLamken, Mr. Walker served as a law clerk to the Honorable Neil M. Gorsuch of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW — MARINA MARRACO – FOX 5 Reporter

• She has been an intrepid reporter covering the Rockville High incident
• She was the first to get an interview with the Montgomery County Schools superintendent
• She attended the Rockville High Parents Teachers Association meeting

7am – D         INTERVIEW — Fairfax County Police Chief Col. Edwin Roessler Jr. – discussed the latest on the rise of Fairfax County gang activity.

• Police Chief told Fairfax officials that they are seeing “active recruitment in schools.”
• Gang activity has been rising across the Washington, D.C., region lately. There have been at least five gang-related homicides since last fall, according to our Police Department. These murders are the primary focus for the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, as well as our Police Department, which has a gang investigations unit that examines all gang-associated crime.
• (Fox 5) — Most of the gang members are from South America. He said that most lack a sense of family and that most engaged in these violent crimes have no sense of remorse or guilt. Roessler said that the county is working with school resource officers on intervention and prevention methods to keep young people safe. He says there is sometimes a gap between the police department and community members who he says might feel that by cooperating with police they may expose themselves to immigrations law enforcement. “Don’t be afraid to call the police department in Fairfax County. We need to stop the criminal activity at the lowest levels and get our youth involved in positive programs,” Roessler said. “What I can tell you is that these murders are brutal and savage,” Roessler added.

7am – E         Latest on the Rockville Incident

8am – A         INTERVIEW — ED WHELAN –  (WAY-LAN) –  the President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He directs EPPC’s program on The Constitution, the Courts, and the Culture. His areas of expertise include constitutional law and the judicial confirmation process. Mr. Whelan, a lawyer and a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has served in positions of responsibility in all three branches of the federal government.

•  Discuss his thoughts on the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Judge Gorsuch
• How similar is Gorsuch to former Justice Scalia?

8am – B/C  INTERVIEW – STEVE BURNS – WMAL’s intrepid reporter

• Steve was at the Montgomery County Council meeting yesterday and talked to several council members
• Steve also attended the press conference for the Montgomery County Schools superintendent
• Steve discussed how all of the government officials were reacting to the Rockville High incident

8am – D/E     Rockville Incident Latest News / Parent Meeting and Calls. 

• Governor Hogan vows to veto Maryland Trust Act. (Fox Baltimore) – Maryland Governor Larry Hogan says he will veto a bill which would restrict how local law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Maryland Governor Larry Hogan says he will veto a bill which would restrict how local law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The bill entitled “Maryland Trust Act” was approved Monday by the House of Delegates. A similar bill still faces a vote in a senate committee. Governor Hogan calls the bill “outrageous and it makes Maryland a sanctuary state. The issue is really about prohibiting our state and local law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal authorities.” The Governor adds, “If we have someone in prison, we’re holding them and the federal authorities say that we have a detainer, a warrant on this person, we hold them for 48 hours, this law would prohibit us from going that, so we’d have to let them all out on the street.” But Delegate Marice I. Morales, a Democrat who represents Montgomery County, says federal immigration officials would still have the authority to pick up and deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes if a judge signs a warrant.